How Can I Prevent Back Pain When Working From Home

Woman hunched over her laptop, looking unhappy.

Working from home is often a completely different experience than working in an office. Some people absolutely love it, and some people hate it. No matter which side you’re on, it’s important to try to prevent back pain from occurring, as no one wants to deal with an achy back.

How To Prevent Back Injuries At Home

There are a couple different types of back pain: acute, where the pain only lasts a few days, or chronic, where the pain lasts more than three months. One of the best ways to prevent back injuries or pain at home is to keep your back muscles strong. Some things you can do to strengthen the muscles include standing and sitting up straight, do back strengthening and stretching exercises at least two days a week, avoid heavy lifting and properly lift items when needed.

How To Prevent Back Injuries When Sitting At A Computer

Most people spend the majority of their days sitting at a computer desk, commuting, and then relaxing at home. It’s important to keep proper posture when sitting to reduce the risk of muscle strain, protect spine health, and reduce the wear and tear on joints. The best way to sit at a desk is to have your shoulders relaxed, feet on the ground, and keep your back directly on the chair. There are backrests available to help keep the body in the proper position. It’s a good idea to take a break every couple hours to get up and walk and stretch your muscles. Doing some yoga poses can also be helpful in preventing back injuries while sitting at a computer.

What Causes Back Pain From Sitting?

You may wonder what exactly causes back pain from sitting, and believe it or not, there are a few things that can be the culprit. The good news is there are plenty of things that can be done to prevent and treat back pain from sitting, but prevention is easier than treating. What are some of the causes of back pain from sitting?

Posture. Bad posture when sitting or standing is a huge reason people suffer from back pain. Keeping proper posture is probably one of the easiest fixes you can do. Even if the root cause of your back pain isn’t poor posture, it can still irritate it.
Sciatica pain. The sciatic nerve that runs down the back of the spine into the legs can cause pain, and sitting for long periods of time can make it worse.
Herniated discs. Problems with the discs in your back can be extremely irritating and very painful. Pressure on the disc can cause it to bulge out of its proper position, putting pressure on nerves in the area, as well as the spinal cord.
Muscle strain. When you strain muscles in your back, it can cause pain that radiates to the buttocks but not your legs. Most people can recover from muscle strain in about a month’s time.

What Exercises Are Good For Lower Back Pain?

Exercises are not only good for preventing back pain, but they can be good for relieving minor back pain as well. Of course, check with your doctor before performing any exercises. When you experience back pain, you may want to just lay around to give your body a rest, but moving is actually good for your back muscles. You should avoid toe touches, sit-ups, and leg lifts as much as possible. Partial crunches, hamstring stretches, wall sits, press-up back extensions, bird dog, knee to chest, and pelvic tilts are all exercises that are good to do for lower back pain. Physical therapy may also be a good option to help you relieve lower back pain.

What Are Home Remedies For Back Pain?

Relieving back pain naturally can help soothe back pain, reducing the likelihood of needing medications or other interventions. There are many natural remedies that can help reduce back pain, including:

1. Eat Foods That Are Anti-Inflammatory

There are many foods like tart cherry juice, turmeric milk, and ginger-green tea that can be instrumental in reducing the body’s inflammation. Avoiding inflammatory foods like wheat, gluten, dairy, soy, and corn can also help the bodywork better.

2. Get Better Sleep

Taking supplements to help your body sleep longer and deeper can be a very good thing. Valerian root, vitamin b6, melatonin, and l-theanine are all-natural supplements that can help support your body to get proper sleep. Sleep is when your body repairs itself, so getting good quality sleep is so important.

3. Do Yoga

Gently stretching your muscles is a great way to stretch your back and improve the health of muscles and joints.

4. Meditation

When you meditate regularly, you’re putting your body into rest and digest mode. It can also decrease stress, anxiety and control the way your body perceives pain.

How Should I Sleep To Avoid Back Pain?

Not only is the quality and quantity of sleep important, but the position in which you sleep is as well. The best positions for lower back pain and spine alignment are: sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees, side sleeping in the fetal position, stomach sleeping with a pillow under your abdomen, on your back with a pillow under your knees, and on your back in a reclined position. Keeping proper alignment of the spine is the most important factor here, as that is a big key in preventing back pain.

How To Keep Your Back Healthy

Keeping your back healthy is very important, and there are some simple steps you can do to prevent experiencing any back pain. When you exercise regularly, keep your back straight, and kneel to bend, those are all good things that can keep your back healthy. Training your spinal muscles every day, doing sports as exercise, not lifting heavy objects, and keeping your knees bent while lying down are also very important.

Is Walking Good For Lower Back Pain?

When your back hurts, all you want to do is lay around and rest it, but that may not actually be the best thing for your back pain. Walking is such a low-impact exercise that it can be great for people that are experiencing back pain. Of course, be sure to consult with your doctor to see if walking would be a good option for you, as walking may aggravate some certain back conditions.

There are so many things you can do to prevent back pain when working from home. Proper posture and equipment, taking breaks and stretching, and keeping your muscles strong will go a long way in preventing back problems. No one wants to deal with back pain, so by following these tips, you’ll be doing your best to prevent any back problems.