After working from home for about a month during the current pandemic, I noticed a new pain had started to develop in my right hand. The pain consisted of a dull ache that started in my knuckles and ran down the pinkie-side ridge towards my wrist. It got bad enough that I could even feel it throb when I was trying to sleep at night.
I quickly deduced the ache was the result of my at-home working conditions, which consisted of using my MacBook Pro at my desk or on the living room coffee table for eight or more hours a day. Typing on the small keyboard and curling my fingers to use the touch pad was the reason for the pain.
Researching my situation led me down the rabbit hole of learning about the importance of ergonomic health for people with desk jobs. Ergonomics is all about making sure your workspace doesn’t cause strain on your body over time.
I learned there are some key things to remember when setting up your at-home workstation. For instance, it’s important to ensure your chair doesn’t cause you to sit with poor posture, that the top of your screen is at eye level so you are not craning your neck up or down and that your keyboard is at elbow height so you are not raising or drooping your shoulders.
I realized the pain in my hand would only get worse if I didn’t do anything about it, so I made the trip to our newsroom for the first time in several weeks to grab my desktop mouse and keyboard. I also stopped by my parents’ house to borrow a small, 24-inch television monitor so I could have a bigger screen (I use an HDMI cable to connect the monitor to my laptop).
My desk also comes with a sit/stand feature, so I now alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day. I usually work standing in the mornings, and then switch to sitting in the afternoon. As well, I’ve taken to switching which hand I use my mouse with, to give my other hand a bit of reprieve.
After just a few days of implementing these adjustments, I noticed the pain in my hand was starting to ebb. It’s still there – typing thousands of words a day is still taking a toll – but it’s nowhere near as bad as when I was only using my laptop for hours on end.
If you work from home, I hope you heed my situation and take care of your ergonomic health – it can save you some grief in the future.
