With the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers have chosen to transition their employees into a remote or hybrid work environment – meaning many of us started working from the comfort of our homes. Unfortunately, desk jobs, whether in-office or remote, can wreak havoc on our physical health, causing pain, soreness, tension, and poor posture.
Sedentary lifestyles can be detrimental to our health, but thankfully, there are many ways we can stay limber. From an ergonomic desk setup to frequent visits to your local chiropractor, there are multiple steps we can take to stay healthy! This article details the effects that working from home has on our physical health, as well as 3 ways we can combat them. Keep reading to learn how to get your health back!
Table of Contents
How Sedentary Jobs Affect Our Physical Health
Because humans are meant to be on their feet – hunting, gathering, and traveling – predominantly sedentary lifestyles can really throw our physical health out of wack. Office jobs, at which we remain seated in a similar position for 7+ hours a day, affect us head-to-toe. While working from home gives us a little more freedom to move around, remote jobs can still cause the same risks. Whether we are hunched over our keyboards, balancing a phone between our ear and shoulder, or sitting on our legs, our bodies are paying the price.
Back Pain
Because our bodies contort to unnatural positions while we answer emails and take calls, we might start experiencing back pain and overall soreness at the end of the workday. According to the Spine Institute of North America, back pain is caused by compressed intervertebral discs in your spine. This causes spinal discs to swell and put pressure on your spinal nerve, which eventually causes numbness, tingling, and pain.
Muscular Atrophy
Because desk jobs require us to remain seated for extended periods of time, our bodies receive less physical activity throughout the day. With less physical movement comes weakened muscles in the legs and core, which as a result, lose mass and strength to support the spine.
Bad Posture
Consistently hunching over your computer with your elbows placed irregularly on the desk can cause serious problems for your posture. Because office chairs are not customized to support our backs, our shoulders are inclined to curve forward, furthering back pain and tension. This can cause long-term issues, too, such as sciatica and degenerative disk disease.
Weight Gain
With less physical activity comes the risk of weight gain. In an attempt to preserve energy, our bodies naturally burn fewer calories when we remain sedentary. However, being overweight can not only cause issues for your back and joints, but also for your overall cardiovascular health.
Stress
Physical activity is a natural antidepressant, and as a result, minimal movement throughout the day can lead to higher stress levels. This causes the body to release various hormones and chemicals that can result in tension and spasms in the body.
3 Ways to Combat The Physical Health Risks of Working From Home
While both in-person and remote desk jobs can pose many risks to our physical well-being, there are many ways we can combat the side effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Below are 3 things you can start implementing into your work-from-home routine and lifestyle, which will help you minimize the risks of back pain, muscle loss, poor posture, weight gain, stress, ultimately allowing you to enjoy a longer and healthier life!
1. Improve Your Workstation
Setting up an ergonomic workstation can really help prevent back pain and poor posture. At the end of the day, there are only minimal steps we can take to incorporate movement into our office workflow, and therefore, improving our desk setup can have a huge impact on how we prevent further risk.
Invest in a Proper Desk
The type of desk you use for work is crucial. Something as simple as the shape of the desk can really influence the way we sit. Due to their shape, rounded tables do not provide proper elbow support, causing us to lean forward and curve our shoulders towards our computer. However, a square/rectangular desk gives just enough elbow room to sit up straight.
It may also be wise for you to invest in a standing desk, which allows you to adjust the height throughout the day. Standing combats many of the posture, weight gain, and back pain risks involved with sedentary jobs, as it activates more muscles, burns more calories, and promotes better posture.
Purchase a Structured Office Chair
Because structure office chairs have an adjustable degree of curvature, the spine receives the right amount of lumbar support, allowing us to sit up straight with our elbows properly placed. Because you can adjust the height of the chair throughout the day, your body will not have to remain stagnant in the same position for 7+ hours. Additionally, you can alternate between your chair and a yoga ball, on which you can bounce and build muscles while you work!
Adjust Screen Size
If you find yourself leaning in to read your screen, you can adjust your screen and text size to encourage better posture. This will minimize the need to hunch over the keyboard, and a result, keep your back and shoulders in a neutral position.
2. Exercise Daily
The benefits of daily exercise are self-explanatory, especially when you are a remote employee. Finding time to stretch your limbs throughout the workday can be super beneficial in the long run. Incorporating movement into your daily routine can really wake up your muscles and reduce physical health risks, such as pain and stress on the body.
3. See a Massage Therapist & Chiropractor Regularly
Massage therapy can provide that much-needed tension relief, while also helping reduce symptoms of stress. A chiropractor can adjust your vertebrae, improving your posture and reducing pain. This will allow you to move more fluidly outside of the office, making movement more enjoyable than ever before.
Conclusion – How Working from Home Affects Your Physical Health
Working from home may allow us more freedom to move throughout the day, but the bottom line is that sedentary work poses many physical health risks. From back pain, muscle loss, stiffness, tension, weight gain, and other symptoms, desk jobs take a toll on our bodies. Thankfully, there are many ways we win our health back! Incorporate more movement into your routine, see a local chiropractor, and invest in a standing desk to get started today.
