Your Ergonimic Home Office From Deidra, Physical Therapist

YOUR ERGONOMIC HOME OFFICE

FROM DEIDRA, PHYSICAL THERAPIST

by Kelsey Barker

Q: Tell me about you and your physical therapy (PT) training.

A: When I graduated from PT school at UNC Chapel Hill, I started my career as a generalist in outpatient clinics in my hometown of Fayetteville. As it’s a military town, I served a lot of active duty service members and retired veterans, as well as the general population including student athletes and office workers. I found that I really had a passion for sports physical therapy, so I decided to attend a specialty program in Greenville, SC, where I had the opportunity to work alongside a number of practices with all kinds of athletes. After the program, my fiancé and I decided to move to Charlotte to be near family while we plan our wedding - and, of course, for its array of sports teams.

Q: How has the Junior League influenced your professional development as a leader in physical therapy and the larger community?

A: I can give the Junior League a lot of credit in my position as a young leader. Almost immediately after my Provisional year in Fayetteville, I became a committee chair because someone saw something in me that I wouldn’t have recognized in myself. It was a great opportunity to step into a leadership role early, and it gave me the confidence to contribute to my professional community as well. Q: What was the Junior League transfer process like for you?

A: It can be tough to feel settled in a new place for a while, but even before my Junior League of Charlotte semester began, the Transfer process was very smooth. Everyone I worked with was super communicative and clear about my upcoming responsibilities. I can already tell the JLC is doing great things in the community, and I’m looking forward to being fully involved!

Being surrounded by other leaders in the League and my profession has opened my eyes to the importance of mentorship. In fact, my Transfer advisor, Lindsey Benefield, led the JLC Entrepreneurs social group and provided me with some excellent resources to get me started as I establish my physical therapy practice.

Q: What’s something a lot of people don’t know about physical therapy?

A: The great thing about physical therapy is that it can help a person’s pain or discomfort without the use of prescription medication. It’s also such a diverse field, and you can work in so many settings: rehab, hospitals, even corporate settings.

Source documents positioned in line with monitor screen for easy viewing

Monitor 10-20° tilt Ear, shoulder, elbow & hip in one line

Monitor centered directly in front of eyes. Monitor positioned 20-30” from eyes

15° Head, neck & shoulders are positioned forward & upright (not bent or turned)

Keyboard positioned one inch above elbows

90-120°

Shoulders & arms are roughly perpendicular to the floor; elbows are held close to sides

Space under desk is clear to allow legs room to move & stretch

Thighs are roughly parallel to the floor; lower legs are roughly perpendicular

Chair offers lower back support

Seat offers adequate padding, width & depth for personal comfort

2 inch clearance between back of knees & chair

FEET rest flat on the floor or are supported by a stable footrest

With so many more people working from home, it’s important to incorporate good ergonomics into your home office. Here are three tips to prevent neck and back pain at your workstation!

1. Assess Your Workstation

A quick ergonomic assessment can help you make effective adjustments that will reduce the strain on your muscles and joints.

Key Guidelines for Creating An Ergonomic Workstation: • Ensure your lower back is supported. If your chair doesn’t have a curve that fits in the small of your back you can roll up a small towel and use it to fill the curve of your low back. • Sit back against the chair. • Wrists in a neutral/straight position. • Feet flat or on a footrest. • Hips and elbows positioned close to 90-degree angles. • Clearance between back of knees and chair. • Monitor should be an arm’s reach away. • The screen should be at eye level.

2. Move Throughout the Work Day

Sustained postures put additional stress on your muscles, joints, and tendons, which can lead to acute and chronic painful conditions. At minimum, you should get up and walk at least one time each hour. Set a reminder on your fitness tracker, use an alarm on your phone, or set up alerts on your computer.

A good exercise to perform throughout the day while seated at your workstation is a slouch-overcorrect movement: Begin sitting in a slumped/slouched position. Slowly straighten your back, imagining a string pulling your head upward, making yourself as tall as possible. Relax, then repeat 10-15 times.

3. Self-Massage with a Lacrosse Ball

You can buy a lacrosse ball at Dick’s Sporting Goods for about $3 and it’s great to help relieve tension in tight muscles. I recommend using self-massage for tight muscles rather than stretching the neck. The self-massage stimulates blood flow in the area and allows you to better pinpoint specific areas of tightness in a muscle. 1. Begin in a standing upright position in front of a wall and place the ball between your upper shoulder muscle and the wall. 2. Slowly roll your upper back side to side, then up and down on the ball until you feel a stretch or muscle release. Hold briefly on any tight spots, then continue rolling.