Tips To Relieve Back Pain Caused By Working From Home

Working from home can be a real pain in the — back! Try some of these tips and tricks to help prevent and relieve back pain.

Working from home has become the new normal for so many people in Tokyo, and we’re all aware of the pros and cons (unlimited snack breaks fall into both categories). For the last few years, many of us have found ourselves reluctantly leading a more sedentary lifestyle, and without the walk to the station or the quick errands around the office, many people are starting to feel the effects physically.

Considering that very few people have a home office, or perhaps even own a desk chair, it’s safe to say that people were vastly underprepared for working from home. Most Tokyo apartments and local cafes with free wifi don’t have adequate space to accommodate an ergonomic work setup. When choosing furniture, the main concerns are usually cost or appearance — to fit in with our home furnishings. Often these types of chairs don’t meet the regulations that some company office furniture has to adhere to. Therefore, physical well-being, particularly back health, became an afterthought for working-from-home newbies.

© Photo by iStock: Aleksei Morozov

We’ve seen the posters and the emails from our company recommending we sit at a 90-degree angle in a chiropractor-approved chair, near a window, sipping water at a comfortable 22 degrees. However, it doesn’t stop us from slumping into the sofa, covered in crumbs, while we balance the laptop on our knees. 

Tips for avoiding back pain:

• Walk around your room every 30 minutes. Standing up and getting some movement helps to get the blood flowing back into your muscles. 
• Posture is everything! Sit up straight with your shoulders back to take the strain off your lower back.
• Don’t look down at your screen. Make sure your computer is at a comfortable viewing height for you to look at with a straight neck.
• Invest in back support. There are many affordable lower-back support tools online, but in a pinch, a rolled-up towel placed between the chair and your back curve will offer some support.

© Photo by iStock: m-gucci

Stretching encourages the core muscles which support your spine to strengthen, which can help reduce the strain that leads to back pain. Flexing and extending the spine can help improve circulation within the discs in your back. Try some of the following stretches to loosen up the muscles and provide some much-needed relief from the daily working-from-home conditions. 

Child’s pose

© Photo by iStock: LumiNola

1. Start with your knees and palms on the floor, keep your palms shoulder-width apart and your knees together.
2. Push your hips back until your bum is resting on your heels, keeping your arms extended in front of you. Your stomach should be resting on your thighs.
3. Walk your hands further away until you feel resistance along your spine.
4. Hold the position for 30 seconds while you focus on breathing deeply. Repeat 2-3 times.

Good for: Stretching your lower back, shoulders and muscles around the hips.

Knee to chest 

© Photo by iStock: fizkes

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. 
2. Using both hands, pull your left knee towards your chest. Hold the position for 30 seconds.
3. Return to the starting position and slowly repeat with your right leg. 
4. Return to the starting position and repeat while slowly pulling both legs at the same time. Repeat 2-3 times

Good for: Stretching lower back, hips and glutes.

Cat cow

© Photo by iStock: jentakespictures

1. Start with your knees and palms on the floor, shoulder-width apart.
2. Relax your spine and allow your stomach to drop towards the floor, creating a dip in your back. Lift your chin towards the ceiling.
3. Hold the position for 30 seconds, breathing in and out slowly. Return to the starting position.
4. Arch your back, pulling in your abdominal muscles. Tuck in your chin to your chest. Hold the position for 30 seconds before relaxing back to the starting position. Repeat 2-3 times.

Good for: Relieving tension in the middle of the back, chest and shoulders.

For those who are back in the office, and don’t fancy demonstrating the downwards-facing dog pose in their office cubicle, here are a few exercises you can do while sitting at your desk.

Spinal twist

© Photo by iStock: alwekelo

1. Sit up in your chair with your feet firmly on the ground.
2. Keep your hips still and twist your shoulders left as far as feels comfortable. Your head should follow the direction of your shoulders.
3. Hold the position for 30 seconds, breathe deeply and return to face the front.
4. Twist your shoulders right, hold for 30 seconds, and return. Repeat 2-3 times.

Shoulder blade squeeze

© Photo by iStock: fizkes

1. Sit up in your chair with your feet firmly on the ground.
2. Pull your shoulder blades back, as if trying to squeeze a ball between them.
3. Hold the position for 10 seconds, then relax. Repeat 2-3 times.

Do you have any tips for relieving back pain? What are your go-to remedies? Let us know in the comments below!