Now that home office is becoming the new normal, we can wait for an epidemic of back and shoulder pain to start. Making your posture an obsession is getting more and more important.
I’m working from home since 10 years and have had a lot of physical problems due to posture. We can say I’m an expert by experience. I worked for years with my physiotherapist to get a hold of it.
Having a good working posture has always been one of the main challenges of the digital nomad lifestyle for me. But with the right gear and some creativity there is always a solution.
You might think this is not important for you because you don’t experience any pain yet, but precautionary actions are very important here. Because when you start getting complaints it’s very hard to get rid of it completely anymore.
Sitting
When you sit down to work on a computer, there are three main points to focus on:
- The top of your screen should be at eye level.
- Your spine should be in a neutral position.
- Your arms and legs should be at rest.
New challenges now that home office is becoming the new normal pic.twitter.com/ptCqXyec6b
— Gijs Heerkens (@gijsheerkens) April 13, 2020
Top of screen at eye level
The top of your screen should be at eye level so your neck is in its neutral position and you’re looking straight forward.
Make sure the screen isn’t too far away from your eyes so you can still read everything properly, or it will make you want to tilt your head forward.
The Roost Stand is a great and compact laptop stand to raise your screen to eye level. You might need to put some books, a drawer or a box below it to get to the best height.
Furthermore, you’ll need a separate keyboard and mouse.
Spine in neutral position
Your spine, or vertebral column, has a neutral curve in it that should be maintained at all times. This means you should avoid bending forward, having a rounded spine.
You can manage this by using an office chair with lower back support.
Arms and legs at rest
Your arms should be in a 90 degrees angle, leaning on the desk and ideally on the armrests of a chair.
An office chair with adjustable armrests is the best option, and an adjustable desk is even better.
Your legs should also be in a 90 degrees angle, with your feet flat on the ground. An office chair adjustable in height is the best option.
Standing
Experts have long been advising people to stand at their workstations for about 25% to 50% of the time. A standing desk can be of great help here. This is an height adjustable desk that can be used as both sitting and standing desk.
When you stand up to work on a computer, there are three main points to focus on:
- You should stand up straight.
- The top of your screen should be at eye level.
- Your arms and legs should be in a natural position.
Or standing pic.twitter.com/YLNfwf7q9m
— Gijs Heerkens (@gijsheerkens) April 13, 2020
Stand up straight
Stand up straight. Most of us will have problems maintaining this position for more than one minute because we aren’t used to it anymore. This is why working at a standing desk is a great exercise, too.
Make sure your spine maintains its natural curve and pull your shoulder blades together. Don’t bend forward or tilt your pelvis.
Your neck, hips and feet should all be on the same vertical “line of gravity”.
Top of screen at eye level
The top of your screen should be at eye level so your neck is in its neutral position and you’re looking straight forward.
Make sure the screen isn’t too far away from your eyes so you can still read everything properly, or it will make you want to tilt your head forward.
The Roost Stand is a great and compact laptop stand to raise your screen level to eye level. You might need to put some books, a drawer or a box below it to get to the best height.
Furthermore, you’ll need a separate keyboard and mouse.
Arms and legs in a natural position
Your arms and legs should be in natural standing positions. This means the legs should be in a slightly wide stance, with your knees slightly bent, so you balance on both legs evenly.
Your arms should be in a 90 degrees angle at all time, leaning on the desk, so your standing desk should be at elbow height.
Alternating
Alternating between positions during the day is key. My physiotherapist told me to drink lots of small glasses of water. This obliges you to stand up and walk around to get a refill a couple of times an hour.
Another interesting option to look into, is alternating all day between all types of poses. This is an approach I was discussing with Boris on Twitter. It matches the general guidelines that alternating between positions is key.
You can be sitting, standing, walking, hanging around and lying down all day. An iPad Pro might have triggered this new style of working I’m considering to switch to. I think if you don’t have a lot of repetitive tasks to do, it might work.
Oh me too. Then I found out that my back and neck feel better if my body is relaxed. The more I tense the more it hurts. So forcing myself to sit upright for a day is awful. But reclining, walking, standing and hanging in a hammock and alternating as much as possible works great.
— Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten (@Boris) May 7, 2019
Maintenance
Besides posture, there are a number of things you can do to maintain your mobility:
- Do some lower back yoga stretches every morning.
- Buy a resistance band and do face pulls or some other shoulder mobility exercises.
- Weight lifting is the best way to stay fit and healthy overall.
- Keep moving, walk at least 30 to 60 minutes a day.
- Get your regular massage in, like once a month, to loosen your muscle tension.