Body Pain Caused By Working From Home
Have you been experiencing more aches and pains since you started working from home? While you may typically think pain occurs from some type of strenuous activity, your sedentary desk job may well be the reason for it.
The pains of working from home
Many of you may find yourselves spending increasingly more time in front of a computer screen at your desks. Where you previously managed to get some physical activity from your daily commutes, working from home has lessened physical activity.
Being sedentary and desk bound can cause muscle imbalances leading to tightness, aches, pains and a more limited range of motion.
Muscle imbalance
Slouching at your desks all day can make some of your muscles tighter and weaker due to improper form, bad posture and general inactivity. Sitting for extended hours may cause you to hunch our shoulders and heads forward. This tightens the chest muscles which in turn weakens upper back muscles as these muscles perform opposing actions.
This same pain can occur when one sits too long, sitting with legs crossed for extended periods of time can tighten the muscles of the inner thighs causing knee pain. Conversely, sitting with the legs spread too wide can cause tightening of the outer thigh muscles leading to sciatic pain.
Avoiding these pains
While being cooped up in your home offices every day, you should remember to pause for a quick walk around your room every thirty minutes to stretch your muscles.
This coupled with maintaining good posture while working could help prevent the onset of many muscle aches. It is also important to actively exercise when you are not working to strengthen muscles and to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Stretching it out
Lower or mid back pain
This is caused by extended hours of slouching or sitting with bad posture. It can be fixed by getting up every thirty minutes to stretch. It might be useful to lift your head towards the ceiling and to stretch out your shoulders and legs.
Neck pain
Caused by looking downwards at a computer screen all day. Adjusting your laptop height so the screen is at eye level will help alleviate this pain.
Knee aches
A buildup of pressure from sitting in the same position for extended periods.
Placing a stool under your feet to raise your legs will help to relieve some of the pressure from the knees.
Remember to take small breaks to stretch your muscles while at work and to maintain an active lifestyle to avoid muscle strains or weakness. If you have persistent pain or aches, remember to consult a medical professional.