Ergonomics and Home Offices

Homberg Chiropractic and Wellness is still open! But chances are, you are working from home these days. Wherever you are in your house, your work station is not ergonomically correct, and your neck is feeling the effects. If you are working off a laptop, your work station is definitely not doing your posture any favors.

Laptop keyboards are small, forcing us to sit humpbacked in front of them. It’s also likely your laptop is on your lap, causing you to look down at the screen. This forces you to drop your head, putting undue pressure and strain on your spine, causing mis-alignments. The muscle and ligament imbalances that result from poor alignment can lead to all sorts of problems, including chronic back, neck and shoulder pain, foot, knee and hip injuries, headaches, digestive issues, fatigue and difficulty breathing.

It’s best if you can connect your laptop to a larger screen that is at or just above eye level so that you are not looking down. It’s also best if you can use a wireless keyboard and mouse so you can place them at a level to where your hands and arms are at a 90-degree angle. Ideally, your elbows will be resting on chair arms just beside your body.

If you can’t connect to a larger screen, try to set the laptop to where you are looking up at it. I’d still recommend using an external keyboard and mouse, so that your arms are not stretching up to use the laptop keyboard. This puts undue pressure on your shoulders and leaves your elbows hanging in the air.

Also use a supportive chair, preferably with arms so that you have at place to rest YOUR arms; and keep your feet on the floor so that your knees are at a 90-degree angle.

Our current situation is not ideal for any of us, but we want to come out on the other side at our best. If you are feeling less than your best, I want to remind you that Homberg Chiropractic is still open. Call today to schedule your appointment.