Ergonomics Consultants | Workstation Assessment

How to Prevent Knee Pain When Working from Home

by Solutions Northwest | Oct 27, 2022 | Ergonomics, Ergonomics Assessments, Ergonomics Solutions, Home Office Design, Office Design, Office Ergonomics, Remote Workers, Work Safety, Working From Home, Workstation Assessment

How to Prevent Knee Pain When Working from Home

How to Prevent Knee Pain When Working from Home
Do you suffer from knee pain during the workday? You’re not alone. A new study reports that one in every four Americans suffers from chronic knee pain.

Many people experience pain or discomfort in the knee joint. Some even end up requiring several surgeries if the knee pain is left unaddressed.

Knee pain can occur when working from home because of a sedentary lifestyle, environmental change, poor office ergonomics, or job stress.

This guide from the ergonomics experts at Solutions Northwest Inc., explains the causes of knee pain at work and how you can reduce symptoms. Keep reading to learn how you can prevent knee pain.

What Causes Knee Pain While Working?

Knee pain can happen to anyone at any age. Usually, knee pain is a result of lifestyle habits more so than a genetic predisposition. This is good news because it means with empowered decisions you can reduce, reverse, or prevent your knee pain.

Below are some common causes of knee pain:

Intense exercise or overexercising
Running “runner’s knee”
Unaddressed injuries
Being overweight
Poor workplace ergonomics
Bending your knees too often/for prolonged periods
Placing heavy weight on your knees
Crossing your legs for extended periods of time

One or a combination of these factors can cause your knee pain, below are five knee pain solutions to prevent knee pain.

1. Set Up Your Workstation Ergonomically

Since you spend about a third of your day at your workstation, how you sit while working from home has a huge influence on your knee pain. Keeping your knees bent for extended periods of time is not good. Make sure to stretch frequently or consider a standing desk.

Setting up a workstation with proper ergonomics can be a daunting task. Most workplace managers or human resource managers will hire an Ergonomics Consultant to design their employees’ workstations, whether in-office or remote. Contact your management today to see if this is something they offer. Or consider a virtual ergonomics assessment, which can be affordable enough to invest in for remote workers.

2. Strengthen Your Hips and Glutes

When the muscles surrounding the knees are weak, it puts all of the pressure of your body weight on the knees. Work on strengthening your hips and glutes with strength training twice a week. Doing so will build the surrounding muscles to protect your knees.

3. Improve Your Posture

Posture impacts everything from your vagus nerve to your knee health. It’s often overlooked.

The mid-day slump is a common cause of chronic pain for desk workers. Be mindful of your posture at all times.

Your feet should evenly touch the floor and your screen should be at eye level. Your shoulders should be relaxed on your armrests throughout your workday. Poor posture, if not addressed, will also strain the neck, back, arms, and legs.

Related article: “4 Tips to Improve Your Posture at Work”

4. Move Every Hour or Half Hour

Even if you’re sitting in the best position with the best posture, your knees “lock” into a position. This is never good for them. Keep things fluid by taking 250 steps every hour (about 2 minutes of walking).

Consider setting a timer on your phone to remind you to take a break.

Related article: “5 Reasons Work Breaks Boost Productivity”

5. Incorporate Self-Care

The workday puts a lot of stress on the body. Make sure to incorporate self-care into each work week. Go for walks, swim, get a massage, or try knee acupuncture.

Use Proper Ergonomics to Design Your Home Office Setup

Remote work is a luxury to be enjoyed. If you feel that working from home has worsened your knee pain, take charge.

Speak with your office manager or human resources manager and ask them to schedule an ergonomics assessment for your workstation.

You may also consider a virtual ergonomics consultation where a professional ergonomics consultant will advise you on simple changes that can prevent knee pain (all you need is access to e-mail or a smart phone). They’ll also address any other issues such as neck pain or carpal tunnel. Once your workstation is comfortable, you will likely find yourself working not only pain free, but in a timelier and more productive manner!

If you or your remote employees need to design an ergonomic home workspace, contact the ergonomics experts at Solutions Northwest Inc. for more information.

At SolutionsNW.com we value the importance of a positive workplace culture. Part of a positive workplace is a safe workplace, Contact Us to schedule an ergonomics consultation or ergonomics assessment for your office today.

Subscribe to our ergonomics blog for more ergonomics tips from Solutions Northwest Inc., ergonomics evaluations available in: Seattle, WA, Tacoma, WA, Olympia, WA, Vancouver, WA, Kent, WA Renton, WA, Beaverton, OR, Portland, OR, Salem, OR.

Virtual Ergonomics Assessment available nationwide!

