Many of us are working from home these days and without an ideal set up.  In an office you will likely have a desk, computer monitor, keyboard, and mouse, but at home you may not be so lucky.  Your setup could involve a laptop at a kitchen table or a coffee table or maybe you have a desktop computer you have to set up at a kitchen table.  In these situations it is less than ideal for your back, neck, wrists and everything in between.  So what can you do to make the best of this situation? Below you’ll find a few tips to help you get through your work day! 

Laptop setup: 

Laptops in general are not ergonomically sound, the monitor will either be too low, straining your neck or too high, straining your wrists and arms.  In an ideal world, your laptop monitor would rest at eye level and you could use a wireless mouse and keyboard for typing.  This way you could place your laptop on an elevated surface (stack of books or shoe box).  If this is not an option, you can change the position of the laptop depending on your task. So if you will be doing a lot of reading, you can keep it elevated.  When you need to type then you can lower it back down so the keyboard allows our wrists to be in a relaxed position.  

Chair setup: 

Get a bath towel and create a lumbar support for your at-home work chair.  Take the towel and roll it up so it’s about the size of a paper towel roll.  Place it at the lower back where the natural curve is, usually right about the belt line.  Make sure you are sitting all the way back in the chair and your feet are flat on the ground.  If your feet cannot reach the ground, grab some books to put under them. 

MOVE: 

This tip applies to working in any setting.  Try to stand up or change position every 30 minutes. If you find you lose track of time, set a reminder or each time you take a phone call or send an email, change position (i.e. get up, march in place).  As a bonus, your posture will automatically improve (most people can only maintain their posture for about 15 mins at a time).  

BONUS: Avoid neck strain while looking at your laptop by looking down with your eyes instead of moving your whole head. 

Contact us at Elevate PTR if you have questions regarding your workstation set up at home or in the office, especially if you’re experiencing pain while working!  We can give you personalized tips on how to improve your posture and set up at work as well as some exercises and stretches to help you get through your work day.  

April 25, 2020