Remote Work Ergonomics: Dequasify Your Hunched Back Posture
Even if most of us are doing work at the comfort of our own home, the demands placed on us by our bosses and the company we are working for did not change. We still need to produce output and grind hours and hours in front of our computer/laptop screens in our desk. After cumulative days of working at your desk, you find yourself experiencing some sort of pain either on your neck, mid back or lower back.
Working on your desk for hours can get you to be stuck in this position.
Looks familiar?
What happens generally in this posture is that the tissues in front of your body tends to be short and stiff while the tissues in the back are stressed. This creates pain and tension in a lot of body regions including neck, shoulders, and spine.
TIPS:
- Use time blocks & microbreaks.
If we stay too long in a particular position or posture, our body tends to be stuck in that position and muscles start to tighten up. Using time blocks when working allows us to have frequent breaks in between which allows our body to reset as we move.
Example: 90 minute work blocks with 15 minute microbreaks in between.
2. Optimize workspace.
Optimizing workspace means creating an environment that is mechanically — friendly and efficient for your body.
Ideally, we want to work with our screen monitors on an eye level at an appropriate distance to prevent neck & eye strains. Shoulders should be relaxed shoulders with forearms parallel on the floor. Chair should be adjusted at a proper height in relation to your desk while keeping your legs and feet parallel to the floor.
3. Postural Reset: Dequasify your Hunchback
a.) Chest Openers
This exercise allows your body to experience a full spectrum of movement from a hunched position all the way to a much more extended spine. This movement allows your body to self- correct and find its original center.
b.) Standing Side Stretch
When we work, it is not always that we sit perfectly even on our desk. We, as humans, tend to have our own preferential side when we sit. This preferential sitting posture if sustained from a long period of time can tend to stiffen the muscles on the side of our back which then might lead to low back pain. This move precisely targets those side muscles to create tissue length to open up our backs.
Stay tuned for more educational content about body and movement. If you want your body checked or if you any questions, feel free to send me DM here.
