Home Desk Set-Up Hint and Tips
Are you working from home more? Are you feeling the strain in your shoulders, neck or back?
Here are some helpful and practical tips to help lessen the load with your new temporary (or permanent) home office. We understand that not every home office has all the correct ergonomic equipment.
1) Take regular breaks: No matter how good your desk set-up and posture are, ‘motion is lotion’ so get up and move at least every hour.
2) Get your screen right: The top of your screen should be slightly below your eye line. Prop up your screen with whatever you can find (as you can see I’ve used some books). This will help you to keep your posture better and relieve some of the stress on your neck and upper back.
3) Use a separate keyboard and mouse: This will allow you to put less pressure on your shoulders and elbows as you will able to keep a nice 90 degree angle. Using these will help prevent stretch and avoid the potential associated repetitive strain injuries. You can also move them out of the way if you have to do some paperwork.
4) The correct seat height: An adjustable chair is best but as long as your feet touch the floor with your knees and thighs roughly parallel to the floor this will help to take the most strain out of your knees, hips and lower back. You can also use a wedged cushion to help you sit up a little better and get your hips slightly above your knees. We sell seat wedge cushions at the clinic if you need one, just call reception for details.
5) Keep hydrated: This will help to keep your muscles loose and your concentration up. The recommended amount by the NHS is 6-8 glasses of water or 1.2 litres per day.