A lot of people are working from home these days. Oftentimes, after a long day working on their computer we will see them at Stones River Chiropractic, exhibiting new symptoms. If you’re on a laptop at home we have a few tips to help with your back and overall posture. Dr. Dawes has been making this suggestion for a long time, but it seems that it is more relevant now more than ever.
Laptops are actually really bad for posture. Your hands and eyes should never be at the same spot. Here are a few examples of how your laptop is leading you to exemplify bad posture:
- Working on your computer at a table, your hands are elevated from their “hanging position” and your eyes are focusing down, rather than straight ahead, thus causing your neck to strain.
- Placing the laptop in your lap would solve the issue with your hands being too high up, but your eyes will be looking down, forcing your neck to look down and adding to bad posture.
- Moving the laptop up to be even with your eyes would correct your bent neck problem, but your arms wouldn’t be near a proper position.
Relax! I’m here to offer a solution! You may need to place an order from your favorite online store, but trust me, it’s going to be worth it. I suggest a wireless keyboard and mouse. As far as the monitor goes, we suggest elevating it with a stand, empty box, a stack of books, etc. The top of the screen (or the top 25% of the screen) should be at eye level. Putting the mid screen at eye level would make the screen too high.
The point is: The keyboard should be low and your eyes should be forward facing; thus your posture shouldn’t suffer while working.
To watch a video of Dr. Dawes demonstrating how to properly work from home on a laptop click here to watch our YouTube video and more just like it!