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Are you one of the people who work from home during the pandemic? Or maybe you go to the office, but when you come back you still spend long hours in front of the computer? If you don’t take care of yourself now, you could have serious back problems before the pandemic is over. Check how to prevent this from happening.
We asked the physiotherapist Kamil Wasilewski, a specialist in healthy spine at Columna Medica in Łask, about how working “from the sofa” can affect our spine, how to organize a workstation ideal for our body and how to cope during long hours in front of the computer.
Below you will find four important questions that our expert has answered in detail.
Why is spine care so important, especially when many of us work from home during a pandemic?
Our spine needs movement, it is the worst to bear the same position held for a long time. There is a very important relationship between movement and the health of the spine.
Well, any form of long-term and varied physical activity is a relief for the spine. The longer we move, the more we relieve the spine. Movement is conducive to maintaining greater mobility of the spine, while sitting and lack of movement cause our spine to lose its flexibility and mobility; and thus it is increasingly at risk from a health point of view.
Thus, the movements in which the positions of the spine are variable ensure proper blood supply to the inter-vertebral discs. This prevents degenerative processes or inhibits their deepening, and it is worth knowing that this is the only form of preventing these processes! – explains Kamil Wasilewski.
Working from home, we limit the activity that we would normally use to leave home and get to work. It is more difficult for us to maintain the correct posture at work, sometimes we cannot fully ergonomically adjust our workplace. In addition, it is overlaid with stress and thus increased muscle tension. Therefore, proper spine prophylaxis is necessary. It is really an investment in our health.
What can working on a sofa lead to?
Lying on the couch and working in a reclining position is quite tempting, but unfortunately it leads to a decrease in efficiency and overload of the locomotor system. Incorrect sitting strains the spine three times more than standing.
Long-term sitting in one position causes significant compression of the intervertebral discs. It is one of the mechanisms of discopathy, i.e. disk damage, and the emergence of the nucleus pulposus. In addition, an incorrect sitting position, hunched back and the head put forward cause excessive muscle tension.
It is a common cause of migraine headaches, half-headaches and problems with concentration. Working on the sofa can lead to overload changes in the spine, the effect of which in the form of pain can be felt for a long time and can often lead to chronic spine diseases.
How can we take care of the spine at home?
Excessive overload, resulting from lack of exercise and a sedentary lifestyle, causes less and less mobility of the spine. Therefore, let’s move even at home, take short but frequent breaks at work, devoted to exercises, stretching and mobilization of the spine in all directions.
A short run up the stairs to further stimulate our circulatory system and oxygenate the brain. Self-massage of overloaded muscles, e.g. with a roller or massage balls, also works well.
The second thing is everyday ergonomics. We are largely unaware of how much we can strain our spine in everyday life. When talking to patients, I often hear: my spine hurts when brushing my teeth. Then please show the position in which they brush their teeth and it is always wrong and will provoke pain. The same goes for vacuuming, ironing, carrying heavy things or sleeping. It is in these everyday tasks that we need to ensure an ergonomic posture
What to remember when we need to organize a workplace at home?
A well-organized workplace is essential for our backbone, work efficiency and well-being. It is best if we have a free room – if not, we can organize our mini-office, for example, in the bedroom (which is empty most of the day) – designate a certain space in it and separate it for working time.
A non-ergonomic work station at a desk puts a heavy strain on the bone and muscular system, especially when working at a computer. Continuous and long-term strain on the locomotor system can cause serious illnesses.
The basis is a computer desk exactly suited to the user’s height and a chair or armchair. A chair with an adjustable height and a contoured, high backrest works best.
Do not forget about the height-adjustable footrest, which should allow the feet to be placed at an angle of 15 °. If we work with a laptop, it should be placed on a stand so that the top edge of the monitor is at eye level, 40-70 cm from the eyes. Do not bow your head, try to always stay in line with the body.
When working in the office, it is also worth avoiding pain in the wrist while typing on the keyboard. Various types of wrist rests will work here. The entire forearm should rest on the desk or armrest.