Latest / The Dohnal Health Minute / Tips for Better Ergonomics at Home and at Work

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Tips for Better Ergonomics at Home and at Work · The Dohnal Health Minute

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  Hey there and welcome back to the podcast. I'm
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  Dr. Chris Donald with Donald Chiropractic here
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  in Nashville. And today we're talking about something
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  that affects just about every single one of us.
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  Ergonomics, whether you're working from a home
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  office, sitting at a desk downtown, or just spending
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  a lot of time on your couch. scrolling through
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  your phone, the way you position your body throughout
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  the day matters more than most people realize.
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  So let's get into it. Here's what I hear all
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  the time in my office. Someone comes in with
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  neck pain, maybe some shoulder tension, maybe
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  low back stiffness. And when I ask them about
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  their daily routine, it almost always comes back
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  to how they're set up at their workspace. And
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  the good news is a lot of this is fixable with
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  some pretty simple adjustments. Let's start with
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  your desk setup because this is where most people
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  run into trouble. Now, here's the thing about
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  your monitor. If it's too low, you're going to
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  be looking down all day and that puts a ton of
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  strain on the muscles at the back of your neck
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  and upper back. You want the top of your screen
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  to be roughly at eye level, not below it, not
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  way above it, right around eye level. If you're
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  on a laptop all day, I'd really encourage you
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  to get an external monitor or a stand to raise
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  it up. That one change alone can make a huge
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  difference. Next, let's talk about your chair.
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  A lot of people either have their seat too low
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  or too high. What you're going for is having
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  your feet flat on the floor, your knees roughly
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  at a 90 degree angle, and your hips just slightly
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  higher than your knees. And here's something
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  people overlook. Your lower back needs support.
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  If your chair isn't doing that, a small rolled
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  up towel placed right at the curve of your low
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  back can work wonders. It sounds simple, but
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  it really helps maintain the natural curve of
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  your spine while you sit. Now here's the part
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  nobody wants to hear. Even a perfectly ergonomic
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  setup can cause problems if you never move. Our
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  bodies are designed to move. They are not designed
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  to stay in one position for six, seven, eight
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  hours. So I want you to think about setting a
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  timer on your phone every 30 to 45 minutes just
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  to stand up, take a few steps, roll your shoulders
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  back, maybe do a gentle neck stretch. You don't
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  need to do a full workout. Just move. Break up
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  that static posture and give your body a reset.
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  Now, let's talk about your phone for a second
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  because this is a big one. Looking down at your
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  phone with your head dropped forward puts a significant
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  amount of extra weight and pressure on your cervical
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  spine. Over time, that adds up. Try to bring
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  your phone up to eye level as much as you can.
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  I know it feels a little awkward at first, but
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  your neck will thank you. One more thing before
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  we wrap up, your sleeping position and your pillow
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  setup at home matter too. If you're waking up
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  stiff or with headaches, that's a clue your neck
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  isn't being supported properly while you sleep.
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  A pillow that keeps your head and neck in a neutral
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  position is what you're going for. Not propped
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  up too high, not flat as a pancake. So what should
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  you do today? Take five minutes and look at your
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  workspace with fresh eyes. Check your monitor
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  height, check your chair, grab a towel if you
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  need lumbar support, set a movement reminder
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  on your phone. These are small steps, but they
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  add up over time. And if you're already dealing
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  with pain, stiffness, or tension that doesn't
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  seem to be going away, that's when it's time
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  to come in and get evaluated. We can look at
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  what's actually going on with your spine and
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  your posture and put together a plan that makes
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  sense for you. We're located right here in Nashville
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  and we'd love to see you. You can reach us at
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  Dawn All Chiropractic to schedule an appointment.
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  We make it easy and there's no pressure. Just
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  come in, let's talk and let's figure out how
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  to help you feel better. Thanks so much for tuning
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  in today. I hope you found this helpful. Take
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  care of yourselves out there and we'll talk again
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  soon.