Stating that according to a study conducted in Italy, 41.2% of the employees working at home had low back pain and 23.5% had neck and back pain, Orthopedics and Traumatology Specialist Prof. Dr. Gökhan Meriç said that "The disappearance of the concept of working hours and an inappropriate working environment on a laptop or desktop computer for a long time invite orthopedic disorders".

Yeditepe University Hospitals  Orthopedics and Traumatology Specialist Prof. Dr. Gökhan Meriç stated that many orthopedic problems related to this working system started to be seen in the days when working from home was a part of our lives and that the most important reason for this was that the home environment was not suitable for working ergonomics. Pointing out that different reasons such as working inactive for a long time and without interruption, lack of exercise, and inappropriate working environment are effective in the development of problems, he continued, "Many people have to work in the kitchen of their home, in the living room, in inappropriate chairs. Moreover, if the working time is prolonged and worked without a break, low back, neck, shoulder, and back pain is inevitable. Therefore, we see that complaints have increased."

Laptops Cause the Neck Pain

Especially in laptops, working by tilting the head forward for a long time quadruples the pressure on the neck muscles of the head. Stating that this causes an increase in back and neck pain, Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital Orthopedics and Traumatology Specialist Prof. Dr. Gökhan Meriç continued as follows: "The screen, which is not at eye level, disrupts the upright position but increases the load, especially in the waist area. Therefore, personal measures to be taken to protect against possible orthopedic diseases will be very useful."

Working Precautions Will Keep Pain Away

Prof. Dr. Gökhan Meriç made the following suggestions about what should be done to prevent these discomforts due to working at home and to reduce and prevent the occurrence of these pains:

• Make sure that your computer screen is at eye level. To do this, try to prevent your head from leaning forward by putting a book-like amplifier under your laptop or desktop computer.
• Unfortunately, the chairs we use at home are not suitable for sitting and working for a long time. Therefore, make sure that your work chair is an ergonomic office-type work chair. If possible, bring your office chair home.
• Make sure to take small breaks every hour when you work at home. With the excuse of going to the toilet or drinking water, make the muscles move by taking a few steps in the house.
• Try to do stretching exercises on small breaks, especially on the waist, back, and leg muscles.
• Make sure that the knees are at a 90-degree angle with the hip joint and that your spine is perpendicular to the ground with the legs parallel to the ground.
• If you have a high back and lower back pain, use a back support with your office chair.
• During the day, try to exercise in a way that is appropriate for your body type in order to strengthen your muscles. For this, you can use online programs in particular.

Inactivity Causes Joint Pain

"Another study showed that 35 percent of the employees working from home complained of inactivity," said Prof. Dr. Gökhan Meriç and added that employees also complain of increased joint and lower back pain due to not being able to move enough.

Stating that inactivity due to working from home leads to muscle loss and this causes an increase in pain, Prof. Dr. Gökhan Meriç said, "Pilates and yoga exercises are the most appropriate exercises to do at home. Tabata, which contains intense cardio, especially for weight loss, should be careful during HITT exercises and overload should be avoided as much as your body allows." The following are the precautions to be taken to avoid possible injuries during home exercises:

• Be sure to do the exercises that are right for your body type.
• Before the exercise, be sure to stretch and stretch your muscles to protect them from possible muscle cramps and injuries.
• If your knees are sore during squatting, stay away from exercises such as squat lounges.
• Do not do the exercises for longer than an hour. 45 minutes of exercise at home will be sufficient.
• During bouncing cardio-weighted exercises that require you to stay standing for a long time, wear shoes to protect yourself from diseases such as tendinitis and edema that may develop on and around the soles of the feet.
• If there is pain or swelling in the joints during or after exercise, stop the exercise immediately and put ice on the painful area. If your complaints persist, seek advice from a specialist.

Prolonged Use of Mouse Can Cause Nerve Compression

Yeditepe University Hospital Orthopedics and Traumatology Specialist Prof. Dr. Gökhan Meriç pointed out that another disease developed due to working from home occurred especially in people who had to use mice for a long time and concluded as follows:

"Especially due to the fact that the nerves at the wrist level are under pressure for a long time, numbness and pain in the fingers and nerve compression may occur. In order to protect from this situation, hourly breaks should be given, stretching, and stretching exercises should be performed, and the pressure in this area should be reduced with a mouse pad and laptop wrist protection sponges. If complaints increase and numbness in the hand continues, a specialist physician should be consulted."

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