During the COVID-19 pandemic many of us have found ourselves working from home. That can mean hours in front of a computer, oftentime from a makeshift office setup. Bad setups and poor posture can wreak havoc on your body and you may find yourself suffering from new aches and pains. If you’ve suddenly found yourself working from home, here are some tips to avoid neck pain.

Tip #1 – Find Yourself a Good Workspace

You don’t need a dedicated office space to make a decent workspace for yourself. If you don’t have a desk in your home, set yourself up at the kitchen table. The key here is to avoid working from places like your bed or the couch. Make sure your space allows you to sit up straight and practice good posture.

Tip #2 – Practice Good Posture

Now that you have a place ready, let’s set it up so that you can practice good posture. If you’re using a laptop, place a few books under it to raise it up a bit. You want your eyes to be level with the top of the screen so you’re not bending your neck down to see the screen. Keep your laptop or monitor about arms length away from your eyes so you don’t strain too much to see it.

Once your workspace is setup, remember to pay attention to your posture. Sit up straight with your shoulders back and neck straight.

Tip #3 – Take Breaks

You may be finding yourself spending more time sitting in front of the computer while working from home. There’s no walking to and from the conference room or to other parts of the building at work. Sitting for long periods of time can lead to aches and pains. Therefore, when you’re working from home, make sure you’re taking breaks. Take a few minutes every hour to go get a drink of water (be careful not to use these breaks as an excuse to eat more snacks) or take a quick walk around the block. Your body (and probably mind) will thank you for it.

Hopefully these tips can help save you from extra pain during these stressful times. If you’re dealing with some new aches and pains and don’t know what to do, give us a call. We’re here to help and we’re all in this together. Stay healthy.