5 Effective Ways to Fix Bad Posture from Your Home Office
Lisa Kaela YuPosture pains happen to the best of us. Working in discomfort tends to result in aches and strains that will slow down productivity and decrease motivation over time.
You may wonder, “is it too late to fix my posture?”, or, “can I correct years of poor posture?” The short answer is yes. If you’re looking to improve your workplace productivity and improve morale from your home office, you’ve come to the right place.
It’s never too late to start making changes that will fix bad posture, and you can do so right from your home office. The following home remedies can help to provide pain relief and correct posture over time.
Disclaimer: This article contains tips and home remedies or informational purposes only. This article should not be taken as professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you’re experiencing acute or chronic pain, you should refer to medically reviewed content and/or consult with a medical professional.
Why Is Sitting Up Straight Uncomfortable?
To begin, let’s address why sitting up straight while working can feel especially uncomfortable.
Our spines are naturally curved at three different spots: inwards at the neck, at the upper back or thoracic, and inwards again at the lumbar.
Sitting up straight or maintaining proper posture at a desk can feel confining when you don’t have adequate support for your back.
Maintaining a neutral, upright spine position is imperative to reducing the risks of poor posture at your computer desk.
What is Bad Posture?
The Physio Company explains poor posture as having your spine positioned in unnatural positions. Slouching, slumping, and straining are examples of poor posture. Sitting with bad posture for long periods of time is the root cause of many health issues and pain-related problems, including:
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Shoulder blades pain
- Tension headaches
- Poor circulation
- Limbs going numb
- Muscle cramps
What is Good Posture?
What does good posture look like? The best posture for back pain is when you’re able to achieve stability and balance throughout your work day.
Lori Ann Vallis, an associate professor at University of Guelph’s puts it simply: Proper posture is “when your body’s centre of mass […] is aligned over the base of support” (Source: Global News).
For those who must stand all day at work, be sure to wear proper footwear that will stabilize your footing. For those sitting at work all day, find an office chair that will help you to prevent slouching. For those working in work attire involving high heels, it’s important to set up your workstation to keep your feet flat on the floor for proper sitting posture.
So, what are some ways to help combat the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle?
5 Home Remedies to Help Fix Bad Posture
Proper posture is a balancing act. Here are EFFYDESK’s 5 home remedies and effective exercises to fix bad posture and relieve pain while working from home or at the office.
1. Use a Hot or Cold Treatment
One of the easiest ways to relieve pain when you’re at work is to apply a hot or cold compress, depending on the type of pain you have. Remember, the two aren’t interchangeable – it’s important to know when to use which one.
Ice can help with joint pain or swelling, and heat can help with muscle pain or stiffness. Cold reduces inflammation and slows blood flow to injured areas, while heat increases muscle flexibility and promotes circulation.
With either of these treatments, make sure the heat or cold isn’t right up against your skin. Take care not to use these treatments for more than 30 minutes at a time!
Use cold therapy for these pains:
- A cold compress for tendonitis
- An ice pack for shoulder pain
- A cold bath for sore feet
- Hot water bottle for lower back pain
- Heat pack for tight shoulders
- Warm cloth over strained eyes
2. Use a Foam Roller
If your muscles cramp up or hold a lot of tension while you’re sitting at work, borrow a move from athletes and use a large foam roller to work out the knots! All you need is a foam roller and some empty floor space. If done correctly, foam rolling can feel like a professional deep-tissue massage.
When you “roll” your muscles out on the foam roller, what you’re actually doing is releasing tension in your muscles and helping ease any soreness. This is great for all the cramps and strains you might sustain after a long day at work.
Check out these foam-rolling exercises that specifically target muscle cramps from sitting all day.
3. Simple Stretches to Do From Your Desk
If you have a bit of time during the day, why not get ahead of your pain with some easy stretches?
Good posture exercises include both sitting and standing stretches that can help strengthen your muscles and joints. By incorporating exercise into your daily workflow, you can kick back and cross your legs after work, without having to worry about bad posture or middle back pain.
What exercises fix bad posture? Chest-opening yoga exercises from your desk can also help to prevent any chest pain due to posture. If you’ve got time for a more involved stretching routine, this 10-minute stretch will keep your muscles loose while you power through your day. You can do most of these stretches right at your desk.
4. Choose High-Quality Ergonomic Office Furniture
Text neck is one of many types of posture problems that can cause stiff neck and shoulder pains, especially for those working from home. Sometimes, it’s best to get your office setup to work for you.
Choosing the right office chair with ergonomic lumbar support can dramatically improve your posture and reverse the effects of bad posture while sitting for long periods of time. Need help picking the best ergonomic chair in Canada? Look no further than our very own AeryChair.
5. Incorporate the Best Office Furniture into Your Workflow
A high-quality sit-stand desk for your home office can help you keep active during the day. An electric sit-stand desk will help you keep your posture in check. If you need more table top space, check out our Executive corner desk. With easy adjustments at the touch of a button, you won’t have to strain anything to easily transition from sitting to standing.
When you do sit down, stay supported in a lumbar-supporting ergonomic chair. Still find yourself slouching? Dynamic sitting or active sitting at your standing desk on an ergonomic wobble stool can help to engage your core muscles and abdominal muscles while you stand-sit.
PRO TIP: If your feet hurt from standing, cushion them with an anti-fatigue mat. Extra-thick commercial-grade material alleviates sore feet and prevents slips and trips.
Want to Improve Your Posture? EFFYDESK Can Help!
you can improve your bad posture by changing your workstation
"EFFY" stands for Efficiency and Effectiveness. Our robust, performance-driven products are crafted on the belief that you should feel good mentally and physically at the end of your workday.
Our signature collection of modern and functional ergonomic office furniture have since helped thousands of Canadian desk-job workers combat the negative effects of sedentary lifestyles.
For additional information on how to work smart from your home office, visit our blog.