Working at home and health problems arising from it

Work at home in 2020 has taken on new meaning as millions of office workers and contractors have swapped hours-long commutes for short walks between the bedroom and the kitchen table, or at best, to the desk.

The benefits of this COVID-induced necessity have been many: working from home has allowed many people to spend more time with their families, take care of personal matters during work hours, and pursue their outside interests. While the shift to working from home has been stressful for many workers, such as parents struggling to balance parenting with work deadlines and to-do lists, many Europeans have prioritized the convenience of working from home.

Negative effects of working at home

However, research shows that telecommuting can also have negative aspects, especially when it comes to employee health:

Lack of communication with colleagues;

Lack of physical activity;

Developing problems of the musculoskeletal system;

Poor sleep;

Decrease in motivation for work;

These are important issues to consider, as the emergence of the COVID Delta variant has limited organizations’ “return to work” plans, and employers must now address how teleworkers can continue to work remotely on a full-time or hybrid basis without compromising their health. But despite these disadvantages, many workers still prefer to stay at home.

Research and surveys have revealed that one in five working women said they would not choose to work for an employer that did not allow them to work from home.

Health challenges and working from home

Due to the popularity of telecommuting, employers may be surprised by the health issues associated with employees working from home. As research shows, these range from physical, such as lower back pain, to mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety.

The data also show that these challenges are more pronounced for individuals who are new to telecommuting. Some health problems are caused by poor ergonomics at home: 2020 in June conducted a survey of 900 home workers, 46% said they organize their work spaces in shared living spaces, such as the dining room, living room, bedroom, or even utility rooms. Meanwhile, less than half (48%) say they have a comfortable chair for work that is adapted to their back.

Working from home and pain (and why massage is more important now than ever)

Sokrato clinica specialists see many clients who were forced to move from an ergonomically organized office to a dining table/sofa/uncomfortable desk at home.

As a result, we are also seeing an increase in work-related injuries at home. While massage can be a key factor in reducing pain and increasing muscle function due to these factors, we also have some simple tips you can implement to make your home workout comfortable and healthy:

Give yourself some space!

Make sure your legs have enough room to spread out if needed and you can easily place both feet on the floor. Look at your monitor, not up or down. You can get an adjustable monitor stand or just use books/magazines/yoga blocks/etc. so that the monitor is at eye level. This keeps your neck from straining while looking at a screen and also helps discourage slouching (a major cause of upper back pain when working at a desk). Get up, move! If you don’t have to commute, go from your car to the building, to and from your desk, to and from meetings, it’s conducive to sitting at your desk for too long. Try to keep your snacks/drinks in a different area of the room than your work area. Set an alarm every hour (or so) to get away from the monitor, look outside, and stretch.

Use additional lighting!

Our optic nerve starts from one eye, wraps around the back of the head to the base of the skull and connects to the other eye. Knowing this, staring at a computer screen for long periods of time can cause headaches. This puts extra pressure on the lateral and anterior neck muscles, causing the posterior neck muscles to over-extend, causing tension and sometimes pain. The area around the work desk should be well lit so that your eyes do not have to constantly struggle to adjust to the light of the monitor screen. Something as simple as turning on a light behind the monitor can help too!

Make an appointment with a massage specialist!

Even at the most ergonomic desk, working on a computer can cause muscle tension, stress and fatigue. A massage is also a great excuse to get out of the house! Rest assured that most massage clinics follow the recommended safety and cleanliness procedures needed to protect against COVID. We at Sokrato clinica adhere to the highest standards to ensure the safety and health of our employees and customers.

Try Indiba laser pain treatment! If you experience severe back pain or other body pain, try Indiba radio frequency laser pain treatment! Innovative technology. It is the 448 kHz radio frequency energy emitted by the laser “Indiba” that stimulates the permeability of cell membranes and causes three biological processes: biostimulation, microcirculation and hyperactivation. The result of these processes is better cell function and tissue healing. The result is a reduction and disappearance of pain.