Ever since the coronavirus took the entire globe by storm, work from home has become a trend that isn’t going away anytime soon. As a result, many people working in the office have decided to stay home for the entire year of 2021, even though the globe has achieved tremendous success in the fight against the virus.
When working from home, there are both advantages and disadvantages. Working from home has both advantages and disadvantages, but one of the most important advantages is the ability to customize your environment. Your emotional and physical well-being will benefit from this flexibility.
Working from home could have given us several comforts, but one can’t ignore the adverse effects it has had on our physical health. Your back is one part of your body that is often overlooked while you are at work. Your back is a complicated combination of muscles and bones that needs immense care. Sitting in a chair all day can lead to back discomfort, posture issues, and poor core strength, all of which may necessitate extensive pain therapy in the future. While working from home may not be ideal for your back health, there are a few things you can do to keep it in good shape!
For those of you who work from home, we’ve put together a list of ten practical strategies to keep your back healthy while you’re at it.
10 Tips To Support Your Back When You Are Working From Home
Get an ergonomic chair
You can alleviate back pain and poor posture by purchasing an ergonomic office chair. Ergonomic office chairs are meant to support your lower back (lumbar spine), your mid-back (thoracic), and your neck. They may not be the most visually appealing pieces of furniture you’ll ever purchase, but ergonomic office chairs have a profound effect on your spinal health that can’t be overstated.
A common problem among those who work from home is the inability to keep their backs straight while using their computers. Ergonomic office chairs solve this problem. In addition, they help you maintain your balance and strengthen your core!
Have a separate workstation
Remote work allows you to work from the comfort of your home, whether sitting, standing, or sometimes, even while you’re lying down comfortably. It’s a good rule of thumb, but it’s a bad one for your back. You don’t have to work from your bed just because you can.
It is recommended that you designate a separate work area for the duration of your workday. Your living room, study, or even your balcony could be suitable. All you need to concentrate on is staying away from your bed and working with a decent posture in mind.
Maintain a straight posture as you look at your computer screen
Ensure that your screen is at a height that is comfortable for you. Keep your head up, and don’t look down at your phone or laptop (if it’s on a table). If you must swivel your neck to operate your keyboard and mouse, don’t set them in front of you with your screen off to the side since this can cause neck strain. If you’re using a laptop or a separate screen, you may need to prop it up on a stack of books or a cardboard box so you can see it well in front of you.
Keep a yoga pillow under your desk
Grain-filled yoga pillows help relieve pressure on the spine when doing yoga. Compression of the vertebrae in your spine can occur when you sit or stand for an extended period. In addition to discomfort, this can lead to bad posture and a host of other health issues if not addressed.
Working from home gives you the leisure to take short pauses and lay on the floor in any position you like! Make the most of this opportunity to show your back the attention it deserves, as this is a rare treat in the workplace.
While lying on a yoga cushion, a user can inhale and exhale deeply while meditating in various positions. In addition, your back will be relieved of strain thanks to the yoga cushion’s firm-yet-soft firmness.
Use a straight neck to look at all paper documents
When you have to read something from your iPad or from any other papers that lie flat on your table, avoid it so that your head doesn’t have to move up and down. A vertical document holder or an iPad stand can be used if you need to switch back and forth between your computer screen or a laptop and separate reading material.
Carry a bottle with hot water
Heat is your friend if you’ve ever had back pain, whether it’s persistent or caused by an injury. It will make a significant difference if you have chronic back pain to make small changes to your daily routine.
A hot water bottle might be a very cost-effective remedy for back pain. Using a hot water bottle on a sore or stiff area of the body, such as the lower back, can help alleviate pain.
What role does heat play in the treatment of back pain? With the help of heat, oxygen, and other nutrients, it can reach the area needed. In addition, widening your blood arteries allows more oxygenated blood to reach the area that needs it.
Wear loose and comfortable clothing while at desk
Your attire influences your posture, and a healthy back is dependent on good posture. You should dress appropriately when you have client calls or official meetings. However, when you’re working from home, relaxed clothing is usually acceptable attire!
Instead of changing your posture to accommodate uncomfortable or tight clothing, it is easier to sit up straight in a chair and breathe properly until your stomach is wearing loose, comfortable clothing. In addition, sitting up straight and breathing into your diaphragm will help you get rid of your back pain in the long run.
Make the most of your speakerphone
Don’t attempt to do everything at once, especially when it comes to using your phone. For example, while working on a laptop and keeping your phone between your neck and shoulder, you may be putting strain on your back and damaging your muscles. So instead of using a neck cradle, you might use a speaker or a headset to alleviate the discomfort.
You can also use the voice recognition feature on your phone/laptop to compose emails or messages. This will give your fingers, hands, and back some rest!
Practice mindful breathing
It is essential to learn how to breathe correctly to relax your entire body and lower and upper back muscles. It is possible to alleviate lower back problems by practicing breathing exercises that focus on the nerve system. These exercises benefit from not requiring specialized equipment and may be performed at any time and in any location. All you need to do is to concentrate on your breathing. For example, try to bring your navel nearer your spine as you inhale and then exhale as you inhale. As a result, core muscles are activated, and this breathing exercise supports the upper body.
Limit working on bed
Even worse than a chair, you’ll be sitting on the side of the bed with your legs spread or outstretched horizontally, which will work as a laptop stand. You’ll have to stoop over if you want to see anything on the screen at all at that height. You can try putting a pillow behind your back to rest against the headboard and place a cushion on your lap for your laptop if you have no other choice. A low laptop table that rests on your thighs will allow you to type at a more ergonomic height without putting undue strain on your neck.
Conclusion
Most people have been forced to work from home, thanks to the ongoing and never-ending pandemic side-effects. Of course, working from home gave us the leisure to work at first, but soon, we realized that working from home affects our mental condition as we do not get to go out anywhere, but our physical health is also getting compromised. Hence, by following the above steps, we can try to get rid of back pains as much as possible!
