For many, after a year of working from home, they are starting to notice back pain. This could be due to the way they are sitting or their home working setup not being as practical as it should be. Here are some ways you can combat back pain whilst working from home.

What are the most common WFH injuries?

The most common injuries that occur when you’re WFH (working from home) are usually to do with the way that you are sitting. For example, the regular use of a chair that isn’t providing any lumbar support might make you slouch and cause complications with your back as a result. And as time goes on, there may come a point where you may have to use the Tens Machine for Back Pain or undergo other treatment methods in order to recover from it.

The same can also happen when your desk is too high or low, as you will be straining to reach it. The same goes for your laptop or computer screen – if you must hold your head in an unnatural angle to be able to see it, such as constantly looking up or down, you might cause damage to your neck and start to receive pain in the top of your spine.

Medical Negligence and claims specialist National Accident Helpline found that 27% of home workers suffered from back pain while working from home, while 18% of home workers had eye strain and 17% had neck pain.

Other WFH injuries can be to do with the things around you, such as items that can be consider trip hazards, having wires and cables strewn across the room or your drink somewhere where it could be spilled and result in a fall if slipped on.

Whilst working from home you probably will be surrounded by people and things that you normally would not have in the office, such as your children, other family members and pets as well as TV’s and other appliances. Remember to try and keep distractions to a minimum as these can also cause injuries and ensure that you are setting aside time to use appliances properly.

How do you avoid them?

The easiest way to avoid injury whilst working from home is to step back and assess the situation.

Look at your desk set up. If it seems like it’s too low down or two high up, try adjusting it to suit your height and position better. The same would go for your seat and laptop screen or monitor.

Over half of the injuries found in National Accident Helpline’s research involved a chair!

When adjusting your seat, you should make sure that both feet can rest firmly on the ground without having to strain to reach. You should also have plenty of room between your knees and your desk, as well as enough space under your desk to stretch out if needed.

Sitting down for long periods of time can cause aches and pains in your joints. It’s important to keep moving and stay active throughout the day. Take time away from your desk or try to take a call whilst standing. You can also invest in a standing desk if you prefer to be on your feet whilst you work.

Make sure that your computer screen isn’t too bright and apply a blue light regulating filter if you feel like your eyes are becoming strained. Remember to have regular eye tests and check ups to see if you could be using glasses to improve your vision.

Have regular breaks and don’t leave any appliances unattended, no matter how close to them you may be. You could become distracted and leave a toaster or hob on which can be a home hazard. Make sure that you are saving your progress and locking your computer when you are away from it to avoid any data breaches too.

What if an injury happens when I WFH?

Although you can do your best to prevent your work from home set up causing you injury, sometimes they can still happen. This can lead to many questions. Do I still get time off to recover? Who’s at fault and who’s to blame? Can I talk to a personal injury lawyer? Do I even need a personal injury lawyer?

Well, if you are injured whilst working from home, alert your employer as they can still provide you with time off sick and will need to investigate the occurrence regardless of whether you are at home or in the office. If the issues are related to back, consult a neurologist like dr timothy steel or another doctor in your neighborhood to get it treated. Negligence can cause severe problems. If the injury is to do with equipment provided by work, they will want to contact the manufacturer or look at the equipment if it’s something they supply themselves. Plus many people have started to use products like CBD to combat their back pain and other aches in their body, where they buy from reliable sources like the garden dc store. Although this method is not for everyone it has proven effective in relieving stress and inflammation in the body.

Employers should be giving advice if problems are occurring working from home, the survey found that 20% of people hadn’t received any guidance from their employer.