Contact the Ergonomics Experts at Solutions Northwest Inc. Below:

Multiple Locations

Corporate Office: 120 State Ave. NE #397
Olympia, WA 98501
Business Hours: 8am-5pm M-F
Corporate FAX: 360-866-4773
Email: Info@solutionsnw.com

Olympia, WA

360-236-8748

Portland/Salem, OR

503-768-9742

Seattle, WA

206-521-5676

Contact our Ergonomics Experts

5 Factors to Consider When Hiring Remote Workers

by Solutions Northwest | Jul 23, 2021 | Ergonomics Assessments, Management Tips, Office Management, Productive Working From Home, Remote Workers, Working From Home, Workstation Assessment

5 Factors to Consider When Hiring Remote Workers

Are you moving your business to a remote-only lifestyle? You’re not alone.

More business owners are choosing to have their employees work from home (or wherever else they can drag their computers). It’s lowered costs and made for happier employees.

There are benefits to hiring remote workers. Yet, how do you know when you’re ready to make the change? What do you need to keep in mind when your employees are working from home?

Keep reading for four factors to keep in mind when hiring remote workers.

1. Compensation

Not all businesses are going to have to worry about this, but anyone who hires outside of their local area needs to keep compensation in mind.

Paying remote workers who live around the world isn’t the same as paying ones who live in your city.

You’re going to have to take into consideration the minimum wage of the areas where your employees work as well as the cost of living.

Employees who work full-time should be able to survive on your wages, but an employee in Kansas will have a very different experience from an employee in Seattle. Adjust accordingly.

2. Communication

How are you going to communicate with your employees? How are they going to communicate with each other?

Some employers choose to hold mandatory meetings over video chat. Not all employees are happy with this. However, if they’re brief and laser-focused, they can foster great communication.

Employees with unreliable video equipment, who live with children coming in and out of their home office spaces, may be better off with phone meetings or a text-based chat platform.

You’ll want your employees to be able to talk to each other as if they were in the office.

3. State Laws

With the variety of locations that your employees can work from, you’ll have to consider various laws and regulations that relate to your industry.

For example, in California, your employees need to be classified as employees. You can’t hire freelance workers to do employee-style jobs. You need to know the difference between employees and contractors.

You also have to be careful to not transfer the costs of doing business to your employees. You may be responsible for some of the costs associated with doing the remote work, depending on your state.

4. Time Zones

If your employees are working all over the world you’ll need to have a bit of flexibility regarding work hours. Even if you only hire American workers you have four well-known timezones to consider and several lesser-known timezones.

If you want the best talent that you can find, you will want to have a broad reach. It might be helpful to allow your employees to set their own hours or complete work on their own time. A specified time limit can ensure that everyone has a standard workday.

5. Home Office Design

When using remote workers, it is easy to forget about their workstation (out of sight, out of mind). However, because they’re remote workers it is much more important to be involved in ensuring they’re properly set up to perform the job.

For example, if your remote workers are using a laptop from their bed, they are less likely to be as productive had they been working at a desk with a proper home office setup.

Every remote worker needs an ergonomic workstation assessment. This includes ergonomic furniture like the desk and chair, as well as ergonomic gadgets like the mouse, keyboard, and monitor. It may take a small financial investment from the employer or employee, but we suggest an ergonomics assessment to assist your company in setting up a home office for your remote workers.

Right now, companies like Solutions Northwest Inc. are offering virtual ergonomic assessments specially designed for remote workers. During an ergonomics assessment, an ergonomics consultant will help you design the ideal home office setup for comfort, injury prevention, and work productivity.

Just because your employees are working remotely doesn’t mean you can stop catering to their needs.

Using remote workers can give your business a huge boost. Make sure you consider several factors before assigning your employees to remote work. Consider everything that comes along with remote workers and prepare yourself for your new venture.

If you’d like some assistance on the perfect home office setup for your remote workers, contact our ergonomics experts at Solutions Northwest Inc. and inquire about their affordable virtual ergonomics assessment.

Looking for more tips on how to create an ergonomic workspace? Contact us at SolutionsNW.com, we will be happy to help you!

At SolutionsNW.com we value the importance of a positive workplace culture. Part of a positive workplace is a safe workplace, Contact Us to schedule an ergonomics consultation or ergonomics assessment for your office today.

Subscribe to our ergonomics blog for more ergonomics tips from Solutions Northwest Inc., ergonomics evaluations available in: Seattle, WA, Tacoma, WA, Olympia, WA, Vancouver, WA, Kent, WA Renton, WA, Beaverton, OR, Portland, OR, Salem, OR.

Virtual Ergonomics Assessment available nationwide!