Work From Home Pain-Free: 3 Ways To Stay Comfortable While You Work
Traded your commute for comfy clothes? While working from home offers flexibility, it can wreak havoc on your body. When you spend hours at a desk, you're bound to experience aches and pains in more places than one. But these easy expert-approved tips can help you stay comfortable while you work. Read more for how to make work from home pain-free.
1. For leg, foot and back pain: Give your feet a rest
Elevating your feet under your desk with a footrest can do wonders to ward off varicose veins, improve your posture and reduce lower-back pain, says Jacqueline Sutera, D.M., owner of City Podiatry in New York City. It will also help boost circulation so your legs don't cramp and your feet don't fall asleep as easily.
Work from home pain-free tip
An adjustable, titled footrest (like Mount-It! Ergonomic Under Desk Footrest with 3 Height Levels) that keeps your legs in a neutral position and your body open can help. It should be no more than 2" to 5" tall, depending on your height, Sutera says. "A footrest with an incline is especially helpful for anyone who suffers from plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendonitis, as it allows for the calves to stretch."
2. For back, shoulder and neck pain: Mind your posture
Whether you sit, stand or move around during the workday, keeping your posture in check can help prevent aches and pains. Whenever possible, try to keep your spine and neck straight without leaning forward, says Jill Miller, an anatomy and movement expert at Tune Up Fitness in Sherman Oaks, California. "Your shoulders should be aligned over your hips, and your knees should remain neutral whether you're standing or sitting."
See also: 6 Ways to Ease Back Pain for Fast Relief — All MD-Approved and Proven to Work
Work from home pain-free tip
An ergonomic workspace can help you maintain the right posture and create a pain-free workspace. No need to buy fancy gadgets — instead, use household items to make your space more comfortable. Stack boots under your computer screen to keep it at eye level and roll towels to create a rest sport for your wrists. It's also smart to keep your screen about an arm's length away and hold your phone at eye level instead of looking down at it.
3. For lower-back and hip pain: Rock it out
"Human bodies carry a lot of muscular tension in the hips and lower back that may pull spinal bones out of an efficient posture," Miller says. "So it's important to move around at regular intervals throughout the workday to prevent pain."
Work from home pain-free tip
"Try moving your spine forward and back, side to side, then rotating in both directions to help relieve lower-back tension," Miller suggests. Research shows that rocking is also great for relieving back and joint pain and may even ease stress too. The gentle back-and-forth movement prevents muscles from tightening up, a boon if you suffer from arthritis.
While sitting on a rocker all day as your work may not be feasible, you can give your lower back the same boost with the Ready Rocker. The patented, adjustable rocker turns any chair, sofa or bed into a rocking chair. Lightweight and portable, it works just about everywhere you do.
See also: Yoga for Back Pain Can Deliver Relief Even When Meds Fail — Here’s How
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