Wellness Tips for Working from Home Pain Free

Do you finally have a routine developed for working from home? Are you noticing some aches and pains associated with your new workspace? Don’t worry, you are not alone. There have been a number of patients experiencing the same concerns and here are a few tips to reinforce good posture and manage those aches and pains.


Have your work look you in the eye

Raise your screen so that it is at your eye level so that you avoid bending your head forward. Forward head posture increase tension on the muscles and joints in the neck and can lead to issues such as headache.

Pro Tip: Place a post it, colored piece of tape or special piece of artwork on the wall behind your screen – just above the screen. Every 5–10 minutes try and take a look at the marking. This will cause you to extend your neck and lift your head upwards which can help to take tension off of the muscles in the neck and upper back.

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Make you sure you have a handle on your keyboard

Set the height of your keyboard so that your arms can hang by your sides and your shoulders are dropped. When you have done this, bend your elbows to 90°. At this position, your hands should be over your keyboard and your fingers should be able to reach all of the keys with slight movements in the elbow and shoulders

Pro Tip: Every 30 min perform a stretch where you are basically asking your screen to hug you. Drop your shoulders, open up your elbows and face your palms towards your screen. In this position begin contracting your shoulder blades towards each other and down (as if you’re trying to hold onto a pencil with your shoulder blades). Make sure your video screen is muted otherwise your colleagues may get the wrong idea 🙂

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Stand your ground

If sitting, have your both of your feet firmly placed on the floor with your knees bent to 90°.

If standing, make sure your feet are shoulder width apart with a slight bend in your knees to keep them from locking. You may also keep a small stepping stool and place one foot on it at a time – this will unload the back on the same side as the foot you’re standing on the stool with. It is recommended that if you are going to use a stepping stool to rest your feet, remember to alternate them regularly so as to avoid creating any asymmetries in your back.

Pro tip: Invest in a wobble cushion or disc (they are around $30). This inflatable disc can be placed on the surface of any chair you sit on. It mimics an exercise ball in that it will keep your core muscles active by trying to stabilize your spine and prevents direct pressure on your tailbone. Added bonus, you can also use the disc to perform a number of different balance exercises.

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How to fix and improve posture

Your spine allows you to stand upright, bend, twist, and most importantly, it protects your spinal cord from injuries. Your spine is stabilized with different softer and harder tissues such as muscles and bones. Having proper posture helps reduce strain on your spine, and on the muscles and bones throughout your entire body. Plus standing up tall always conveys more confidence!

How do we achieve proper posture? Proper posture results when your muscles are flexible enough to have a good range of motion yet are strong enough to ensure your spine has stability through the range of motion. Here are some tips to help achieve flexibility and stability needed for proper posture:

1) An active lifestyle. Different types of exercise (ex. Resistance training, Cardio, Yoga etc.) can help strengthen your muscles, stabilize your spine, increase flexibility and increase bodily awareness to help improve your posture.
2) Maintain a healthy weight. Asides from being connected to many illnesses, extra weight can put pressure on your spine and can weaken your muscles.
3) Be mindful of your posture. Taking a minute before performing everyday activities such as walking, watching TV or even putting on our shoes, to ensure you are not over reaching or twisting in a abnormal way.

Below are the steps to getting into proper posture:

1) Keep your chin retracted (push it backwards).
2) Pull shoulders back and down (like your holding a pencil between your shoulder blades).
3) Push chest forwards (stand prideful and tall!).
4) Posterior pelvic tilt (roll and lift your belt buckle towards your head).
5) If seated, ensure that your elbows are below your shoulders and your knees are below your hips.

Remember, proper posture isn’t just when you are sitting down, you can (and should) strive to have proper posture whenever you are moving. It will reduce the chances of an injury and you’ll better doing it!

Green Shirt Day!

Wearing Green for Green Shirt Day

 

Join us in celebrating the second annual Green Shirt Day – today - April 7th. During these uncertain times, it's important to remember there are approximately 4,400 Canadians require a lifesaving organ or tissue transplant and each year an average of 250 patients die waiting. With your support, we hope to make a lifesaving difference by spreading awareness of organ and tissue donation.

 

About Green Shirt Day

The Canada-wide Green Shirt Day honours the legacy of Logan Boulet following the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash in Saskatchewan. On April 6, 2018, the tragedy moved and united us as a nation. The details of this tragic event had an unprecedented impact.

 

Logan’s decision to register as an organ donor, and his family honouring his wishes, saved lives. Logan was able to donate his heart, lungs, liver, both kidneys and both corneas, saving six lives with his organs, and helping two more with his corneas. His generous final act inspired nearly 150,000 donor registrations across Canada shortly thereafter, which became known as the Logan Boulet Effect.

 

With your help, we hope to encourage Canadians across the country to register their decision to become organ and tissue donors and share that decision with their family.

 

Your Call to Action

This week show your support for Green Shirt Day and National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness by: 

  • Wearing green on April 7 in honour of Logan Boulet and the Logan Boulet Effect. Learn more by visiting: https://greenshirtday.ca/
  • Register to become an organ donor at https://organtissuedonation.ca/en If you are already registered, share your decision with your family and encourage others to register.
  • Help us spread the word on social media by using the hashtags: #GreenShirtDay #LoganBouletEffect #OrgansTissuesForLife #CanadasLifeline

 

Most importantly, while you are home connecting with friends and family - whether in person, over the phone, or through video chats – take the time to have this important conversation about your decision, so they can help fulfill your wishes.

 

Stay safe, stay healthy, and remember movement is medicine – so continue to exercise.

 

HALO Clinic