A girl with Laptop

Ergonomic Tips and Tricks for Your At-Home Work Station!

In Digital Health by pelv_adminLeave a Comment

By Rachel Daof, DPT

Hello everyone!

I am writing this in the midst of our stay-at-home mandate and thinking about all of you. I hope you are all staying at home safely and adjusting to your temporary lifestyle. The transition to working at home can be tough and it poses new challenges on your body. A lot of us don’t have a desk set up as nicely at home as we do in the office, so I wanted to talk to you about attempting to improve your at home ergonomic situation. Hopefully you can bring some of these tips back to your office once we can slowly integrate ourselves back into the economy. 

When we’re talking about desk spaces, putting yourself in awkward positions for a prolonged period of time (about 2 hours of exposure) will start to put tissues at risk for injury. When you’re working at your desk you want to set it up to limit awkward positions and the time spent in those positions. While it’s tempting to work on the couch, your body will thank you when implementing a few ergonomic tips, and this can also continue when you get back into the office.

Source: Osha

Quick guide:

  • Your head: 
    • Generally speaking, your monitor should be about arms length in front of you. The top of the monitor should meet your eyes or slightly below it.
    • Tips: When using multiple monitors consider moving your body further away from the screen. You will need to maximize your field of vision to decrease neck rotation. The larger the monitor(s) the farther away you have to sit. Also, your primary monitor should be the one that is in front of your dominant eye.
  • Your hands, wrists, and forearms should generally be straight and parallel to the floor while keeping elbows close to the body at around 90-120 degrees.
  • Spine to thigh angle should be 90-110 degrees with your low back supported with lumbar support.
  • Your thighs should be fully supported on the chair leaving just a couple of inches between the end of your chair and the back of your knees. The optimal chair should have a “waterfall” design so it does not press into the back of your knees.
  • Your feet should be placed flat on the floor while keeping your thighs parallel to the floor.
    • Foot rests are good for shorter individuals and promotes sitting back in the chair to effectively utilize lumbar support. Your feet should be flat on the floor bringing your thighs parallel to the floor.

Here are some before and after pictures of my set-up at home.

You can see in this first picture that my neck can be a bit strained in this position and my shoulders would have a tendency to shrug up against my ears because my desk is so high. Furthermore, my chair is a bit too large for me so I can’t utilize the backrest and support my lumbar spine. If I held this position for a long time I can easily fall into excess lumbar extension or flexion causing my back to hurt. My feet are also tucked under the chair because I am short and cannot reach the floor, and this can contribute to me not using the backrest. 

The ergonomic setup in the second picture is much better. I used a laptop stand to elevate my monitor so my neck is not cranked into flexion. I also put a pillow on my back so it can give me something to lean on to support my low back.

Things that I would further improve:

As you can tell in the second picture my feet are hovered in the air. Because I’m short, I need a footrest to make my ergonomic setup more comfortable. Also, my arms are not completely parallel to the floor. If my chair could elevate a bit higher it’d be more comfortable for me, and I’d be less prone to shrugging my shoulders contributing to neck tension. In all, I just need a better chair that fits my body. Lastly, my desk is faced towards the window. As much as I love this set up, it could lead to those with poor vision to lean forward to look at the screen. This too can contribute to neck tension. The contrast between the light behind my monitor can make it difficult for some people to see. Ultimately this can contribute to posture issues.

The above guidelines go over a basic upright posture to assume while working a desk job. However, one should take frequent “ergo breaks.” This means that although the above minimizes risk of injury, it does not mean that you should assume this static posture for a whole 8 hour day. Here are a few suggestions to break up static postures while sitting for prolonged times:

  • Get up! I generally like to take a standing break for 10 minutes for every hour spent sitting.

Stretch your muscles, and take care of your hips! Your hip flexors and hamstrings could get tight from prolonged sitting.

Seated cat cow. You can also pair this with diaphragmatic breathing. Inhale with spinal extension and exhale with spinal flexion.

Upper trap and levator scapula stretch

Wrist stretch

If you’re currently working at home and are on your computer often, attempt following these simple guidelines to take the load off your body. Make sure that you aren’t sitting for hours straight, and stretch out those muscles! It feels great!

Are you curious about more individualized help? We are available via digital health and can check out your setup via Zoom!

For more at-home comfort strategies check out our https://pelvicpainrehab.com/pelvic-pain/7245/foam-rolling-for-pelvic-pain-relief/ and our YouTube Channel:

Foam Rolling Playlist:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjVdBniSq4ZRPbNiobAYDje0E7KIWoqys 

Pelvic Floor Relaxation Playlist pelvic floor relaxation playlists!

FAQ

What are pelvic floor muscles?

