Preventing Back Pain when Working From Home (Working From Home Tips series 1/4)
Preventing Back Pain when Working From Home
The world has recently forced us all to make many unplanned changes to the way we work. With around half the adults in Basingstoke and the south-east now working from home, there have been many adjustments to make. The shift to home working has had a lot of impacts on our lives.
One aspect has been finding a suitable place to work. With sofas, kitchen islands and even beds being part of our new office setup, it is no surprise that people are noticing new or worsening back pain ever since the lockdowns began.
Nearly half of all adults in the UK experience back pain every week. Around 10% of people suffer from severe back pain in Basingstoke and across the county too. So you’re certainly not alone if you’re suffering or feeling like you need a helping hand. Changes in the way you work and your lifestyle may be the cause of your back pain, but you don’t have to suffer through it. There are some steps you can take to improve your situation.
Introducing the Connective Chiropractic Working From Home Blog Series
This is the first of 4 blogs in our Working From Home blog series. In this blog we focus in on back pain. In our next blog we focus in on neck pain and headaches. The series also includes posts on nutrition and mental health considerations relating to working out of the office.
Get The Right Setup
While working from bed can sound appealing, slouching or spending hours in the same position or being hunched over your laptop is not doing you any favours. Long term poor posture can can lead to back pain, aching muscles and stiffness. A supportive work chair, a screen at eye level and suitable space for a keyboard, mouse and any work tools you need will help to keep pains at bay.
Think About Your Posture
Poor posture can make your back pain worse. The way you hold yourself while sitting and standing is a habit. So it’s going to take conscious effort to change. But, the good news is that once you’ve changed your habit, you won’t have to think about it anymore. Small steps and reminders are the key here.
Try setting a timer on your phone to remind you to think about your posture every now and then. Perhaps you could walk around your table, get up and walk around the house or even do a little stretch? Ideally, you should evenly distribute your weight between both legs when standing or your buttocks while sitting. You should aim to have your shoulder back and down and your head and neck in a neutral position.
Want to know why it may feel less comfortable doing this at first, but it’s wise to persevere? Watch our ‘gapping the pelvis’ video here.
Get Moving
It might seem counter-intuitive at first, but one of the best ways to deal with back pain is to get moving. When you were working in the office, you probably had to get up and move around for all sorts of reasons. For instance, going to meetings or having a chat with a colleague. Now that all these things are happening through your computer, you’re probably not getting up and moving as much as you used to.
Try planning in breaks to your day where you will get up and move around. These short breaks are useful not only for your body but your concentration as well. If you need a task to complete, you could load the dishwasher or put the laundry on. It doesn’t matter what you do so long as you get your body moving at regular intervals through the day.
Strengthen Your Core
Your core muscles are a key set of muscles to consider, even though they aren’t all located in your back. These muscles provides support and stabilisation for your back. If these muscles become weak or tired, it leaves your back at higher risk of injury.
Taking some time to work on core exercises into your daily or weekly routine can reduce your current back pain and prevent it from reoccurring in the future. Some good exercises for this include the Plank. Crunches and bridges may also help.
BACK PAIN EXERCISES
WHY YOU SHOULDN'T SELF DIAGNOSE BACK PAIN
Getting Help For Back Pain In Basingstoke
If you’ve tried everything you can think of and are still in pain, then it can be well worth seeking chiropractic treatment. Our Chiropractic team is highly trained and experienced in helping you with back pain. Connective Chiropractic in Basingstoke is fully Covid-safe and open for treatment. You can book an appointment online today to get the help you need to feel better.
Click here for the next working from home tips blog
Eliminating Neck Pain and Headaches when Working From Home…
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