Come on, most of us are working in our chair today! We can ignore the fact that the vast majority of people have opted for teleworking, but once with changing working environment, there is a risk of back and muscle pain.
It is important to remember that ergonomic principles must be respected, anywhere we would be. After spending more time on a task, we find ourselves in unnatural positions or in best case, we sit down as we find it more comfortable. It’s easy to think so “if i’m okay now, why bother?” Well, the ergonomic precautions are very important, especially for people who get to work on the chair, for long time periods. Failure to do so entails various musculoskeletal disorders and it can affect our health in both short and the long term.
It’s probably no news to anyone that the back pain is the most frequent work-related disability in the world. Some even say that ”if your back doesn’t hurt, you have bigger problems.” So how do we sit right in the office?
Here are 7 tips that will save you from the future discomfort, resulting from the position you take when you work on your feet, on your PC or on your laptop.
First of all, don’t lean on the monitor or screen
It’s no end of the world if you work on your laptop for a few hours on the weekend, but if you do this 40 hours or more in a single week you can wake up to all sorts of pain on your back, shoulders or neck. It would be preferable to use an external monitor, but if your love for the laptop overcomes any circumstance, give yourself a stand for it and a keyboard with an individual mouse.
Works at a suitable height
Seek to work in a position that will allow your elbows to fall naturally into a parallel height to your office. This will maintain a better alignment of your wrist and defend you from the Carpian tunnel syndrome, i.e. when the mid-rib at the wrist compresses. Hand movement becomes limited and comes with a burning, tingling and numb feel. The thighs shall be almost parallel to the floor and the hips shall be positioned a little higher than the knees. This will reduce stress on the lumbar area.
Use an ergonomic desk seat
It sounds funny, doesn’t it? Some end up working using all sorts of alternatives, from pillows under seat to inflatable balls or boxes in store. Even though it shows they are well done, it is not a healthy way of working. The adjustable characteristics of the office chair will save you lumbar pain and discomfort in the neck area. And the sofa in the living room or open space, however comfortable it may seem, is not a long-term solution. A vertical position of your body or feet can lead to muscle fatigue, and in the long run you can reach severe complications.
20/20/20 rule
For every 20 minutes you spend with your eyes on your computer monitor, you need to focus your eyes for 20 seconds on an object at 20 meters away distance. This easy-to-remember exercise will give your eyes a well-deserved break and will reduce the tension they build up during the working hours.
Make sure that you have a personal and personal workspace
We know this is not always possible, but your health is a topic worth insisting on. When you share the same workspace with someone else, you will inevitably have to adjust the chair, the height of the monitor, maybe even move mobile objects. Most of the time, you probably won’t do it again. If you manage to avoid this situation, you will not waste time with personalization and you will not risk waking up with all kinds of muscle aches, associated with a workspace that does not suit you.
Stay hydrated and don’t skip lunch
The moment you prepare your meal or the way you go to get it gives you the opportunity to move. Likewise, when you get up for a glass of water, your eyes take a break from direct contact with the computer screen (at least during breaks) from the tasks you need to complete.
Get up and take a few steps from time to time
Your muscles and bones will thank you! Try to stretch your muscles to relax them after long periods of standing in the same position. You will reduce your numbness considerably and you will not feel so tired from sitting in a chair.
