More people than ever are working from home these days. However, home office and even in-office setups may be less than ideal for your body. You may notice that after finishing a long day of work, you feel stiff or achy from decreased activity level and poor workplace ergonomics. Over time, a working environment that is not properly designed to fit your needs can lead to discomfort and chronic pain, fatigue, and even injury. Additionally, these negative effects can hinder your productivity and work performance. Below are some tips that can help you adjust your work space to optimize comfort, reduce pain, and improve your ability to work at your best.
Tip #1: Take regular breaks throughout the day to stand, move your body, and stretch to improve circulation and maintain flexibility.
Tip #2: Be mindful of your posture and avoid slouching – Use a chair with good lumbar support and make sure that your feet are resting flat on the floor (or use a footrest). Bring your chair close to your desk so that you don’t have to lean.
Tip #3: Limit reaching by keeping the things that you use most (such as a mouse) close to your body. If something can’t be reached in sitting, stand up to get it to avoid overextending yourself.
Tip #4: If you use a computer monitor as part of your job, make sure that it is directly in front of you about an arm’s length away with the top of the monitor positioned at about eye level.
Tip #5: Make sure that your arms are supported as your work to reduce strain on your neck and shoulders.
Tip #6: If you frequently use a phone during work, use the phone’s speaker function or a headset/bluetooth headphones to prevent craning your neck to hold the phone between your ear and shoulder.
Visual representation of proper ergonomics for sitting and standing desks courtesy of the Mayo Clinic
How a Physical Therapist Can Help
A physical therapist can assess your current work station and provide education on ways to adjust your work environment to limit physical stress and reduce the risk of injury. If you are already experiencing work-related pain or injury, a physical therapist can determine the underlying causes and create a plan of care to properly address your needs.
Looking to improve the way that you interact with your work space or seeking relief from what you believe to be work-related aches and pains? Call Respire Physical Therapy at (703) 671-1871 or click here to schedule an evaluation with one of our trained physical therapists and begin reducing your pain and improving your function today!
Tags: arlingtonva, alexandriava, springfieldva, fallschurchva, work ergonomics, prevent injury, Physical Therapy, Respire Physical Therapy, physical therapist, physical health
