Did you know
The average weight of a human head is about 12 pounds? But what happens when the head is tilted, when looking at eg your mobile phone, tablet or laptop? The weight on the cervical spine, or neck, can go up to about 60 pounds, depending on the angle of your head. Even when our necks are at just a 15-degree angle, the weight on the cervical spine more than doubles to 27 pounds. We are all spending longer than ever looking downwards, have a think about how long you personally are doing this each day – it’s a long time for our necks to support all of that extra load.

Repetitive posture
The first signs that you have regularly been in this posture for too long are pain in the upper back, neck and headaches, you may even experience muscle strains or pinched nerves. Eventually, this can lead to increased wear and tear and curvature in the spine. I am increasingly seeing this curvature in the upper back in clients who work within the corporate world and in their 30s. They come to me for a maintenance massage, because they work long, stressful hours sitting in front of a computer screen. These pain patterns can affect productivity in the office where the workplace set up should be better, although, I appreciate not always the case. So just imagine how things are for you when you don’t have a dedicated workspace set up.
What’s your current work set up?

Not having a good work setup can lead to repetitive and incorrect postures which can then cause discomfort. When your posture’s not great, your muscles are forced to compensate, meaning that they work harder than they need to. You can end up with pain and stiffness.

There are some simple changes that you can make so that you can be more productive and not get distracted by those niggles. When I used to work in an office environment myself, me and my work colleagues were lucky enough to have an ergonomic assessment for our seating and also had an automatic reminder set up on our computers to do some stretching during the day. However due to lockdown an ergonomic assessment is obviously impossible to do, so I’ve put together some tips and things for you to think about.

Tip 1: Raise the height of your screen
You can get a lap top stand or a more immediate method is to use a pile of magazines, books, a storage box or a mix of all three! Pile them up so that you’re looking towards the top third of the screen. This will prevent your neck from being in constant flexion and let the rest of your spine take some of the load. If you like to work while standing, then your work surface should be about waist height.

Tip 2: What’s your chair like?
A good ergonomic office chair for the home would be helpful if you are beginning to feel a few aches and pains. This means that you will have more control over your comfort by being able to adjust your chair. If you already have a chair but it’s not quite working for you then you can roll up a towel or use a cushion to support your lower back and keep you seated more upright. You can also try ‘active sitting’ so that you’re engaging your core muscles by sitting on a large gym ball.

Tip 3: General body positioning
Sit facing your screen and about an arm’s length away from it. Make sure that your body isn’t twisted and that you’re not turning your head slightly to one way or the other for any amount of time, as this will put more tension on your neck and back muscles.

Tip 4: Arm positioning
If possible, getting a separate keyboard if you’re using a laptop, will enable you to raise your screen up to eye level, this will take the strain off of your shoulders. Also, keep your hands and wrists in line with your forearms, and hold your elbows close to your sides. This means that your elbows are no longer hanging in the air, reducing the amount of work needed from your shoulder muscles. More easy to do is to take regular breaks, self-massage to your arms and do some stretches and shake your hands out.

Tip 5: Leg positioning
When you are seated, make sure that your knees aren’t higher or lower than your hips, so adjust the seat height accordingly. Your knees should both be at 90 degrees and with your feet flat on the floor, this is so that your back muscles won’t have to work as hard. If you sit with your legs crossed, spread apart or sit on your feet, the more your piriformis muscle in your glute, tightens. This tightened muscle can compress your sciatic nerve which can lead to sciatica (numbness and tingling down the back of your leg), also cause low back pain, hip and knee pain.

Tip 6: Move away from the screen!
During lockdown, working from home means less moving around. Sitting for too long has been linked to many things such as cancer, obesity, and heart disease, it could take years off our lives, even if we do regular exercise.

By getting focused on a piece of work, you can build in regular breaks. You can set your phone alarm for every 30 minutes or once an hour, (whatever time blocks suit you best) so that you can book your time for movement. If you are extremely deadline driven then you could perhaps use this ‘screen break’ to stand at your desk or have a walking meeting whilst on a phone call. Don’t forget to book in time for your lunch break to have a stretch, exercise or even go for a walk.

Tip 7: Home-working resources
If you’re self-employed or employed there is more information the Health and Safety Executive website for guidance. You may be entitled to some help from your employer, so it is worth checking this out.

Finally
In summary, it’s all about your positioning when seated, taking micro breaks and stretching. Hopefully this will help prevent you getting any pain. Don’t forget that I can help during lockdown via Zoom with some distance energy healing, stretches and more helpful tips with my Women’s Wellness Power Hour. Please email me if you would like further information on lara@bespoketherapies.com

About Lara
A professional Holistic Therapist with almost 20 years experience, living and working in London SW19. Who loves to work with women who are struggling with sleep, pain and the menopause and all the emotions that go with it. She doesn’t believe in ‘no pain, no gain’ and works with your body not against it.