5 points to prevent back pain caused by desk work at home

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is calling for the use of remote work to work from home as a preventive measure against the new coronavirus infection. However, desk work at home desks and chairs, aside from work desks and chairs designed for long hours of desk work, can also cause back pain. Therefore, the science news site ZME Science explained the points to prevent back pain when working at home in five parts.

With so many of us working from home, here's how to prevent back aches and other issues
https://www.zmescience.com/science/domestic-science/with-so-many-of-us-working-from-home-heres-how-to-prevent-back-aches-and-other-issues/

◆ 1: Get up and move your body regularly
According to ZME Science, it is ideal to avoid sitting for a long time if possible, but if it is unavoidable, it is effective to take a walk every 30 minutes or to stand and drink water or tea. Also, if you practice the '20-20-20 rule' of 'standing up and looking 20 meters ahead for 20 seconds every 20 minutes', it will help to relieve not only back pain but also eye strain.

◆ 2: Be careful of your posture
The first thing to keep in mind is not to be stooped. Leaning forward puts a strain on the spine and puts extra pressure on the internal organs, which has long-term effects. To prevent this, you should sit with your back straight, pull your shoulders toward your back and retract your abdomen, and 'take a posture that always measures your height.'

In particular, if you look down at the text at hand or on a device such as a smartphone, your head will turn downward and your posture will deteriorate, causing back pain. Therefore, back pain can be prevented by taking measures such as bringing a smartphone to eye level so that you can read by moving your eyes instead of your head.

ZME Science advised that 'remote work can change the environment to your liking unlike the workplace, so let's make use of it to make it a comfortable space.'

◆ 3: Find a chair that suits you
No matter how careful you are in your posture, you can't prevent back pain if the chairs don't fit. So ZME Science recommends buying an ergonomic chair that designs things so that humans can use them in their natural movements and conditions as much as possible.

In recent years, even chairs designed based on ergonomics have become relatively inexpensive, but it is not uncommon for chairs to cost more than 100,000 yen. In addition, GIGAZINE actually reviews multiple office chairs and confirms the effect.

I tried using 'Ergohuman PRO ottoman' for a month, which allows you to fully customize each part of the chair to fit your body and work in a comfortable posture-GIGAZINE

When I bought a relatively inexpensive office chair 'Sail Chair' to improve my back pain, it was more effective than I had imagined --GIGAZINE

A review of using the Herman Miller 'Mira 2 Chair' for a week, which is dramatically less burdensome even if you sit for a long time --GIGAZINE

I continued to use the 'embody chair' that reduces the burden on my body when I sit along the spine perfectly --GIGAZINE

◆ 4: Sleep so that your lower back is not strained
If you are not in good physical condition while sleeping, your lower back will be strained even while you are sleeping. Therefore, ZME Science has proposed the following improvements.

・ Stop using an old and too soft mattress and replace it with one that fits your back and is not too soft.
・ When sleeping sideways, hold your knees so that your lower back is not strained.
・ If you are sleeping on your back, do not use pillows that are too high and keep your head and body at the same height.

◆ 5: Exercise
Aside from exercises that put a strain on your lower back, proper exercise can help prevent back pain. According to ZME Science, all exercises that do not cause back pain, such as swimming and stretching, are measures against back pain. In particular, yoga has a program for people who feel pain in a specific area, so it seems to be effective as an exercise to prevent back pain.

Leaving back pain can lead to major problems. Therefore, ZME Science recommends that you visit a medical institution as soon as possible if the pain does not occur even after taking the above measures.