Smartworking and muscle pain: treat it with ice and hot packs!

Smartworking has its virtues and drawbacks - of these, many workers suffer from pain such as back pain, muscle tension, neck and shoulder pain. The pain can be alleviated thanks to the benefits of heat and cold.

Welcome back to the Dispotech blog and to the first 2024 appointment with our new blogposts!

Let’s start the New Year by talking about smartworking: how many people during and after the pandemic started - and then continued - to work from home?

Smartworking offers many advantages: from the convenience of working at home to lower commuting costs, and less stress, to the peace of mind of being able to spend more time with the children and the family. A convenient solution which, nonetheless, has its disadvantages. What are they?

Many workers experience pain such as back pain, muscle tension, neck and shoulder pain, dry eyes, etc. when working from home. These health problems are mainly due to the fact that a small work space at home is not equipped like a professional office with ergonomic chairs, large desks, and computers with screens that protect against blue light. The risk of working in confined environments is putting the body in uncomfortable conditions and in danger of musculoskeletal injury.

In this week’s blog, inspired by an article read on rapidaid.com, we will list the most common ailments and pains from smartworking and make some suggestions on how to solve them using hot and cold therapy.

Back pain

When working from home, there is a very strong temptation to sit in comfortable places such as beds and sofas. What could be better than working lying in bed, with your head resting on your favourite pillow? In actuality, these habits are wrong and discouraged, because the body is forced into an uncomfortable and atypical position for many hours. The muscular stress caused by positions of this kind has repercussions on the back and shoulders, compressing the vertebrae and inflaming the muscles.

The solution. Make sure that your workstation has a seat with an ergonomic backrest. Try to stand up every 30 minutes to stretch your back and legs. Specialists recommend using hot and cold packs to alleviate back pain: flexible and versatile, ice and hot packs soothe sore muscles, acute discomfort and chronic pain.

If you sit at your PC all day, busy with calls and lengthy commitments, help yourself with the benefits of heat and ice to feel better.

Neck pain

The position you assume while constantly looking at a computer monitor can contribute to incorrect posture and the resulting weight being shifted onto the neck and the muscles that support it. This incorrect posture contributes to neck pain, tension, stiffness and headaches that can lower the quality of life significantly.

The solution. Give top priority to your health and look for all the solutions to have the best possible posture while working. Position the computer screen at the same height as your eyes and choose a comfortable seat that also supports your neck muscles. Do some stretching with the neck periodically during the day. To minimise pain, use gel packs, both heated and cooled: soft and adaptable to any body shape, they will give you immediate relief.

Shoulder tension

Spending many hours bent over your computer screen is not a healthy habit, however, it is unfortunately very common.

The solution. Remember to maintain good posture for as long as possible, keeping your head straight and your eyes-ears-shoulders on the same level. Consider using hot packs or heated gel packs to relieve muscle tension that might accumulate on the shoulders.

What do you think about this article? Have your say, write the Dispotech team.