The thought of an office life instills dread in many people because it is sedentary and usually perceived as incredibly dull. Many people with desk jobs in offices are also subject to neck and shoulder pain because of incorrect placement of all or most of their stationery. It is easy to ignore in the beginning, but this pain ends up developing into more concerning health issues as time continues.
The good news is that if you are already concerned about the effect a sedentary lifestyle is going to have on your body, there are some ways to prevent them. A simple ergonomic workaround of your workspace and office furniture can cause shoulder pain relief and neck pain relief, and it can help you avoid any such pain from bothering you in the future.
Keep in mind that all the differences take a little while to get used to and you will get used to them if you keep at them:
1. Replace your old office chair
Many people keep using the same old office chair for many years. All chairs have a durability period, especially cushioned chairs. When this period of time runs out the chairs cause you more harm than good; the seat goes flat and can severely impact your lower back, the backrest can also become unusable and, overall, it is a lousy situation ergonomically.
Every chair comes with a durability period, you can find it on the packaging of the chair, or you can look it up on the manufacturer’s website. The ideal time to replace any office chair is after five years.
If your chair has been around for longer than that, you might want to replace it and see if it causes any shoulder and neck pain relief. It is also good if you replace your office furniture after a year or two or three years.
2. Make sure the office chair is optimal
The average person works about 40 hours every week. That is 40 hours every day you need to spend on one chair; and this is why it needs to be optimized.
Make sure the chair in your workspace has armrests because one of the leading causes of shoulder pain is letting your arms hang by your sides for extended periods of time. Armrests are crucial for shoulder pain relief.
Other than that, make sure the chair also has lumbar support, because when the chair supports your lower back better, you will find some instant shoulder and neck pain relief. If the chair does not have lumbar support, you can buy it as an accessory for all your office furniture as well.
3. Get adjustable office furniture
It is ideal to be able to adjust the height of your office desk so that you can see everything in one place with your eyes. You can also customize the height of the desk so that your hands can find everything more efficiently as well.
When you sit down on your office chair, make sure you’re entire body is in a relaxed posture and no part of your body has tension. If you feel that there is tension in any part of your body, adjust your office desk, and your chair, until you think it is giving you maximum comfort.
4. Place your keyboard and mouse close together
While working, you often have to switch between your mouse and your keyboard. Therefore, placing your keyboard and mouse far apart is like inviting shoulder and neck pain.
It should be easy for you to switch between keyboard and mouse and for this, you need to make sure that the numeric pad of the keyboard is right in the center of the table, aligned with your desk; this may seem like a small change to make, but it is crucial in getting some shoulder and neck pain relief.
5. Adjust the screen of your monitor
Looking up or looking too far below at the screen of your monitor is absolute hell in the long run for your neck and your shoulders. Adjust your monitor so that it is in alignment with your line of sight. In fact, it is best if the screen is a couple of centimeters below your line of sight.
Other than that, make sure the screen is not tilting too far back or forward so that you do not have to put in any extra effort to look at what is on display.
These screen monitor tips are great for increasing neck and shoulder pain relief in people with office jobs.
6. Get a standing desk
Since we are all living extremely comfortable lifestyles nowadays, we need to make an effort to stand more in our daily lives, so we don’t face any issues that arise from too much sitting. Standing desks for your workspace are part of this small revolution.
A standing desk is a desk that you can use while standing. Keep your posture erect while working on a standing desk and we can guarantee that a large number of your ergonomics-related issues will be solved.
A standing desk will not only help you in attaining neck pain relief and shoulder pain relief, but it will also fix your posture and make you focus more on your work.
There is a variation of a standing desk called a standing and sitting desk that you can use if you do not wish to stand all the time at work. It might be difficult to get habitual to the standing at first, but it becomes easier with time.
7. Keep a small space to do a mini workout in
Make sure your workspace has a small free space that you can use for a short burst of exercise once or twice a day. You can stretch, do some yoga, jumping jacks, or you can walk around your workspace with ease.
You can also perform exercises that specifically target neck pain relief and shoulder pain relief. When you end the workout and go back to work, you will even notice that your focus has improved and if there was grogginess previously, it is relieved as well.