Telework In Confinement

06/10/2020 Par Hexa Physio

In this time of confinement, the vast majority of the population with office jobs has had to change their daily routine in relation to work. Being confined to their homes, many have reorganized their home office to make it their temporary workplace.

This is a temporary situation that could become permanent, depending on the evolution of the virus. That said (unfortunately), most people do not have the necessary equipment at home to set up a 100% ergonomic workstation.

Consequently, an inadequate work posture for a prolonged period of time can lead to many injuries such as back pain, neck pain, tendinitis, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc.

Tips

To avoid these pains, which can sometimes be very incapacitating, several changes can be made. Here are a few tips that will improve your posture at work:

Type and height of chair
Height of the screen
Separate keyboard and mouse for laptop users
Ergonomic mouse
Working in a standing position
Taking breaks
Exercise
Consult a health professional

1. Type and height of chair

First of all, choosing a good chair with good lumbar support is ideal. The height of the chair should be adjusted so that the feet are well supported on the floor and the knee, hip and elbow joints are positioned at 90 degrees . The keyboard and mouse should be positioned close to the body, ideally on a drawer designed for this purpose.

2. Height of the screen

To avoid back slouching and head protraction (head forward), the center of the computer screen should be slightly below the eyes. If the screen is too high, the neck will be extended, which can irritate the muscles. On the other hand, a screen that is too low encourages the back to slump and the head to protract.

3. Separate keyboard and mouse for laptop users

For those who work on their laptop, it is unfortunately impossible to properly position their screen, keyboard and mouse. This is why the use of an external keyboard and mouse is strongly recommended, especially for people who use their laptop for a large part of the day. Also, there are now some mounts for your laptop that allow you to ensure that the screen is at the right height for your eyes.

4. Ergonomic mouse

For patients with symptoms of epicondylitis (tennis elbow) or pain in the right elbow (or the side that uses the mouse), purchasing an ergonomic mouse can be very beneficial. Since the buttons are on the side of the mouse, and not on top, the wrist and finger extensor muscles are used much less, which leads to a decrease in muscle tension in the forearm and elbow. This type of mouse is not expensive ($30-50) and could save you a lot of trouble!

5. Working in a standing position

The human body was designed to move. Sitting for 8 hours a day can quickly become problematic, even if you adopt an ergonomic posture for most of the day. To remedy this problem, there are adjustable workstations that allow the user to work both standing and sitting. Changing position every hour can greatly help reduce muscular tension in the neck, back and shoulders. Although a little more expensive than the ergonomic mouse, an adjustable workstation is definitely a worthwhile investment in the short and long term.

6. Taking breaks

There are no magic recipes when it comes to posture at work. Taking a break every hour is a great way to recharge your batteries, both physically and mentally. In fact, in addition to the physical health benefits, taking a break improves concentration, stimulates creativity and therefore improves productivity at work.

7. Exercise

As we know, physical activity reduces the risk of many diseases such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and even some cancers. In addition, it is proven that active people have a better quality of life, they are more mobile and functional, and their psychological well-being is improved. Being physically active is therefore an excellent way to decrease and prevent injuries related to office work.

8. Consult a health professional

Of course, all of the tips listed above are general rules that do not necessarily apply to everyone. It is therefore recommended to consult a health professional to evaluate and treat people with more severe pain or specific conditions.

References

Human Factors Society (1988), American National Standard for Human FactorsEngineering of Visual Display Terminal Workstations (ANSI/HFS 100-1988),Santa Monica, USA.