Working from home has nowadays become more and more common. For some, working from home was not big news, while others found themselves having to carve out a small corner in their own homes as a “new” office.
In the past few years, some company has started to give the chance to their employee to try working from home once or a couple of times per week, providing their employee’s suitable equipment: proper desk, ergonomic chair, etc., however, Covid 19 pandemic has sped up hugely the process of working from home in a way that nobody ever expected.
Thousand people find themselves working from home without access to a proper desk set up exactly like in their office.
This sudden change of lifestyle has put massive pressure on people’s lower back, in fact sitting long hours looking at a computer screen adopting a poor posture is a recipe for back, neck, and shoulder pain; also working from home has reduced dramatically the amount of activity leading again to a different type of musculoskeletal pain.
Your body would be able to tolerate one day of sitting in a kitchen chair or lying on the sofa, but in the longer run, your back is gonna hurt.
So you are stuck in your home or flat working several hours from home and maybe you are allowed to go to the office just a couple of times per week, how can you possibly coop with all of this?
MiTo Team will give you several tips to adjust your posture and your desk setup to minimize any strain on your body. Remember all these tips can be applied in everyday conditions even when Covid 19 pandemic will end once and for all, so always keep the following suggestion in mind:
1. Solid desk or table – no sofa no beds.
2. Elevate your screen to eye level.
3. Use a separate keyboard and mouse.
4. Feet on the floor, if you can’t reach it use a footrest.
5. Take regular breaks, 5 minutes every hour or 2 minutes break every 20 minutes.
The idea behind taking a break constantly is to keep moving your body. Wellness is represented by the motion, a great quote that the MiTo team like to remind its patients is that “ Stillness is Illness”.
As a healthcare clinic, we always promote wellness and well-being, keeping moving your body is something that should never be missing from your daily routine. What is the best thing to keep you moving? Exercises!!
Doing regular physical activity is one of the most common pieces of advice given by healthcare and non-healthcare people and the MiTo team could not be more agree with that. Here is one video of exercises that you can do at home for your back and your muscles.
Working from Home: Weekly Routine
If you are already familiar with the above exercises, be cautious to not force the movements beyond measure and not injure yourself.
If you want to know more details on how to do each single exercises have a look at our blog post: Disc Herniation: What You Should Know for Glutes stretching and Upper Trapezius Stretch.
Check also The MiTo Guide for Text Neck Syndrome for Child’s pose and Wrist Stretching.
You should perform this routine once a day at least 3 times a week or as a daily break from your work.
You should perform 5 repetitions on each side and hold the stretching position for at least 3- 5 seconds, according to your fitness level and needs you can increase stretching time up to 10 seconds. If the exercise is bilateral one aim to hold the position for 15 seconds (e.g. Child’s pose).
Always remember our Golden rule: If an exercise is hurting you or triggering your symptoms don’t do it.
This is the end of the blog, MiTo Team says thank you to have read it and hopes that you enjoyed it.
All the best in your work!
That’s MiTo for You
All the information from this blog is made with passion, love, and expertise by the MiTo team, always relying on what science says.
1. Moretti A, Menna F, Aulicino M, Paoletta M, Liguori S, Iolascon G. Characterization of Home Working Population during COVID-19 Emergency: A Cross-Sectional Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Aug 28;17(17):6284.
2. Marino L, Capone V. Smart Working and Well-Being before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2021 Nov 26;11(4):1516-1536.
3. Radulović AH, Žaja R, Milošević M, Radulović B, Luketić I, Božić T. Work from home and musculoskeletal pain in telecommunications workers during COVID-19 pandemic: a pilot study. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol. 2021 Sep 28;72(3):232-239.
4. All the pictures from Unsplash
5. All the videos have been provided By MiTo Healthcare Clinic who recorded and posted them on the MiTopedia blog.
Although the MiTo team is composed of healthcare practitioners, we are not your healthcare practitioners (yet XD). All the content on this website is for informational and educational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice. We always strive to provide an accurate and reliable source of information, but the information on this website does not substitute any professional advice and you should not rely solely on this blog content. Always seek medical-professional advice in the area of your particular needs or circumstances before making any decision concerning your health.
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