When Working From Home is a Pain in Your Neck
Neck pain is a common issue that virtually everyone endures on occasion. When you start to suffer more frequently, it’s a good idea to consider your posture in the absence of an injury. If you spend long hours in a single position, you may be losing your body position.
This dilemma is a situation that many employees who work from home encounter. They may do the same work while putting in the same hours, yet neck pain is now an issue. There may be several factors at play that contribute to this pain. The good news is that you can make adjustments to improve your posture and reduce your pain.
As neck pain specialists, Jackson Neurosurgery Clinic can help if you encounter chronic neck issues beyond the scope of self-care. Dr. Adam Lewis leads an experienced team providing premium care for those with spine, brain, and nervous system disorders. Chances are, though, that a pain in the neck from working from home can be an easy fix if you consider a few key points.
The importance of movement
Working from home eliminates your commute, which at a glance, seems like a big win. You recover the time spent non-productively sitting in your car or in transit. While the average commute in the Jackson, Mississippi area, is better than the national average, you still spend about 40 minutes a day getting to and from the workplace.
However, spending that extra 40 minutes in a chair at home isn’t a win for your spine. You lose the motion of walking to and from your car or bus. While it may not seem like much, moving between sitting and standing positions is vital to your spinal health, and it’s an early casualty when you switch to home-based work.
Think about other walking that you lose: destinations to the third-floor meeting room or the supply closet at the back of the office. Perhaps you have lunch on a bench in the park or at a local restaurant. Compare that to a trip to the kitchen (presuming you’re not working from a dining table). Those steps add up and provide micro resets of your posture that you don’t think about until your neck pain begins.
Adding back extra steps may be the best way to counter the additional time spent sitting, a typical condition shared by many home-based workers. Aim for a goal, whether it’s for 30 minutes five days a week or a daily step count.
Breaking the focus
Even without leaving your chair, you can improve your postural performance and reduce neck pain. Concentration is good when you’re chasing a deadline, but not when you have related pain, at least until you make good posture a habit.
Consider setting a timer every 30 minutes to stand and stretch, then sit down again with your hips and shoulders back and your head up. There’s no need for a 10-minute workout. Simply change positions, identify areas of tension, and relax them. Thirty seconds is plenty, particularly if you’ve added walking into your routine.
If you haven’t already addressed the ergonomics of your home workstation, a good office chair and work surface promote better posture. Each minor adjustment adds up to a sustainable neck-friendly workday. If you need additional help, call or click online to make an appointment with Jackson Neurosurgery Clinic at the Flowood, Mississippi office today.