Have you gone from working in your office with an ergonomic desk set up to working at home in a make-shift office during this COVID-19 pandemic? Your workstation set-up may be at least partially to blame for the headache or back pain that you may have started experiencing.
Here are some things to consider to try and optimize your at-home workstation to minimize the stress on your body.. and thereby reduce your risks of getting headache or back pain.
- Feet should be flat on the floor. Use a stool under your feet if necessary in order to accomplish this.
- Knee’s bent 90 degrees and in a relaxed position
- Hips bent 90 degrees with thighs parallel to the ground
- Maintain contact between back and the seat and your back. Adjust lumbar support so it supports the lower back.
- Arm support so the elbows can sit at 90 degrees and close to the body. If this cannot be accomplished, remove or lower the arm rests from the chair.
- Wrists neutral and fingers relaxed
- Head in neutral position with chin parallel to the ground
- Relaxed shoulders
- Eyes should look straight forward to the top of the monitor (top of the monitor should be at eye level)
- Monitor should be at least an arms length away from your eyes (consider 18-24 inches)
Also consider glares on the screen. You may opt to decrease the brightness of the screen and adjust any room lighting to minimize glare in order to further decrease physical stress.