2019-10-18
I’ve been working from home for almost 12 years now — even before children and even before I started my blog.
It began as a part-time at-home gig while I was working full time outside of the home for another company. Since then, it has morphed to the point where I am now working 100% from my home computer.
I almost never need to leave my house for anything work-related. It’s glorious… the most perfect job for this season of my life!
Of course, due to the nature of working from home (specifically from my computer), I end up sitting at my desk for the vast majority of my “working hours”.
It’s nowhere near 8 hours a day like a traditional desk job, but it still all adds up over the course of many days, weeks, months and years.
Ironically, I’ve never put much thought into the “best” working environment for my body… but after suffering from mild to moderate lower back and neck pain for the majority of my adult life, I FINALLY started to see a chiropractor a few months ago.
I’m certain I’ll share more about this experience in a future post… but based on how “out of alignment” my spine was, I realized why my attempt at physical therapy (last year) didn’t help me!
I’m now taking steps to get my bones back in place first… then I’ll work on retraining the muscles.
It will be a long process… but I’ll hopefully have many years to live yet, and I’d prefer to live them with as little back pain as possible!
.
My Slightly More Ergonomic Office
My chiropractor has me doing a handful of at-home exercises 2 times per day, and she mentioned a couple of really simple changes I could make to my office to help with my lower back and neck pain.
#1 = Raise the height of my monitor so the middle of the screen is at eye-level.
#2 = Replace my chair with an exercise ball (or work at a standing desk).
When I got home from my consultation, I hoisted my monitor up on a few books and blew up the exercise ball we had in our storage closet… it took me roughly 10 minutes and I had implemented both of her suggestions!
It looks a little silly (definitely out of character with the rest of my farmhouse decor) but I’m giving it a try for the next 3-4 months to see if I notice any big changes.
So far, I have noticed fewer headaches and neck issues… and the pain in my back hasn’t gotten any worse.
We have a schedule in place for regular office visits and specific at-home exercises through the end of the calendar year — at which point I will get new X-rays and do follow-up testing to see what type of progress I’ve made.
If all goes as planned, I will then start working to retrain my muscles after the New Year.
I still have a LONG way to go to heal my back (and hopefully eventually my ab separation) but I’m making small steps in the right direction, which is key for me!
More Office Links: The full office tour (with before/after pictures) How I hung the sheet metal behind my desk How I updated my picture frame collage for $4 More about my grandma’s sewing machine How we conceal our office cord clutter under the desk How we organize the awkward closet under the stairs (the door next to my desk) The exact exercise ball I have (SPRI 65mm) More on my planner and wall calendar organization system
Eventually, I may be interested in a standing desk option — but for now, this is what I could do with what I already had in the house (and it’s better than nothing at all!)
What are your best tips to create a more ergonomic office environment?
Pinterest Facebook Twitter Messenger Email Print 0Shares
The post My Slightly More Ergonomic Office appeared first on Andrea Dekker.
#Health #Work #WorkSpace #OurFarmhouse
