Home office ergonomics: How to set up a pain-free remote office

Working from home

has several advantages : You spend less money on transport, you can listen to the music you love, and you can even have a healthier diet. Nevertheless, spending many hours sitting down in front of a screen or in a desk can be harmful and cause pain and injuries .

Due to the health emergency , many people are now working from home. However, it is important to stress that a bad posture and its consequences can keep affecting us, regardless of where we work .

Before talking about specific postures, it is important to mention that physical activity is necessary during the lockdown. Taking a break from work and getting up from the chair, more than a luxury, is a need and is suggested to avoid strain on your joints . Simple activities like walking at home, slightly stretching the muscles , and relaxing your shoulders and neck can be good for your health .

In addition, once you are in front of a screen, these five tips can be of great help so that your home office does not turn into a painful experience.

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Do not bend your back

When you sit with a bent back, your backbone is not straight and it can cause severe pain. To have a better posture , you only need to adjust your chair so that its depth matches the length of your hips; that is, you must sit with your back relaxed on the back of the chair. Moreover, the latter must have a natural curve . If the chair is too big, a cushion behind the waist could be a good alternative to prevent stress and back pain . Likewise, it is important for the feet to touch the ground.

Relax your hands

To avoid hand and joint pains , in addition to numbness or injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome , you need to put your hands in the proper posture. That is, you must adopt a posture with your shoulders and forearms so that both the keyboard and the mouse are at elbow level; your arms must be at 90° and the forearms must rest in the desk. Moreover, your wrists must remain straight and you must avoid turning them to the sides.

Avoid neck pain

After spending eight hours in front of a screen, it is common to feel stress in the neck area, which translates into future pain. To avoid it, it is recommended to adjust the screen so that it is eye-high. Moreover, it must be in front of us. In order to achieve this, you can use a screen base if you need it.

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Blink

It could seem obvious, however, using a computer for long periods can decrease the number of blinks , causing dryness in the eye and the computer vision syndrome (a situation in which sight becomes blurry , the eyes are dry and irritated , and that involves headaches ). To avoid this situation, you can take eye breaks : every one to two hours, take 20 seconds to completely move your sight from the screen to rest your eyes. Moreover, you must put the screen at eye level at a distance of 50 cm . Eye drops can be helpful but you should first check a medical expert in order to use them.

Don’t cross your legs

Although it is a common habit, crossing your legs causes damage to the blood circulation and is related to a bad posture . To prevent falling into the temptation, you must adjust your chair so that both feet touch the ground and are not left floating in the air. In addition, avoid pressure under your knees . You can use a footrest if you need it.

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