Prevent Neck Shoulder and Back Pain During Work from Home Days | Corona Tips

Prevent Neck Shoulder and Back Pain During Work from Home Days | Corona Tips

When the COVID-19 crisis hit, working from home increased across the country. According to the Brookings Institution, nearly half of Americans are currently working from home in response to the epidemic, with just 12% who worked at least one full day from home each month in 2017–2018. Helping people remain physically distressed while working from home has become another health concern: back and neck pain from lack of proper office equipment. Prevent Neck Shoulder and Back Pain

“Most people don’t have a habit of working from home and can’t have ergonomically correct chairs and desks, so we’re having more complaints of back and neck pain,” says Daniel REY. Co-Director of Spine Surgery in the Orthopedics Department at New York-Presbyterian Auch Spine Hospital. “Most offices have chairs and desks designed to prevent back and neck strain related to work. But now, many people have to use a kitchen or dining table, a couch, or a bed as their place of work. In addition, people cannot do more regular exercise after the gym closes, which leads to deconditioning and increases the risk of spinal problems. ” 

Also Read: Prevent Neck Shoulder and Back Pain

For tips on how to reduce pain related to working from home, Health Matters provided Dr., director of clinical outreach and physical therapy at the New York-Presbyterian Ouch Spine Care in Midtown Manhattan. REY and Drs. Spoke with Evan Johnson.

What’s the most important advice you’d give to someone working from home?

Do not stay in one position for more than 45 minutes. Get up and turn around. Take a 15 to 30 minute break in the middle of the day to exercise. You can do jumping jacks, pushups, or situps to improve your circulation. There are lots of simple exercises that you can do at home or to strengthen your core and support your lower back and spine. Even 30-second “microbracks” help your posture to stand for some time or change your posture for a while on your back. It is also good for you to work in a permanent position for a few hours each day.

 

Why is standing good for you?

Sitting in a humped forward position puts a lot of pressure on your lower back. Your lumbar discs are subjected to 1.5 to 2 times the force they hold in a standing position. Also, many people, when they are sitting, keep their chin tilted forward while bending their neck forward. When they stand and place the monitor at eye level, they are less likely to do so. Standing in an upright position with your knees straight requires very little energy or muscle effort in your neck or back. Standing and sitting also uses more calories and your feet get some exercise, which is good for your overall health and fitness.

What is good standing and sitting posture?

The key is to use the muscles around your neck and back efficiently in a sitting or standing position, which does not require too much muscle work to maintain that position. The good standing posture is symmetrical and well aligned.

This leads to weight bearing on both legs, leveling the shoulders and pelvis and holding the head and neck. In good sitting alignment, your hips and knees are level (or the hips are slightly above the knees), your spine may be vertical or slightly bent, and a small arch is maintained in the lower back.

Your shoulders should be tilted away from the ears, elbows to your side and to about 90 degrees, wrists are neutral (not bent down, down or away from each other), and your head is facing forward without stopping. | Prevent Neck Shoulder and Back Pain

What can someone do to make their home furniture more comfortable for working?

If you do not have an office chair, go back to your chair without moving your lower back. To maintain the arch, place a small pillow behind your lower back. When you bend over, you place your upper body weight on a chair instead of your spine.

It also relieves neck muscles by keeping your head up. Feel the back of your neck in that posture. If you bend forward, you will feel your neck muscles strained.

On the other hand, if you bend over backwards, those strained muscles will relax and help reduce neck pain. If your computer monitor does not have an adjustable stand, there are now commercially available devices that allow you to raise or lower your monitor so that the screen is at eye level.

If you work primarily with a laptop or tablet device, what is the good height to keep it so that you can avoid “Tech Neck”? I would advise you to sit in your chair and then look straight ahead.

If you’re using a laptop, you can extend it using books or a box, and you can buy a Bluetooth-enabled keyboard and mouse since the laptop keyboard is small and tight. This allows you to find more options that are comfortable for your neck and hands.

In general, you should avoid keeping your neck in any position for an extended period of time, no matter how good the situation, if you keep any part of your body in one position for too long, So it will strain that part of the body. We want to say that speed is a lotion for your body.

What about working in bed lying on your side or back?

Lying down for long periods will lead to deconditioning. So as long as it is okay to work late, do not do it all day every day. Also, if you are lying down, be careful not to slide headlong or to do posture forwards.

Any situation that hurts your body is not a good situation for you, so listen to your body. Dr. Evan Johnson says, “Good sitting and standing habits in general help ensure that you consistently apply the principles of ergonomics.” “Often we inadvertently slip into old, unhealthy movement habits, even if we know the‘ proper ’way of doing something. Continually learning good postural and movement habits is a skill. It takes practice to develop new skills. “