I have noticed a trend this past month. More and more people have been coming to see me due aches and pains due to their home working stations. It seems the last 6 months of the makeshift home office have caught up to us. Our bodies favorably adapt to gradual changes in stress to become more able and resilient. Sitting places stress on our bodies. When the changes are not gradual often the stress exceeds our capacity resulting in pain. Working from home occurred suddenly not giving our tissues an opportunity to condition to the stress.
Let us acknowledge a few truths concerning sitting. First, there is no single “correct” posture. Our spines are all shaped differently, therefore each of us will have different needs. Second, our spines and necks are strong. They are capable of sitting and lifting in many different ways and scenarios. Slouching and sitting tall are not bad, in fact both provide a beneficial stimulus to the musculoskeletal system. However, just like desert and a well balance diet they should be used in moderation along with many another positions. Lastly sitting is not dangerous, yet sitting all day without physical activity is.
In an effort to help you work more at home without pain, I would like to focus on a variety of positions and modifications to make you more comfortable:
1. Unsupported sitting is when we do not use a back rest. This posture is best for activities involving neck and upper extremity movements. It facilitates the best alignment of our spines, necks and shoulders to function efficiently and effectively.
2. Supported sitting is when we use a back rest. It can offload our body parts to provide them with rest or support. This is utilized for activities involving more passive activities like watching or listening.
3. Reclined sitting. This is the lazy boy position or the notorious slouched posture. Good news is this position is safe for most people. In fact slouching or reclining for 10 minutes helps to decompress and improve the length of the spine. It offers a nice change of pace from being upright .
If you are in pain and unable to find a comfortable position to complete your work from home then let's start with an evaluation. This will help us to identify the source of pain then develop a plan to get you feeling better and moving more!