Less moving and more working from home can take their toll on our various musculoskeletal disorders
50%. This is the number of active people who claim to have a great remote work situation set up in their homes. 12% admit to working from their sofa, 4% from their bed, and 4% on the floor. As a result, 41% suffer from eye fatigue, 39% from back pain, and 31% from headaches. These figures on new working conditions come from a survey commissioned by the French Agency of Research. It was conducted among 1,000 office workers who have been working from home for at least four months due to the coronavirus. "Ergonomics at work is a subject that is taken more and more into consideration in recent years because we realised that it had a huge impact on the back", confirms Roméo Blondeel before continuing: "Human beings are bipedal beings that need to be on the move and most often upright, but our sedentarization immobilises us to the point of injuring ourselves.?
Mirror, mirror on the wall
Let's do a test. Stand sideways in front of a mirror. Looking at your profile, you’ll notice the formation of three hollows. One at the bottom of your back, another between your shoulder blades, and one more at the bottom of your neck. These natural curvatures should be preserved as much as possible. “We have lumbar lordosis, dorsal kyphosis, and cervical lordosis. The idea is to respect its three curves as much as possible”, says Dr Blondeel. To do this, you have to correct your posture, which is often slouched in front of a table or desk that is generally not suitable because it’s not at the right height. The computer itself is too low, not placed at eye level, which means you’re forced to lower your head and increase its weight tenfold on your neck. The osteopath adds, “In recent months, I noticed that the reasons for consultation in the practice have changed. Before, patients came for back pain while they were still moving, but today, more than anything, it affects the emotional sphere with blockages in the rib cage and headaches.”
So that remote work won’t cause problems for your back
Romeo Blondeel recommends these habits for a healthy spine. First, place your computer at eye level by raising it with books. If possible, use a separate keyboard and mouse. For the arms, he advises placing them on the armrests of a seat or on a desk to avoid the tension of the trapezoids. Then, try to place yourself on the axis of your screen and not in rotation. It’s best not to cross your legs and to have a good supportive chair, or a Swiss Ball which has the advantage of sheathing the body.
Stretching and sports
The expert adds: “in remote work, we forget to take breaks, we move less, we walk less, and the body feels it. While it’s already advisable to stretch regularly and exercise everyday, if you’re working remotely, this is all the more essential. To do this at your own pace, make a few rotating movements of your head in "yes - no" mode. In gentle movements, tilt your head, alternating one ear towards the shoulder, or roll the pelvis in ante and retroversion. “Even for novices, performing yoga postures like a sun salutation helps to wake up the muscles and free the thoughts. This is a game changer for your back.
