January 2022- Work From Home Update

Work from Home Check-in

Oh, the joys of working from home! We know that many of you are transitioning back to working from home for the next few weeks. We have a few pointers for how to sit while you’re working at a desk, or elsewhere in your home.

At an ACTUAL desk…

Knees at 90 degree angle (you may need a foot stool to achieve this!)

Lumbar support in chair is best (allows you to have a curve in your spine while sitting against the chair), but your upper back does not have to touch the chair

Arms resting on arm rest that is the same height as your desk for a seamless transition

Head and neck should be in a neutral, relaxed position. Allow your eyes to be at the same height as the top of your monitor screen, and up to 30 degrees below the top of your screen from your eyes.

Often we have patients ask us what to look for in a desk chair. Our favourite chairs all have:

Adjustable lumbar support (every person’s back is not the same!)

Adjustable armrests

Adjustable seat pan

“5 point” rollers on the bottom

No desk? No problem. Remember:

Re-adjusting your posture often is the best posture.

Try to keep your head from looking down at your computer. If you’re able to prop your laptop up on a stack of books and use an external keyboard at table height, that is ideal for prolonged computer work.

Sitting on a too-soft couch or chair all day will make you feel like a bag of bones. Firmer chairs or couches are ideal to support your spine.

If you need a desk at which to sit but are in a pinch, an ironing board is a quick adjustable height desk. You can even use it as a budget standing desk!

If you use a phone to work, try to use earbuds or talk on speaker phone instead of pinching your phone between your ear and shoulder. Every time a person does this, a chiropractor sheds a tear.

And for everyone:

Please make sure that you take work breaks. When at home, people often let work and personal time bleed together. Make sure that you take the breaks (and fresh air) that you need to keep your mental health in check.