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  • 10 Best COVID-19 Work from Home Posture and Productivity Tips
    March 30, 2020 No Comments on 10 Best COVID-19 Work from Home Posture and Productivity Tips

    Many of you have had to make drastic changes to your work environment and schedule due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on businesses. If you are fortunate enough to still be able to work from home, you may be faced with even more difficult challenges. Makeshift offices and easy access to distractions can pose problems with posture and productivity. Today, I have the solution. The 10 best COVID-19 work from home posture and productivity tips. There are 5 posture and 5 productivity.

    Posture

    • Resist the temptation to work from your bed or on the couch. These locations offer little to no back support and will compromise healthy spinal function.

    • Find a chair that has back support. A bar stool at the kitchen counter is an example of a poor choice. If you don’t have a desk chair, try a dining room chair. A rolled up towel or small pillow behind the lower back will help with creating more lumbar support. If you are having a hard time finding something appropriate here, maybe try creating a standing workstation from a counter.

    • Use boxes, books, or storage containers to get your computer monitor to be at eye level. This will reduce the amount of strain on your neck, upper back, and shoulders. Avoid using your laptop on your lap, go figure right? They should rename it.

    • With the new addition of your monitor stand, if you are working from a laptop computer, you will need a wireless keyboard and mouse to prevent reaching and over-elevating your arms and shoulders.

    Productivity

    • Start your day like you normally do. Wake up at the same time. Start work at the same time. Make your coffee, do your workout. Keep it consistent.

    • Dress up! Brush your teeth! This determines your mindset, as well as number 1. Working from your pajamas might sound comfortable but your mind isn’t used to it and it can actually throw you off.

    • Have a defined schedule. Plan your breaks and set a reminder for them. Take a whole 30 minutes for lunch (or however long it usually is). Finish at a certain time and don’t be tempted to come back to it until you start working again!

    • Protect your workspace. Get the lighting right, shut the door, bring what you will need and get it close to you. Talk to your family members about your work time hours and have them commit to respecting them.

    • Limit distractions. Try using a sound machine, looping ambient noise or pleasant sounds on a speaker. Alexa and Google assistant both have many skills that can play your favorite with a simple request. Just one bark from your neighbors dogs can break your train of thought and set you back 5-10 minutes. Another good habit is to pick a workspace that has no TV in it so that there is no temptation to binge Ozark on Netflix while working.

    These are the 10 best COVID-19 work from home posture and productivity tips to help keep you pain free and productive!

    Learn how to protect yourself from the Corona Virus with the CDC recommendations here –>https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html

    If you find yourself needing advice from a chiropractor during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Ezell is available in the office and via telehealth.

    Yours in optimal health,

    Dr. Glenn Ezell

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  • Reduce Neck And Back Pain At Your Desk
    September 27, 2018 No Comments on Reduce Neck And Back Pain At Your Desk

    Reduce Neck and Back Pain At Your Desk

    • Working as a chiropractor for years, I have found that there are several specific things that tend to cause pain in most individuals. One of the most common is poor desk and workstation ergonomics. In this post I will share with you some of the best ways to reduce neck and back pain at your desk.

     

    • Your workstation should be set up in a way that is easiest on your body, particularly, your spine. The average american sits for an average of 13 hours a day. That’s a whopping 54% of your day! You’re going to want to make sure that you are sitting and working in the best way possible, otherwise you could end up with chronic neck and back complaints stemming from postural distortions, arthritis, and muscle imbalances.

    The best tips to reduce neck and back pain at your desk:

    1. Feet flat on the floor. Stay away from propping your legs up on a stool or chair as this will cause strain on your lower back. Crossing your legs will twist the pelvis.
    2. Thighs 90 degrees to floor or slightly downward. To change this, you will have to use the elevation function on the chair. For shorter individuals, you may need to use a step stool under your feet.
    3. Rock your pelvis forward to sit up tall. When done properly, you will feel as if you are sitting more on your “butt bones”, which will allow for a natural arch in your lower back.
    4. Shoulders retracted and down. As stress levels rise, the shoulders tend to migrate up, leading to tightness in the neck and back. Prevent rounding by gently holding shoulder blades together.
    5. Forearms at 90 degrees to body. Modified by positioning keyboard and mouse at the appropriate level. Too high and this will cause the shoulders to rise, leading to number 4.
    6. Monitor at exactly eye level, straight ahead. The slightest tilt of your neck in a downward position will cause pain in the neck. Your chin should be parallel to the floor. Use books or a stand to prop it up. Do not have the head in a turned position for a long period of time.
    7. Use a lumbar support if your back gets fatigued. If your find your back getting worn out from sitting up, purchase a lumbar support that will aid in keeping the natural arch in your back.

     

    Other important factors include taking your wallet out of your back pocket and taking frequent breaks to stretch and get up to move around.

    Yours in health,

    Dr. Glenn Ezell

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