Work From Home Injuries
Work From Home Injuries
Work from home injuries are on the rise. We know this, because we have suddenly started seeing patients daily who present with the same set of symptoms. The common factor between these patients is phenomenal. All of them are spending longer time working on a mobile device such as a laptop and their physical activity is close to none.
Injuries caused by working from home have skyrocketed since the start of this work from home pandemic. And it should be a cause of concern for everyone. Poor posture, makeshift offices in the kitchen and bedrooms and extended periods of sitting down have all contributed to this growing problem.
Physiotherapists around Australia are noticing significant increase in the number of patients suffering neck shoulder and lower back injuries. Every second patient walking through our clinic doors is complaining of the exact same symptoms.
While having a comfortable set-up on the lounge or on your bed can seem like a solution to the problem, it is not. The serious long-term consequences of poor posture are often underestimated. If the cause of pain isn’t addressed as early as possible, it can lead to more long term and severe damage.
It is not good enough for employers and HR teams to put together a checklist or an online webinar on how to setup your workstation for their work from home employees. Employers ignoring their responsibility to provide a safe working environment can lead to an increase in work cover claims.
If you are in pain, you cannot be productive. Not only will you not be able to work, but you’ll be also distracted and certainly not focused. While a certain level of responsibility comes down to the employee to ensure a safe working space at home, Employers must show they are keeping an open channel of communication with their employees to ensure safe work environments while working from home.
Everyone’s posture is different and what equipment they require at home will depend on multiple factors.
Essential factors to consider while working from home:
- Remind employees to move every 30-45 minutes.
- Encourage them to use apps or timers which remind them to get up, have a stretch, and take a few deep breaths to open their ribcage
- Make sure employees have the necessary equipment to create a healthy working from home space.
- External monitor
- Ergonomic mouse and keyboard
- Ergonomic chair: Not an office chair, but a chair which has three-way moveable settings
Contrary to popular belief, posture doesn’t have to be bolt upright and in fact, forcing yourself to sit up straight might do more harm than good. Instead, imagine your head sitting on top of ribcage, and your ribcage on top of your pelvis in a relatively straight-ish line (or curve). Your knees should be at a right angle, using a footrest if you’re unable to reach the floor
- Small changes make a big difference: Remember to slightly adjust your chair throughout the day to redistribute the force of gravity on your joints
- Check-in regularly with employees to make sure they have everything they need and address any aches and pains early to avoid potential pitfalls
Contact Us:
For more information on how we can further assist you, please call our clinic number on 0479 080 800 or send us an email on admin [email protected] for further details. Our Physiotherapists are Medicare, NDIS, DVA and Work Cover approved, specialising in injury management and rehabilitation to get you back on track.
