Working From Home Guide.

With the craziness that is COVID-19, most of the world has had to rapidly transition to work from home until further notice in order to practice social distancing.

For some, the chance to be able to work from the couch will be a difficult offer to resist. After a couple of days of working from home, your neck, back, shoulders, hips, elbows and wrists, are likely already letting you know that this isn’t going to be a sustainable working arrangement. Physiotherapists all around the globe have already seen a reduction in sports related injuries , but an increase in postural related pain as a result of poor work setups in the home.

COVID-19 is certainly still in it’s early days in Australia and continues to spread, so ensuring that you have an optimal ergonomic working set up at home is going to be well worth your while. While you may not have the space or cash flow to purchase new fancy furniture, physiotherapists possess many tools and tricks that are free or cheap and have the ability improve your setup and comfort.

A few generic tips include: 

• Ensure that your feet are well supported on the floor and knees are at or close to 90˚
• Aim to have your screen height so that the top half of the screen is at eye line
• If you are using a laptop, obtain a separate keyboard so that the above is possible
• Try to change your posture and move regularly.

For some more detailed information on ideal workstation setup, refer you the blog in our series titled ‘Workstation Setup’.

If you think that you need individualised advice, and you are feeling well and have not recently travelled from overseas, our Physiotherapists are always available to conduct ergonomic assessments. If you are feeling unwell or would prefer to practice social distancing, we are now offering appointments via video consult. Simply contact our friendly team at Redfern Physiotherapy and Sports Medicine via phone or email to arrange a telehealth time to suit you.