Setting up your Desk Space while Working from Home

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If you ever work from home you may find yourself setting up a makeshift work station at the kitchen or dining room table. This set up isn’t always ideal but here are a few easy checks of your working from home space to avoid stressing specific areas of your body and thereby reducing the likelihood of suffering neck, shoulder or back pain.

  1. Sit upright with your spine in a neutral position (maintaining the lumbar curve of your lower back)

  2. Rest your feet flat on the floor, if you can’t, set up a makeshift footrest (wide cookery books are a good option!)  Avoid crossing your legs as this can contribute to poor sitting posture

  3. Adjust the height of your chair, so that you can use the keyboard with your wrists and forearms straight and level with the floor. Your elbows should be by the side of your body so your arm forms an L-shape at the elbow joint.  If you can’t adjust the height of your chair, you could consider a SitFit sitting aid.  It’s air-filled, so will prop you up higher in your chair. It also makes sitting more active and dynamic, avoiding us getting fixed in static postures

  4. Position your monitor so the top of the screen is roughly at eye level. If you need to prop it up, a yoga block or those cookery books might come in useful again! Your monitor should be about an arm’s length away from you to encourage good neck alignment and avoid craning your head forwards throughout the day

  5. Keep your mouse close to you to avoid sitting in a rotated posture

  6. Move often!  Plan activities into your day which will vary your position.  A good rule of thumb is to stand up every 20 minutes, so try to get up when you are on the phone or in a meeting.  Frequent short breaks are better than fewer long ones

  7. Move & Stretch!  If you have a favourite Pilates, Yoga or post workout stretch do it frequently during your working day!

  8. Make sure to get your exercise in!  Get out for a daily walk and do activities which move your body in a variety of directions. Also try to add in exercises to improve your core strength

Andy Letham