VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The coronavirus outbreak is forcing more people to work from home, so many people are now working from a less-than-ideal office set-up.
Doctors say it can create back and neck problems.
Cornerstone Chiropractic Center in Virginia Beach is using its social media pages to connect with people and offer them advice while they work from home.
Dr. Don Bresnahan has worked at the center for almost 40 years. He created several videos to help people to stretch the right way.
“Most of us are sitting way too long, and there are deep muscles called your hip flexors that tighten up," he said. "Also, your hamstrings tighten up. Just doing some hip flexor exercises and basic hamstring exercises can really help."
Bresnahan said stretching is one of the best things you can do. He says motion is "lotion" to your joints.
Rolling your shoulders, and doing those hip flexor exercises, can help people stay comfortable while working from home. Bresnahan explained if you have an exercise ball, you can sit on that while you work, and it will help stretch your muscles.
“When you are sitting your spine is flexed," he explained. "Standing up and putting your hands on your buttox and leaning back to extension [will help]."
Dr. Bresnahan said people working from home and using a computer need to create a comfortable workstation.
“If you are on the couch, try and support your lower back. Prop your laptop up with pillows. If we get people thinking a little bit more with their posture, that alone will make a huge difference,” he said.
He said it’s important that people have their computer monitor as close to their eye level as possible. He also said it's better to use your eyes and look down, rather than tilting your whole head down towards a screen.
“A good solution to that is you could put your laptop up, and just get a portable keyboard and mouse that hooks right into it,” he said.
What about the chair you're sitting on? Not as comfortable as you thought when you got it?
Dr. Bresnahan said don’t throw it away - just get a towel, roll it up and put it in the seat.
“It’s like shoes, they look good, but they don’t feel good,” he explained. “It’s very important to have your spine supported, especially when you are going to be there for a long time.”
To watch the center's videos, click here.