A little over one year ago now, the world was forced to adjust to a “new reality” in light of Covid-19. Although one year later we have learned much and sacrificed even more, some aspects of this new reality seem to be transitioning to a permanent reality.
In the early days of the pandemic, many companies issued “work from home” orders to large swaths of their workforce to help minimize contacts and exposure risks. As weeks turned into months and the pandemic wore on, many people began to realize that despite missing the daily contact, working from home allowed them to be more productive while restoring a work-life balance. Employers across several industries have noted this increased productivity, and have begun questioning the need to continue paying into actual brick and mortar office settings. Seeing the win-win for both employees and employers, globalworkplaceanalytics.com has estimated that “25-30% of the workforce [will be] working from home on a multiple-days-a-week basis by the end of 2021”. While this can be considered to be one positive fall-out of Covid-19, there is an associated issue that needs to be addressed: pandemic posture!
Soon after physiotherapy clinics re-opened in late spring of 2020, therapists were met with an onslaught of patients complaining of headaches, neck pain, shoulder soreness, burning between the shoulder blades, tennis elbow symptoms and signs of carpal tunnel syndrome. The common denominator? Work-from-home work stations that were slightly less-than ideal. Kitchen tables turned into desks, 13-inch laptop screens replacing face-to-face meetings, couches, sofas and beds becoming the new “executive chair”… all this has wreaked havoc on posture, which, in turn, has created or exacerbated pain in many cases.
The solution to all this posture chaos is two-fold. The first part is ensuring a proper set-up from the get-go. This means finding a chair that allows both feet to be fully supported on the floor (or on a small support placed on the floor for those who are on the not-so-tall end of the spectrum!), that supports the low back firmly yet comfortably (ie working on a recliner with feet in the air = no.), and that offers the option of elbow support so that arms are not left dangling like flags in the wind for hours on end. (Budget-friendly chair hack: use a kitchen chair, with a small hand towel rolled to form a firm support for the low back, and a pillowed doubled on the lap to provide elbow support). Once the chair situation is rectified, the next important factor to consider is computer screen height. The ideal height allows the screen to be relatively eye-level, so as to avoid having to bend the neck up or down for extended periods. This can be achieved by either investing in a separate full-size monitor, a standing desk, or, more budget-friendly, investing in a wireless keyboard and then propping the laptop up on several books until the screen is eye-level. For a more complete checklist for ergonomic workstation settings, take a look at the National Institute of Health’s self-assessment guide.
The second part to ensuring a happy body while working from home is by incorporating movement and a variety of positions throughout the workday. Lubrication in all the body’s joints tends to pool quickly during inactivity (ie after 20-30 minutes). This leads to stiffness and discomfort creeping in quickly. To counter this, take a few minutes to stand, walk, squat, stretch, make a coffee, do a load of laundry…every half hour or so. As little as 20 seconds of movement can be enough to redistribute joint fluids and help ward off aches and pains. Stuck on Zoom for 3 hours and can’t leave the computer? Think of doing some pelvic tilts (imagine using a hula-hoop while sitting). This alone can help loosen the lumbar spine and make the meeting (slightly) more bearable.
Although the information presented here is neither new or revolutionary, it does provide an example of how small, simple adjustments can have large, meaningful impacts on pain and quality of life. Implementing tricks to improve “postural hygiene” creates a more balanced environment for the body, and when the body is happy, the mind can better focus on work…or play!