Does your work require using the computer every day? In this day and age of technology, in addition to the people who go to offices, individuals who work from home also need to use computers to get tasks done. Slouching while using the computer is one of the primary reasons why 4 out of 5 women experience issues with their back.
There are a few measures you can take to keep the back pain at bay, according to studies at Cornell University and the Cleveland Clinic Center for Spine Health. Enlisted below are some tips that you can follow to help you do just that:
- Don’t let your head get down – Leaning forward by moving your head downwards should be avoided while working on the computer. Make an effort to keep your head and neck up and aligned with your shoulders.
- Keep your mouse close – By keeping your mouse close and right next to your keyboard, you will avoid overreaching for it. This will also help prevent your shoulders, arms, and wrists from getting twisted.
- Carefully select your chair – The right chair plays a crucial role in protecting your back from crippling pain. Select a chair which has a sturdy support that you can rest your back against. You can tilt the chair a little so that it’s a bit reclined.
- Take breaths from your belly – Breathing from the belly not only supports your upper body, but it’s also a great way of engaging your core muscles.
- Sit close – Don’t sit too far from your computer. Keep your body an arm’s length away from the screen.
- Focus on your feet – While it is necessary to keep your neck and head aligned with your shoulders, it is also important to plant your feet. To calm your knees and ankles, keep your feet shoulder-width away and flat on the surface of the floor.
- Don’t overexert – Instead of getting all your tasks done at one time, give yourself some breaks. This is a great technique to reduce the pressure on your spinal cord and keep stress at bay.
- Keep your spine straight – Keep your knees at a 90-degree angle so that your spine remains straight.
- Stretch – There are tons of stretching activities that you can do to relax your shoulders, arms, and legs. Take tiny breaks in between work to stretch.
- Avoid squinting – While working in the dark, people have the habit of squinting and leaning forward in order to see the letters on the keyboard. You can avoid this by purchasing a light to illuminate your keyboard.
- Avoid crossing your legs- There are plenty of health problems associated with sitting with crossed legs. Sitting crossed leg comes in the way of sitting straight.
- Don’t use your phone – You shouldn’t keep your phone pinned between your ear and your shoulder for long periods of time. This could be fatal for your neck. Either put the phone on speaker or use earphones to talk while working on your computer.
