Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida are Experts on How to Control Pain After a Car Accident

Over the last nine to ten months the times have changed for us all. Regardless if it is a car accident, slip & fall, or just being granted the opportunity to work from home. SOFLO has seen an increase in patients experiencing new aches and pains. Ergonomics in the office are important as you spend hours a day working away mostly from home. Just because you are not working from your office does not mean your workspace should not be spine friendly. Here are some wonderful ways to prevent back pain while working from your spare bedroom, living room, or kitchen, turned to an “office”. This can even apply to your children who are adapting to do schoolwork in an environment that does not allow for as much movement because of virtual learning time scheduled regimens. It has been estimated that during the COVID-19 pandemic came into our lives that roughly 1 in 6 U.S. workers, some26 million people, worked either partly or fully from home. Now as of November that number has grown to a significant amount. Although we are incredibly grateful for the ability and the income, we must adapt within our home schedules, routines, and most of all the well-being of not only our emotional status but our physical stature as well. If you and your family are one of the ones who are adapting to the changes you might be noticing new aches and pains that you did not experience at the office or your children did not complain about while attending school.

The pain usually starts very subtly with the symptoms being as minor as the ache you feel will entice you to have the need to get up and move around or to reposition consistently the back, shoulders, hips, or stretch out the lower back and neck. Unfortunately, once the pandemic has passed, remote working is likely to remain the norm for millions of workers, as companies learn that certain jobs do not require the in-office hours they once did. If you are already feeling the physical strain, the bad news is that you may be on the road to a potentially debilitating musculoskeletal injury, such as a bad back. Sore neck and shoulders, carpal tunnel syndrome or even a deep vein thrombosis, a condition in which blood clots form in the veins deep in your body primarily in the back of the knees that as a result return to the heart.
So, the question at hand is what do we do to prevent back, neck, shoulder, hip, and wrist pain as well as prevent life threatening conditions? The answer really is quite simple and actually is more conducive because we work from home and are not on a schedule as rigid as working in an office.

Keep Your Neck Straight

Regardless if you are viewing your screen or reviewing documents, what you are looking at should be at a comfortable viewing height. If you have your screen at too much of an angle, you will have to twist your neck to work and will end up with neck pain from the swiveling. Being that you are working from home you probably will not have the same set up that is provided for you at the office, but there are many solutions that do not require you to purchase anything such as taking a stack of books or paper to get your screen up to eye level. And the same goes for reading documents- if you keep your papers flat on the table, your head will constantly be moving up and down, and that after a short period of time will cause pain from muscle strain. Attempt to find a way to “prop up” your paper in a vertical position with a document holder or stand and keep it next to your screen for easy viewing.

Place Your Mouse and Keyboard at a Comfortable Height

Never look down at your screen and your keyboard should allow your shoulders, elbows, and wrist to be at a 90-degree angle of which is very beneficial for all previously mentioned, but will assist in lowering your neck and thoracic back (middle back) pain as well. You might have to be a little creative in what you can choose around the house to lift up the computer screen, laptop, or keyboard but we are more concerned about preventing injuries to our bodies while working rather than what our workstation looks like.

No Soft, Squishy Wrist Rest as well as Use a Voice Input

You might think that utilizing a wrist rest will provide stability to your hands and wrist but this quite the contrary for it adds compression on the finger flexor tendons and on the median nerve, which can increase the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. The majority of phones, computers, and laptops come with the option of voice recognition software. This is a useful tool that is good for most emails and text. This will allow your hands, wrists, and arms time to have a rest all while still allowing you to work effectively.

Sit with Your Feet Flat and Sit Back in Your Chair

Sitting like a humped over turtle is not a good idea due to it results in your lower back to curve in toward your belly. This is called lordosis, and it the most relaxed posture for the lower back and as a result it puts the least amount of pressure on the intervertebral discs in that region. The opposite of that when you have kyphosis, which is when you lean forward the lumbar spine bends out, and that puts a lot of pressure on the intervertebral lumbar discs. The optimal way of sitting in all the way back in your chair with your feet flat on the floor of which supports the natural lordotic curve of your lumbar spine and therefore supporting your back. If you are unable to sit all the way back a lumbar support would be a great choice even if you have to improvise with a cushion or a rolled-up towel behind your lower back. This is a great alternative to having to spend the extra money on an ergonomic chair. To promote blood flow in the legs it is best not to let your feet dangle and try very hard not to pull your feet under the chair because it puts added pressure under your thighs and restrict blood flow to your feet and lower legs thus increasing your risk of deep vein thrombosis. The best idea if you do not have an adjustable chair is to put a stool or a stack of books under your feet while seated.

Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida, our goal is to help you achieve true health and wellness. Whether it is relieving your body of new aches and pains from working at home, getting your spine back in proper alignment, or helping you improve your health and wellness, chiropractic care comes with many benefits. For more information on our chiropractic treatment options for chronic pain, contact us at 877-881-4878 (HURT) or click on Make An Appointment to schedule a consultation with Dr. Garrett Weinstein.