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5 Essential Tips for Home Office Ergonomics

Written By Dr. Jay Brodwyn & Associates on November 9, 2020

rsz workinjury2Working from home has been the new normal because of COVID-19. You need to make your home office a place that improves your work posture and promotes your health and well-being.

Causes of Work-related Injuries

Unsafe and unhealthy work environments and practices can lead to work-related injuries. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) affect the muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints, cartilage, blood vessels, and spinal discs caused by:

  • Sitting or standing for long periods
  • Excessive reaching, pulling, pushing, lifting, lowering, or stretching
  • Using extreme force
  • Repetitive movement
  • Working under extreme temperatures
  • Working in an awkward posture
  • Resting on vibrating or sharp corners

Employees identify work-related MSDs as the leading cause of restricted or lost work time.

Make Your Home Office Ergonomic with These 5 Tips

These simple tips can help increase your productivity while reducing the risk of muscle fatigue and injuries.

1. Keep the center of your screen at eye level

When looking in front of your computer screen, your head should be vertical to your neck to keep your neck, shoulders, and back free from injury.

2. Use a chair that supports your spine

Sit in a way that the chair provides lower back support. Make sure that while sitting, your feet rest flat on the floor or a footrest. Your arms should gently rest on your armrests, with your shoulders in a relaxed position.

3. Improve your posture

Adjust the placement of your mouse, keyboard, table, and chair in a way that makes your body aligned and balanced. Keep your wrists straight while your arms should not bend out to the side or across the body's midline. Do this to place minimal stress on your body and keep joints aligned.

4. Keep objects close to minimize reaching

Keep your telephone, office supplies, or documents close to your body to avoid overreaching. Stand up to get anything that you cannot comfortably reach while sitting.

5. Take periodic stretch breaks

Even with an ergonomic home office set up, you should not sit in a chair for too long. Take a break, stretch, change your position, and adjust your chair at least every 20 minutes.

Home Office Ergonomics and Extremity Adjusting

Being healthy and injury-free allows you to be more productive while working at home. Our Columbus, GA chiropractor can reduce the risk of muscle fatigue and injuries to your body by performing adjustments on the extremity joints in the knees, hips, ankles, elbows, shoulders, and wrists. They can also adjust your feet, hands, toes, and finger joints.

Call us today at (706) 563-3370 to schedule an appointment and experience professional extremity adjusting in Columbus, GA.


Posted In: Chiropractic Ergonomics