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Today, we’re discussing balancing work-from-home strains and solutions with ChiroCare of Florida’s Aventura chiropractor, Dr. Derek Moore. With a New York Chiropractic College degree, Dr. Moore provides excellent insight into the physical, mental, and emotional benefits and challenges of work-from-home jobs.
Countless professionals now perform their duties from a shared living space, utilizing home offices, converted nooks, and newly furnished areas to provide peace, quiet, and the ability to get tasks done on time and undisrupted. Many love working from home. It saves time and money on commutes, allows you to prepare lunch in your own kitchen, and can help lessen the mental burden of planning everything around getting to and from work.
However, many need help with their work-from-home setups. Back problems, neck pain, joint stiffness, eye strain, and headaches are some of the most common complaints. Due to the stationary nature of most at-home positions, these ailments are mainly due to improper workstation arrangements and forgetting a few simple tips.
Keep reading to learn more about the physical strains of working from home, five tips to help you find pain relief, and how to achieve a harmonious work/life balance from our Aventura chiropractor.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, most federal and state officials began recommending social distancing to stop the spread of the virus. Having employees sitting side-by-side in an office was no longer feasible, and many companies implemented work-from-home policies.
According to the United States Census, the number of professionals working from home tripled between 2019 and 2021. Nearly 18% of the workforce, approximately 27.6 million people, began taking calls and completing tasks virtually. In some states, the statistics reached as high as 25% of employees in digital settings.
This trend continues, as many offices greatly benefit from the remote work policy. Now, they could hire top talent from all over the country, regardless of proximity to the office. They could save money on in-office events, and workers reported greater satisfaction with their virtual setups.
Now, companies are implementing hybrid options–employees may come into the office several days a week or choose to stay home. For Aventura residents, the new policies present both benefits and challenges. Without clear boundaries between work and home life, many feel increased stress, while others are happy with the solitude. However, just as in times before, working at a desk for extended periods poses physical issues that our Aventura chiropractor can help you address.
Physical strains, aches, and pains are often part of daily life for office workers, and those discomforts extend to work-from-home employees. Prolonged sitting leads to increased pain and stiffness, inadequate work spaces without proper ergonomic designs increase these symptoms, and conditions like “tech neck” and wrist pain from repetitive motion can appear.
Additionally, when workers went into the office, they frequently rose to take trips to the water cooler, and coffee machine, to speak with co-workers on the other side of the building, and more. This allowed for more physical movement throughout the day. Now, many people set up their workspace for the day, complete with their large water bottles and coffee tumblers. Workplace communication occurs over digital messaging platforms or phone calls, and they may not get enough physical movement.
These things can contribute to discomfort, but an Aventura chiropractor can help.
One of the most common culprits of back, neck, and shoulder pain when working from home is poor posture and a lack of ergonomic workspace. These two things can lead to spinal misalignment, muscle tension, and stiffness. Many look down at their screens for much of the day instead of straight ahead at eye level, which can aggravate the cervical spine.
A lack of lumbar support in seated, slumped shoulders aggravates the problems. But you don’t have to live with this pain. Our Aventura chiropractor can perform manual adjustments to realign your spine, provide tips for maintaining great posture, and offer recommendations for back support products.
Additionally, chiropractors can help with tense, tight muscles. Whether through laser therapy, ultrasound therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, and more, we can loosen those muscles up to help resolve stiffness and improve range of motion. Many patients find that ongoing treatment provides the best results.
Here are five tips for work-from-home professionals from Dr. Moore, our Aventura chiropractor.
Having an ergonomic setup makes all the difference. Finding a chair that’s the right height so you aren’t looking up or down at a screen is crucial. Additionally, you want an office chair that provides great back support. Adjustable desks are becoming increasingly popular, as are standing desks that allow you to customize the settings to meet your needs.
It’s essential that you get up and move every fifteen minutes, even if it’s just a quick lap around the house. This helps your muscles stretch out and engage, helping to avoid that stiff, cramped feeling.
Eye strain can lead to painful and repeated tension headaches. Whether you wear glasses or not, squinting at screens and phones and looking at digital light all day can negatively impact you. It’s a good idea to adjust your screen brightness to as low and natural as possible, enlarge text when necessary, and follow the 20-20-20 rule. For every twenty minutes you spend looking at a screen or smartphone, spend twenty seconds looking at something twenty feet away. This can help reduce that strain.
Being mindful of your posture can be challenging, as our natural positioning often comes out of habit and instinct. However, maintaining the best posture to encourage proper spine alignment is crucial. Your feet should be flat on the floor, with your elbows and arms straight across your keyboard. Your shoulders should be upright and slightly back, with your head held high. If you find it difficult to maintain a superior posture, wearing a posture corrector for short periods can help.
Our Aventura chiropractor helps many professionals maintain a pain-free life by providing routine care. You can help avoid pain before it begins by ensuring your spine remains aligned and your muscles as loose as possible with continued visits.
Working from home makes it easy to step back into your office anytime. Your office is right there at 8 am or 8 pm. This blurs the lines between work hours and off-duty hours. It’s important that once you’re done working, you step away and focus on relaxation, setting boundaries, and taking time for self-care. Overworking yourself can lead to burnout, which increases stress, fatigue, and irritability.
Our Aventura chiropractor recommends that all professionals find hobbies and ways to get outside so you can disconnect from work and rejuvenate your mind and body. Visit local parks, hit the hot yoga studio, or join a pick-up sports team on the weekends. Whatever speaks to you that isn’t profession-related is a great way to reset.
Staying hydrated is another important aspect of chiropractic care. When you become dehydrated, your muscles tense and cramp, your brain becomes foggy, and you don’t operate at peak performance. The same goes for food intake.
Stock your workstation with healthy snacks, like nuts or dried fruit, to eat throughout the day, always take your lunch break to get a well-balanced meal, and keep a large water bottle at your side. This helps increase energy, boosts creativity, and reduces that 3 pm feeling of mental fog.
While physical and mental benefits (and challenges) come with work-from-home jobs, maintaining a balance is key. The physical and emotional aspects must work together in synchrony for the best results. You should always prioritize your health and well-being, even as you navigate the demands of remote work.
If you struggle with physical pain, visit our Aventura chiropractor at ChiroCare of Florida today. We can help you develop a comprehensive, personalized treatment plan to get you back on track.
ChiroCare of Florida’s Aventura office is open Monday through Friday, with extended evening hours to meet the needs of working professionals. Weekend appointments may be available upon request. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with our Aventura chiropractor and start seeing results.
