Working from home during lockdown? Here's how you watch your posture

For most people, simulating an ergonomically compliant workstation at home is an expensive affair and is not practical in Indian homes.
Working from home during lockdown? Here's how you watch your posture
Working from home during lockdown? Here's how you watch your posture

As the 21-day countrywide lockdown comes into effect across India, the unimaginable is happening. Thousands of people are now working from home – including some government employees, who would never have thought that someday, they would also be working from home. Not just laptops, there are instances of desktop computers from the office being parcelled to the homes of staff members. 

One downside of this situation, however, is that for most people, their back could be hurting by now. For many, simulating an ergonomically compliant workstation at home is an expensive affair, and consumes significant space – and this is not practical for a lot of people in Indian homes. 

Given the long average hours spent before computers in much of our daily work, Workplace Ergonomics and Work-related Musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) have been gaining awareness and popularity among companies, especially multinationals. In a nutshell, this is all about eliminating workplace hazards, and adopting a correct working posture in a conducive work environment. There are ergonomics consultants actively engaged by companies in achieving global ergonomic standards/protocols at the workplace, thereby minimising WMSDs in the longer run, and obviously enriching their overall productivity.

Now the question here is, can we replicate an exact, ergonomically compliant office work atmosphere at home? If not, what’s the next best option?

Now let's analyse the consequences/implications of these postural compromises.

Eye to monitor distance

If the monitor (laptop/desktop) is not placed at the eye level, the operator has to either look down (most likely) or look up to work on the computer. This distance is optimally achieved only from an ergonomically designed workstation. 

Health consequences: Recurrent neck muscle spasm (in the short run), cervical spondylosis (in the longer run).

Remedial measures:

a. Break exercises: These are some simple, movement-based exercises to strengthen the neck, shoulders, elbows, back and knee joints. Cumulative effects of these exercises would prevent the onset of MSDs and joint degeneration.

b. Muscle stretches: These have to be practised every day, periodically at work time intervals to ensure the muscle texture is maintained without fatigue.

c. Postural correctness: Above all, one must be aware about their posture. Self-review and auto correction would help one to outgrow poor postures. Also, as a thumbrule: every hour or at least two hours, break the orthodox posture by taking an intentional walk for drinking water or using the restroom (office or home).

Tip: Try to position the laptop in elevation by placing it over a stacked carton box/pillow.

2. Armrest/footrest

If the computer is not properly distanced, one may have to reach out to the keys, causing strain to the shoulder joints. Using an external keyboard is ideal to achieve the required distance. 

Health consequences: Prolonged improper elbow resting can cause entrapment syndrome and improper foot placement can cause pedal oedema. Nerve entrapment syndrome is a medical condition that develops when nerves become compressed (or entrapped) and restricted. This occurs due to a variety of causes, from trauma or injury to repeated or overuse as in computer operations like typing/mouse usage. Pedal oedema is gravity assisted fluid accumulation or temporary swelling in the foot due to prolonged sitting posture with the foot not rested properly.

Remedial measures

To avoid entrapment neuropathy like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), please use the right supportive gadgets like compact mouse with external mouse pad and well-padded elbow cushions.

CTS is an entrapment neuropathy condition widely prevalent among computer users. While working on the computer, especially keyboard and mouse operation, the median nerve is vulnerable to get compressed in the carpel tunnel (at wrist joint) predisposing CTS. Affected people suffer from severe pain/numbness/tingling sensation in the wrist/hand. While management of CTS varies from splinting to surgery (in extreme cases), this condition can be prevented by good posture and frequent wrist/hand stretches.

Neural mobilisation can be done periodically in between the working hours. Whenever a nerve is taught/pulled or entrapped, there are certain guided passive methods like neural mobilisation by which one can mobilise/stretch the nerve to keep it in its optimal alignment. One of the methods by which a computer user can stretch his/her nerves of the neck and upper limb is to side raise the full arm to 90 degrees, with the palm raised, and gently turning the neck to the opposite side for 10 counts. This way, a stretch will be felt in the neck and upper arm, ensuring preventive care.     

Ankle pedalling exercises are an effective way to handle pedal oedema, and foot elevation will also help. It's a part of break exercise protocol. In order to prevent pedal oedema, this has to be done frequently in between work. This is performed by the person seated on his/her work chair with foot rested on the floor, and alternatively the heel and toes are raised off the ground (like pedaling movement done in a mechanical tailoring machine). For any exercise, performing it for 30 times would be a fair count.    

Tip: Try to place a pillow on your lap and properly rest your entire arm. Your feet can be rested on foot stools at home. 

3. Lighting

Be it morning or night, always ensure proper lighting while working. Like the way we look for avoiding the glare during a photo shoot, always choose to have a glare-free, soothing display. 

Health consequences: Eye strain and cognitive stress.

Remedial Measures:

  • Eye exercises following the 20:20:20 rule –  that is, after every 20 minutes of continuous monitor gazing, an object placed at 20 feet (outside the window) has to be looked at for 20 seconds.
  • Eyeball movement in all possible directions, rubbing the palm and placing it on the eye pit will relax sore eyes.
  • Simple breathing exercises like Pranayama, be it Sheethali or Naadi shuddi, can be done to beat cognitive stress.

Tip: Preferably, do not position your laptop/workstation facing or against the light, try to keep it on the sides.

Srinath Raghavan is a Consultant Physiotherapist and Certified Ergonomist from Chennai.

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