7 Tips to Optimize Your Workspace to Reduce Neck and Shoulder pain

Making a living is all about devotion to your workplace. Considering how you will be spending 6-8 hours on average at that very desk, it is your right to make that place as comfortable as possible.

Workplace setups are committed to making sufficient spaces for everyone who holds a chamber or a section in it, but their priority does not include your comfort on that seat. If you feel discomfort in your upper arms, shoulders, or your neck, then you need to make some quick amends which can make your extended stays more productive, and less painful. The following tips will help you in optimizing your workplace to minimize such unnecessary pain.

Tips To Optimize Your Workspace To Reduce Shoulder And Neck Pain

1. Investing in a standing desk

You can account much of the problem to the fact that you are required to sit for long hours. You can adjust your position while sitting, but your posture remains the same, which is why sitting that way for such a long time can be problematic for your physical health.

This situation is where standing desks can be a significant investment. Get yourself the best adjustable desk which you can use regularly, or as a change when you feel tired of all the seated work that you have to do.

2. Comfortable chair

Your chair needs to be a friend you turn to, and it should also make you feel comfortable. When we say this, our aim is not to provoke you into spending loads of money on expensive comfort chairs; you can make the following adjustments on your own:

Keep a cushion at the back which supports your seating position, and does not require you to strain your spine.
Make sure the armrests have a soft covering and are big enough for you to relax your arms entirely.
Chairs with leg support can be excellent for this purpose.

3. Monitor’s Position

While you may be typing on the keyboard or listening through your ears, your eyes will transfix on the monitor. And if the monitor demands that you look up or straight into it for long hours, then your neck can start feeling the repercussions of your casual approach.
Most monitors today are quite easily adjustable, so use that feature and adjust the top of the device to be roughly around 2-3 inches below your eye level. That way, your main point of focus will be straight in line without you having to put your head in an uncomfortable position.

4. Sitting Posture

You cannot undermine the importance of this factor, because many times we seek comfort in dissociated gestures which can turn out to be a nightmare for our shoulders later on. You need to adjust your posture in such a way that your body does not feel stressed from any point.

Ensure that your thighs are angling downwards, that your feet are not dangling or are too ahead of your seat in such a way that it becomes a problem for your back. While optimizing the positioning of your legs, ensure that your elbows are not hanging in the air while you type, because that posture will require you to straighten your back for all the time that you’ll be working. These little changes can make your workplace a lot more body friendly.

5. Walking Space

Working in spans is always a better option than going at it for hours straight. Take breaks of around 10-15 minutes where you get up from your place and walk around because that will give you the liberty to relax your back and stretch your neck.

Having a walking space near your working desk will add to your productivity, and make your breaks anticipated and helpful.

6. Closing up the desk

When we say closing up, we mean that most of the items you use which are on the desk must not be very far away. Reaching out to them while you’re sitting will impose stress on your back, and doing it over and over again while sitting in a relatively enclosed space can be dangerous.

The files, documents, stationery, etc which you know will come in handy should be an arm’s length away from you, to ensure ease of access.

7. Alternate between spaces

Your workspace is a lot more than just your desk; the entirety of the area becomes your land to optimize. While switching your task from, let’s say, reading an email to thinking up of pointers for an upcoming meeting, get off your chair and stroll around the area. And if you do not have that liberty, then pull away from the desk and relax with your head laid back.
These slight changes can make a positive impact on the overall strain that your shoulders and neck go through every working day, so attempt to prepare them for better physical health in the long term.

Sources:
https://www.spine-health.com/blog/6-easy-tips-reduce-back-and-neck-pain-work
http://www.ballistixfitness.com/optimize-your-workspace-to-reduce-neck-shoulder-pain/
https://www.ayurhealthtips.com/tips-to-reduce-neck-shoulder-pain-for-desk-jobs/

Author Bio:
Hannah is an interior designer by profession, and she knows all the ins and outs of using the right quality of the furniture and accessories for home décor and workplace. She is also a blogger who loves to write about the home and office maintenance tips and tricks. Check this link here.