Bad Backs And Sore Shoulders: How You Can Prevent Aches and Pains When You Are Working From Home

Over the past year, more Americans than ever have made the transition to working from home in order to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

If you are one of them, you might be suffering from new body aches and pains due to a less-than-ideal office configuration that acks ergonomic seats, keyboards, or computer monitors of your usual office. Bad posture, sitting for long periods of time, stretching your wrists, and relying on a laptop screen all put physical strain on your body that you might not realise at the time but may experience later. You should always pay attention to what your body is telling you - if things have started to hurt, you have probably waited a little too long.

To prevent discomfort, keep the body in a neutral, comfortable position when working. If your work-from-home system is not ergonomic - and very few are -, you risk promoting the development of musculoskeletal problems ranging from neck, shoulder, back, hand-wrist, and leg problems, all as a result of working while maintaining a poor posture.

Here are some of the aches and pains that you might experience when working from home and how to prevent them.

Sore shoulders and neck

If you are experiencing pain in your neck, back and shoulders, it is possible that your posture and the way you sit to work are to blame. If your monitor is set to the proper height, it will pick you up and place you in the back of the chair naturally, which is much better. Make sure that it is at eye level and put any items that you may need to use frequently within arms reach so that you are not overstretching and strained to get them.

If you work from home on a laptop and don't have the funds to upgrade right now, you can still make free ergonomic improvements. Put your laptop on a surface that is of elbow height, and try to move around at least twice every hour or so to avoid becoming stiff and achy. If you do start to feel achy, custom ice packs might bring you some relief. 

Tired eyes

You make your eyes work harder by staring at the glare of a computer screen for too long. Headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes, and neck and shoulder pain are all symptoms of digital eye pressure, which can be caused by this habit.

One way of overcoming this is by following the 20:20:20 rule; every 20 minutes, look away from your computer screen for at least 20 seconds and focus on something 20 feet away.

Where possible, work near a big window with plenty of natural light. If this is not possible, make sure that your work area is well lit, preferably with direct light at a 90-degree angle to your screen rather than behind you.

Cramped legs

Leg cramps are a symptom of inadequate circulation, and the pain is your body's way of reminding you that you are not sitting very well. Poorly designed office chairs are terrible for causing this.

To deal with it, ensure that your feet are flat on the ground by adjusting the height of your chair. Using a footrest if this is not possible. This relieves pressure on your thighs while still promoting good circulation.

Another way to improve circulation is to take 20-minute breaks every 20 minutes to walk about. When you walk around, your muscles pump almost as much blood as your heart does.

Sore wrists

If your hands and wrists are strained and not in a neutral place, it puts more strain on the tendons that go through a structure in your wrist called the carpal tunnel. As those tendons get agitated, they exert pressure on the median nerve, causing a painful condition called carpal tunnel syndrome.

To avoid this, Your wrists should be as flat and straight as possible, with no deviations to the left or right. If necessary, invest in a keyboard and mouse that will hold your wrists in a neutral position. If your wrists ache or are tired, consider investing in an ergonomic keyboard that angles out from the middle, making it easier to maintain a straight line with your hand and forearm.

Working from home is something that is likely to be around for some time yet, and for many people may be a permanent way of doing things. For this reason, it is crucial that you take steps to make sure that you are working comfortably and not putting your health at risk.