The pelvic floor muscles are a group of muscles that run from the coccyx to the pubic bone. They are part of the core, helping to support our entire body as well as providing support for the bowel, bladder and uterus. These muscles help us maintain bowel and bladder control and are involved in sexual pleasure and orgasm. The technical name of the pelvic floor muscles is the Levator Ani muscle group. The pudendal nerve, the levator ani nerve, and branches from the S2 – S4 nerve roots innervate the pelvic floor muscles. They are under voluntary and autonomic control, which is a unique feature only they possess compared to other muscle groups.

What is pelvic floor physical therapy?

Pelvic floor physical therapy is a specialized area of physical therapy. Currently, physical therapists need advanced post-graduate education to be able to help people with pelvic floor dysfunction because pelvic floor disorders are not yet being taught in standard physical therapy curricula. The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center provides extensive training for our staff because we recognize the limitations of physical therapy education in this unique area.

What happens at pelvic floor therapy?

During an evaluation for pelvic floor dysfunction the physical therapist will take a detailed history. Following the history the physical therapist will leave the room to allow the patient to change and drape themselves. The physical therapist will return to the room and using gloved hands will perform an external and internal manual assessment of the pelvic floor and girdle muscles. The physical therapist will once again leave the room and allow the patient to dress. Following the manual examination there may also be an examination of strength, motor control, and overall biomechanics and neuromuscular control. The physical therapist will then communicate the findings to the patient and together with their patient they establish an assessment, short term and long term goals and a treatment plan. Typically people with pelvic floor dysfunction are seen one time per week for one hour for varying amounts of time based on the severity and chronicity of the disease. A home exercise program will be established and the physical therapist will help coordinate other providers on the treatment team. Typically patients are seen for 3 months to a year.

What is pudendal neuralgia and how is it treated?

Pudendal Neuralgia is a clinical diagnosis that means pain in the sensory distribution of the pudendal nerve. The pudendal nerve is a mixed nerve that exits the S2 – S4 sacral nerve roots, we have a right and left pudendal nerve and each side has three main trunks: the dorsal branch, the perineal branch, and the inferior rectal branch. The branches supply sensation to the clitoris/penis, labia/scrotum, perineum, anus, the distal ⅓ of the urethra and rectum, and the vulva and vestibule. The nerve branches also control the pelvic floor muscles. The pudendal nerve follows a tortuous path through the pelvic floor and girdle, leaving it vulnerable to compression and tension injuries at various points along its path.

Pudendal Neuralgia occurs when the nerve is unable to slide, glide and move normally and as a result, people experience pain in some or all of the above-mentioned areas. Pelvic floor physical therapy plays a crucial role in identifying the mechanical impairments that are affecting the nerve. The physical therapy treatment plan is designed to restore normal neural function. Patients with pudendal neuralgia require pelvic floor physical therapy and may also benefit from medical management that includes pharmaceuticals and procedures such as pudendal nerve blocks or botox injections.

What is interstitial cystitis and how is it treated?

Interstitial Cystitis is a clinical diagnosis characterized by irritative bladder symptoms such as urinary urgency, frequency, and hesitancy in the absence of infection. Research has shown the majority of patients who meet the clinical definition have pelvic floor dysfunction and myalgia. Therefore, the American Urologic Association recommends pelvic floor physical therapy as first-line treatment for Interstitial Cystitis. Patients will benefit from pelvic floor physical therapy and may also benefit from pharmacologic management or medical procedures such as bladder instillations.

Who is the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Team?

The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center was founded by Elizabeth Akincilar and Stephanie Prendergast in 2006, they have been treating people with pelvic floor disorders since 2001. They were trained and mentored by a medical doctor and quickly became experts in treating pelvic floor disorders. They began creating courses and sharing their knowledge around the world. They expanded to 11 locations in the United States and developed a residency style training program for their employees with ongoing weekly mentoring. The physical therapists who work at PHRC have undergone more training than the majority of pelvic floor physical therapists and as a result offer efficient and high quality care.

How many years of experience do we have?

Stephanie and Liz have 24 years of experience and help each and every team member become an expert in the field through their training and mentoring program.

Why PHRC versus anyone else?

PHRC is unique because of the specific focus on pelvic floor disorders and the leadership at our company. We are constantly lecturing, teaching, and staying ahead of the curve with our connections to medical experts and emerging experts. As a result, we are able to efficiently and effectively help our patients restore their pelvic health.

Do we treat men for pelvic floor therapy?

The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center is unique in that the Cofounders have always treated people of all genders and therefore have trained the team members and staff the same way. Many pelvic floor physical therapists focus solely on people with vulvas, this is not the case here.

Do I need pelvic floor therapy forever?

The majority of people with pelvic floor dysfunction will undergo pelvic floor physical therapy for a set amount of time based on their goals. Every 6 -8 weeks goals will be re-established based on the physical improvements and remaining physical impairments. Most patients will achieve their goals in 3 – 6 months. If there are complicating medical or untreated comorbidities some patients will be in therapy longer.

Leave a Comment