Setting up a home office?
Since the pandemic, many people have been working from home and we have noticed people needing to seek physiotherapy management to relieve posture-related pain from poorly set-up home offices. The most common areas of pain include the shoulders, wrists, neck and back. Do you know how to set up your home office to support you in an ergonomic position?
Some of the common mistakes we see are:
- Chair not the right height
- Chair not providing the right back support
- Screen too low or too far away
- Frequently used items, such as mouse, are too far away
- Feet not flat on the ground
- Prolonged sitting (or standing)
Remember our bodies are designed to move. Short, frequent breaks and posture changes are important. Set a reminder to get up and move every 30 mins or stop and do a few stretches. Pause exercises are a great way to regularly move and stretch your body to prevent injury from prolonged sitting. Your body will be much happy and its much better to prevent injury than to wait until you are in pain before you get the right workstation set-up.
The diagram below gives some tips on what to check to see if you have your chair and workstation set up ergonomically. For further advice Flex Physiotherapists are here to help.
