We’re nearing a full year since COVID-19 restrictions were set in place. For many this meant a transition to working from home. For many this remains the case.
Early in lock-down we featured a blog post on tips for ergonomically setting up your home workstation. I hope many have found this useful, and if you haven’t had the chance to read this post you can Find it here
Over the past year, my practice has seen an increase in the amount of people with non-specific neck; upper and lower back pain with no known mechanism of injury. In cases such as this, with no trauma (trip, fall, or accident) we often look for changes to daily routine or leisure activities to help establish our clinical impression and guide our treatment plan.
There has been a common theme over the past 12 months, and it is that more people are working from home. For many, this has meant setting up a ‘temporary’ workstation at the kitchen or dining room table. Who would have thought that your ‘temporary’ workstation would still be where you go to work 12 months later?
For those of you who are able to make adjustments to your workstation, I hope you follow our recommendations and see benefit. For those who unfortunately are not, or those who are about to spend x-amount of $ on a new chair or desk, try this first:
Set yourself a recurring alarm on your phone, computer, watch, or kitchen timer for every 30-60 minutes. When the alarm goes off, it’s time to get up! Spend 1-2 minutes standing at your desk, getting a drink of water, walking around your chair or desk, or even doing some exercises like heel raises or squats up and down from your chair!
Truthfully – even those with “textbook” ergonomic setups should be making better habits of getting out of their chair more often throughout the day. We are built to move, and after all “motion is lotion”.
If you find yourself more uncomfortable, stiff, or experiencing new and/or old pains let us help. For many it may be implementing a simple set of exercises to help them get through the day. For others it may be about getting a better understanding of their discomfort.
Give us a call at 506 738-8299, we would be happy to help!
Trevor Watson, PT
Trevor is a physiotherapist at the Human Performance Centre. You can contact him at 738- 8299