Working from home is cool and all until your back starts to hurt. How can it not? You spend the whole day sitting on a chair (bed, couch…), in the same position all day. Yes, remote working is one of the most adopted safety measures from Covid-19. In fact, many companies are implementing ”work from home” until further notice. Although most governmental restrictions are being elevated, remote working proved to be a great solution to many businesses. However, you must take additional care of your back while doing so. These are few tips we have prepared to help you!
Sit Straight
Don’t sit on your couch when you have to work, and definitely not on your bed. The most important part is to get used to sitting straight. Fetch a desk, a chair and you can even use your dinner table. But the truth about back pain, is that accumulating bad postures can only make it worse on the long term.
Adjust Screen Height
Although it sounds like a given, adjusting screen hight properly is key. Actually, you shouldn’t be slouching to read the screen. Furthermore, putting too much pressure on both your lower and upper back leads to tremendous damage. So, before you start your work day, remember to have your screen at your chest height. If you use a laptop, then make sure to put it on a surface that coincides with the recommend height measures, in order to take care of your back while remote working.
Stretch
even if you have a lot of work to do, always take breaks to stretch. According to Harvard Health research, stretching makes muscles flexible, strong, and healthy. Of course, if you will be seated 8 hours everyday and 5 days a week, go ahead and do the math. Every 2-3 hours, try to stretch for 5 minutes before returning to your ”work posture”. Remember, sit straight!
Protect Your Shoulders and Wrists
Protecting your shoulders is essential to take care of your back while remote working. How can you do that? Well, take your mouse home. Also, adapt your keyboard position so you don’t have to bend overtime you need to type. In addition, if start feeling soreness in your wrists from typing, do some ”wrist movements” to release the tension.
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