These days, many of us are working from home – whether that’s a couple of days a week or a more permanent arrangement! To avoid injuries, Scott Gentle, Physiotherapist from Butel Health Services in Hornsby, shares his top tips for how to set up a safe and healthy working environment.
If you are experiencing work from home back pain, neck soreness, headaches, shoulder pain or wrist pain, you’re not alone. And I’m so glad you’re here!
Working from home, or because us Aussies love a good nickname “WFH”, used to be a rarity. Only a few select companies offered it as an option. But since COVID-19 struck there has been a massive change. A Roy Morgan survey revealed that 4.3 million people, that’s almost one in three Australians, now call their home their office.
While the idea of sleep-ins, redundant commutes and leisurely picking the kids up from school may sound like bliss, the sudden nature has resulted in poor planning and less than ideal conditions. Pain and anxiety have spiked.
Working from home and your health: The positives
There is much still to learn about the world of WFH, but I always like to start with the positives:
- Lowered, if not obliterated, commute time
- Greater flexibility with working arrangements
- Extra family time
- Increased free time to dedicate to exercise, eating well and getting healthy (yes, in theory)
Working from home and your health: The negatives
Working from home and your health are now forever connected. WFH has transformed how we interact (and not always in a good way). The impact of working from home has on incidental exercise is substantial. Previously a 10,000 steps-a-day goal was ticked off, in part, by the above activities. Now it takes planning and dedication.
- Walking to and from public transport has been replaced by rolling out of bed and straight onto the computer
- Walking down the hall to ask your colleague about his questionable email has been replaced by a call
- Using the stairs has been all but been abolished
- The 50-metre saunter to the kitchen for a cuppa has been cut to a five-metre stretch
- Face-to-face conversations are now via phone or video conference
Other than reduced incidental exercise, a work from home set-up can bring with it other negative impacts. In my practice, I’ve seen these four particular challenges decrease the wellbeing of my patients:
- Inadvertently working longer hours
- Diminished social interaction
- Increased stress, anxiety and depression with uncertainty around employment and the future
- Poor workplace set-up
Are you inadvertently working longer hours?
It’s so easy to get caught up in effect, being on call. After all, in our digital world and in a WFH era, the tools of the work trade are right at our fingertips; computer, email, phone. A Roy Morgan survey found that when Aussies work from home, the majority find switching off tricky. Setting work aside becomes difficult. This is terrible for our work-life balance. If your inner voice is screaming, “What balance?!”, listen! It’s time to set — and stick to — boundaries.
Working from home and your mental health
Your mental wellbeing: Start socialising!
If you work with frustrating, loud or otherwise irritating colleagues, working from home might feel (and sound) like bliss. And it may be. But diminished social interaction can harm your health. We are, at our core, social creatures. If your new work situation has stripped your communal engagement, seek a connection elsewhere. You might find that actual or Zoom dates with friends and chatting with loved ones often is enough to soothe your social soul.
Worried about work and your future? Some strategies
If you are finding chronic stress and its bedfellows, anxiety and depression, difficult, The Black Dog Institute has some advice:
- Set up a workday routine and structure
- Set boundaries between work and home
- Settle on a workspace (not in your bedroom: that’s for sleep)
- Stay connected to your co-workers
- Switch off technology in the evenings
- See nature, every day
- Seek the silver linings
Top 5 Working from Home related injuries
As a physiotherapist, I’ve found myself treating more and more people complaining of “work from home” injuries. From work from home back pain to stiff necks, there seems to be an array of complaints stemming from this new environment.
The top five WFH-related injuries that are walking (often tentatively) into my consultation rooms are:
- Low back pain
- Neck pain
- Headaches
- Shoulder pain
- Wrist pain
It’s no wonder when we’re sat hunched at an improvised desk, our spines and limbs contorted and unsupported, for hours on end!
But there is hope. I’m a big advocate for preventative care. As the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure.” My patients find much-needed respite by applying the evidence-based, easy-to-implement advice I’m about to share with you. That’s what prompted me to write this article… because if you’re here, there’s a good chance you or someone you care for is doing it tough.
Working from home: Ergomonics
Workplace set-up is a biggie. The great news is that with the right advice and equipment you can swap work from home back pain for comfort and ease, horrible headaches and neck pain for pain-free poise and shoulder and wrist soreness can become a long-forgotten memory from the past. To do this, we need to discuss something called ergonomics.
Firstly, let’s discuss ergonomics!
You’ve probably heard the terms hundreds of times, but do you know what it means?
Ergonomics is the holistic process by which workplaces and products are arranged to safely fit and support the people that use them. Ergonomics assesses a variety of factors to achieve the best outcome.
Why is Ergonomics Important?
In short, because it protects you from injury and pain. According to Safework Australia, the Australian government will spend almost $60 billion on work-related injuries and illnesses, with lower back pain being the most common cause of absence from work. The goal in ergonomics is to achieve comfortable, safe and efficient workspaces.
Ergonomics is governed by 5 main principles:
- Anthropometry: how variations in body size and shape impact on form and function
- Applied psychology: how learning, skills and errors occur and impact the workplace
- Biomechanics: how levers, the skeleton, muscles and forces work together
- Environmental physics: the roles light, temperature, noise and sensations play
- Social psychology: the impact of communication, groups and behaviours at work
Tips for a safe and healthy WFM set-up
Tip #1: Choose a good chair
You’re probably going to spend several hours a day parked in this chair, so make sure it’s comfortable. Chairs with wheels are preferable as they allow you to move around freely. Make sure your feet can touch the ground (or use a footstool), that your thighs and lumbar curve are well supported, and that your ankles, knees and hips can each rest at approximately 90 degrees.
Tip #2: Check the basics
There are basic ergonomics rules you should follow…
- Your screen should be directly in front of you, roughly arm’s length away, and the top of the monitor should be at eye level
- Your elbows should rest comfortably on the desk, at 90 degrees
- Your keyboard and mouse should have plenty of space around them. Your wrist ought to be supported in a neutral position
- Your spine should remain in a neutral position, too. Ask someone to stand at your side while you sit. Check that your ears sit above your shoulder. A protruding head, called forward head posture, is a common cause of headaches, shoulder and neck pain
You’ll find a Workstation ergonomics self-assessment here. It’s a great free resource that will help you get your ergonomic set-up right.
Tip #3: Vary your posture
Research on posture shows us that there is no “perfect posture” we should all adopt, all the time. What makes the most significant difference is regular changes in posture. Stand up, shake it out and move as often as is possible. That’s why sit to stand desks can be great; they allow you to work from a couple of positions. Stand up desks became all the rage well before COVID-19 hit. The great thing is, they’re becoming even more portable and cost-effective. Check out Officeworks who have a wide range of options to suit most budgets.
Work from home tip: It is vital to communicate with your employer. They have a responsibility to keep you safe when you are at work, even if the definition of “at work” has changed rather dramatically.
