This quarantine period greatly helped us realize the importance and advantages of working from home. However, as much as this setup provided us with a lot of benefits, people have also noticed one of its biggest caveats: back and neck pain.
Yes, we are at our comfort nook, safe and sound and being able to multitask as we juggle work and family, but the work-from-home structure can greatly affect our posture as most of us remain hunched over computers and laptops all day. Worse, there’s a slim chance you can book an appointment with a physical therapist and it’s not like it’s already safe to go outside anyway. Nowadays, there are tons of help you can get from TikTok.
Stretch Your Hip Flexor
Dr. Daniel Aronov said that if you have lower back pain, you need to loosen the muscles up by stretching your hip flexors. Put your knee in the corner of the wall, making sure that the top of your foot and your sheen are resting against the wall.
Africa Studio/Shutterstock | Lower back pain can be addressed by stretching your hip flexors
Your other foot must rest firmly on the ground to form an inverted ‘L’ shape. After you get into this position, slowly try to sit up straight. This may be challenging at first and that means your muscles are tight, but they will eventually loosen and you’ll feel it.
‘Nerve Flossing’
Sitting in your desk for a prolonged time can take a toll on your back, neck, and shoulders. Kaufman Chiropractic’s Cassandra Schroeder explained that sitting for an extended period and poor posture can lead to these problems.
miagolio/Shutterstock | Sitting on your desk for too long can lead to neck and shoulder pain
As such, she advises doing an exercise that will not eat up much of your time but is effective in loosening up tight muscles. What you need to do is to lay your palm with fingers facing down on the wall and stretch your arm straight, making sure that it is parallel to the floor. Try to slowly walk in place and turn right while still sticking your palm firmly on the wall.
Stretching The Neck Flexor
Yoga teacher Hiro Landazuri said that a common cause of neck pain is looking down on the computer or smartphone. One way to tackle this is by doing a simple stretch for your neck flexor—begin by sitting up straight and pushing your chin in and down.
Geinz Angelina/Shutterstock | Ensure that your double chin shows when you’re doing this exercise
Imagine that you are pushing your head into the headrest when inside a car. You are doing good if you noticed that your double chin is showing up—it may not be so nice to look at but it will be worth it, the expert said.
