One of the most commonly expressed pains mentioned by people are those which they receive while working at a computer desk, such as neck pain, back pain, eye strain, and many more. The world now largely requires us to be at a desk at some point during our day, engaging in our jobs, working from home, or social media communications with family and friends. We spend a large chunk of our days now in a seated, sedentary position. However, we often do it wrong. We sit incorrectly, maintain bad posture, and add pain and discomfort that often goes unnoticed due to how busy we can get while working at a desk. The weaknesses and pain accumulate and then we spend most of the time feeling sharp or dull pains while trying to simply relax in a chair.

As mentioned previously, the issues with pain that arise while seated at a desk are usually linked to being seated incorrectly, especially when it comes to maintaining bad posture for extended periods of time. If we are all going to be spending more time at desks in the near future, we need to correct these movements to live more comfortably. There are some strategies to reduce pain, specifically in the neck area as most pain is reported, while working at a desk station.

Ergonomics is usually the term used to define an office space that provides a lot more comfort and a lack of pain. It usually relates to chair that offer lumbar support, desks that help alleviate pain off wrists, etc. Below are some tips to use to create an ergonomic desk environment, preventing neck pain.

Keep your spine and head in a neutral position.

It is recommended to have your head face whatever it is you are working on in front of you. The computer screen should be directly in front of you, making sure your neck does not lower or raise in order to view the screen. If you use a laptop instead of a desktops screen, it is important you consider purchasing a laptop desk, which often contains a raised platform to place the laptop on where it can meet you at eye level, reducing neck strain. Laptops are notorious for not being ergonomically friendly, so consider the extra needs required as a laptop user in order to prevent heavy neck pain.

Perform neck exercises at the computer.

Try a few neck, head, and shoulder rotations while seated at the computer once in a while. Move your head side to side, rotate the neck in circles, shrug your shoulders up and down, and roll your shoulders forward then back. All of these exercises and more can be performed while seated and can alleviate neck pain.

Keep head posture straight.

Even if the screens are in line with our eyes, we can often unconsciously move our heads down or up throughout the day depending on the circumstance. Individuals who wear glasses may find themselves tipping their head either up or down often to alter the position of the glasses. Changing the angle of the head can put tremendous strain on the neck. Make sure to consciously keep your head and neck in line with your spine.

Use a headset rather than a phone.

If you have to use the phone a lot for your job, it is recommended you replace it with a headset. Bending over to type on the phone, read the phone screen, and hold the phone in the crook of your neck can create a lot of tension and pan overtime. A headset gives you the freedom to avoid bending the neck and head incorrectly.

Try a document holder for the wall/desk.

If you have a wall or desk hutch directly in front of your desk, consider placing/hooking documents on it to keep the paperwork in line with your eye level. If you have none of the above, there are document holders to purchase which allow you to place documents on them and move the holder to be in line with your eyes. Constantly stooping your neck and head down to read documents that are flat on the desk almost always creates pain in the neck overtime.

Consider whether the armrests are a benefit, or a detriment.

Sometimes, armrests can be placed so high that they cause our shoulders to raise, adding unnecessary tension to the shoulders and neck. It is a good idea to think about either lowering the arm rests, or completely remove them, to give your shoulders and neck a break.

Altogether, these strategies go a long way to crafting a wonderful ergonomic work or home office environment. Just because we are all working from desks a lot more than usual now does not mean we all have to suffer from immense neck pains and strains. Take a few of these in consideration and start focusing better on work by having one less thing to worry about.

by Ashley Gresko

Blog editing consultant for HID Fit Therapy.

References:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/sitting-at-your-desk-doesnt-hav e-to-be-a-pain-in-the-neck/art-20269947

https://www.spine-health.com/conditions/neck-pain/workplace-ergonomics-and-neck-pain https://health.clevelandclinic.org/heres-how-to-set-up-your-office-to-avoid-aches-pain/ https://uhs.umich.edu/computerergonomics