Working from Home & Experiencing Back, Neck or Shoulder Pain?

Prior to Covid-19, many of us often wished for the opportunity to work from home skipping the commute.  However, after being forced to stay in our homes and work remotely for months, many are experiencing neck, back and shoulder pain because we don’t have the proper desks and chairs to support us for hours of sitting.

At Optilife, we are seeing an increase number of patients suffering from these problems as a direct result of working at home.

• Stiff necks
•  Tense or sore shoulders,
• Mid and lower back pain
• Joint pain

Tips to reducing neck, back and shoulder pain associated with working from home:

1. Be sure to sit at a desk or counter with the chair at the right height.  Your arms should be angled slightly down towards the keypad.  Sitting on a couch will force your neck to tilt down un-naturally putting strains on your neck and shoulders muscles.  Doing this for hours can also result in headaches and back aches.

1. Make sure your chair is high enough to angle your arms slightly downward.  If your desk surface is too high your arms will be angled up and your shoulders may be in a constant scrunched position.  Doing this for several hours a day will result in pain and discomfort increasing tension in the shoulders.

1. Take breaks!  It is important to get up move around and do some stretching every hour.  Many fitness watches will remind you to get up and move.  If you do not have one of these devices, set a timer on your computer every hour and take a quick break.  Do a few stretches each time to release the tension and relieve aches.  Here are a few quick easy stretches that can be done almost anywhere:

    

   1. Upper Body Stretching
   2. Lower Body Stretching

1. Use ice or/or icy hot creams such as Bio Freeze or Miraflex to reduce inflammation and relief pain.

1. If pain persists, we recommend you come in to see us at Optilife.  We’ll adjust you to ensure proper alignment relieving stress on your muscles and tendons. Additionally, we provide several different therapies to reduce inflammation and relax muscles such as Cold Laser and TENS therapy.  The roller table is a relaxing favorite of our patients as well.

1. Active massage therapy is always recommended to stretch out muscles and work out built up lactic acid.  Cherie, our massage therapist, is trained in all aspects of massage therapy and specializes in active massage that combines deep tissue with advanced stretching.

1. Don’t forget to keep moving! Although gyms may be closed, there are many exercise programs available on the internet that can provide great workout regimens for any skills level and goals.  Exercising often will help to strengthen muscles and keep them flexible.  Exercise will also help fight the depression and anxiety that can become a problem during these challenging times.

To avoid neck, shoulder and back pain while working at home, exercise and avoid the soft couches and chairs.