Waves of workers have returned to the office full-time since the pandemic. And for some, that may mean returning to a desk chair that’s not quite as comfortable as home furniture.
“This is a very stressful time for a lot of people, and we’re all trying to navigate this together,” said Alison Staples, a physical therapist assistant at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. “The best thing to do is just to get up and move around.”
Staples said it’s important to protect your spine. When you’re in an office setting, you’re less likely to move around compared to when you work at home, Staples said.
“It’s kind of easy just to get in that mindset of, ‘I’m at my desk, I’m going to stay at my desk,'” she said. “Take care of your spine, take care of your posture.”
Sitting for prolonged periods of time can have adverse effects on your digestive and cardiovascular systems. It can also lead to neck and back pain. Staples said many of us are slumped or hunched over our desks, staring down at our screens. Make sure your screen is at eye level and sit with proper posture.
“You want to have your feet flat on the floor,” she said. “Then you want to try to maintain 90 degrees at the angle, 90 degrees at the knees, and then 90 degrees at the hips.”
She recommends doing simple stretches at your desk for your wrists, triceps and back.
“With your feet still flat on the floor, reach both hands over to one side of the chair, look over that back shoulder and try to get as good of a stretch as you can,” Staples said. “Then rotate and do the other side.”
And if your schedule allows it, a short walk can help with your physical and mental health.
“Give yourself some nice fresh air, get your heart pumping a little bit,” Staples said. “It’s very important to get up, give yourself a mental break from staring at the screen, staring at the lights.”
Even a few minutes of movement can make a difference.
“It will definitely be helpful and beneficial to everyone: yourself, your co-workers, your family when you get home from work,” Staples said.