Stay Healthy While Teleworking

COVID-19 has definitely been a global scourge and one that I hope diminishes sooner than later.  This virus has affected everything from restaurants to hospitals and hair stylists to engineers.  But one thing that the virus has not taken on is the internet and because of that many professions have moved to quell the effects of the coronavirus by utilizing teleworking.

Teleworking is just simply utilizing all the video and audio technology available to continue performing your job duties.  Meetings are being held on Zoom.  Projects and being completed with Google Hangouts.  People are staying connected with FaceTime.  Students and educators are continuing the teaching and learning process via WebEx and doctors and other healthcare practitioners are conducting Telehealth examinations on a myriad of different platforms.

Some of this was already happening, but now it is happening at an exponentially higher rate because of all of the distancing recommendations to curb the spread of the virus.  Business has changed and we all find ourselves doing more and more work on our computers, tablets, phones, or other devices during this pandemic.

While I am thankful for these technologies they can pose a problem for our musculoskeletal system. As we are spend even more time in poor static postures we need to be aware of how those positions can create pain.  I, for one, want to keep myself and you as pain free as possible during this time of increased digital usage.

I was recently asked by a few faculty at my teaching hospital to provide some helpful tips in the form of short informal presentation for their students in preparation for their increased e-learning. It became popular within the institution and several different departments requested to also have access to it.  So I decided to make it public for you to download and listen as well.

DOWNLOAD: Posture Tips for Teleworking. To watch presentation with narration, download and then play slideshow using Microsoft powerpoint.

Yes, I know there is an irony in the fact that you will be watching a presentation on a device about all the negative effects of the time we are spending on devices.  But hey, I have to social distance while communicating this information to you!  And there are some super helpful tips and videos to help you.  So if you are PT reminder yourself of this information and communicate it to your patients.  Remember we are on a mission to improve public health.  But I think if you are a teacher, doctor, lawyer, or business entrepreneur you will also find this information beneficial.

Jason

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