Working From Home Ergonomics: How To Beat 'Desk Neck' And Shoulder Tension

Desk neck is what happens when a laptop sits flat on a kitchen table for two years. The head tips forward, the upper back rounds, and the muscles between the shoulder blades hold the weight all day.

Most of the fix is free, and takes a morning to set up. The rest is about breaking up the sitting and giving the upper back something warm and firm at the end of the day.

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Prints and badges, designed and printed by us

Prints and enamel pin badges for the home office, printed in the UK and posted flat.

Let It Be by The Beatles music lyric print featuring a grand piano illustration on a white background, unframed. "Let It Be" By The Beatles Inspired Music Lyrics Print (Piano) £8.00 "Let It Be" Beatles lyric print featuring a guitar illustration and song lyrics, displayed as unframed wall art. "Let It Be" By The Beatles Inspired Music Lyrics Print (Guitar) £8.00 Everybody In The Kitchen Getting Tipsy (A5 - A3) Everybody In The Kitchen Getting Tipsy (A5 - A3) £8.00 Hip Hop Don't Stop Poster (A5 - A3) Hip Hop Don't Stop Poster (A5 - A3) £8.00 Graphic music lyric print featuring a giant open mouth and lyrics from Lola Young's song Messy. Cause I'm Too Messy And Then I'm Too Fucking Clean (Music Lyric Prints) £8.00 A colourful typographic wall print with the words There's Only Room For One Dickhead In This House And That's Me. There's Only Room For One Dickhead Wall Print (A5 - A3) £6.00

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Set the desk up properly, once

  • Top of the screen level with the eyes. A laptop stand and a separate keyboard is the single biggest change most people can make.
  • Elbows at roughly ninety degrees, forearms supported, wrists flat.
  • Feet flat on the floor or on a box - dangling feet tip the pelvis and round the back.
  • Screen an arm's length away, and about fifteen degrees below eye level for the centre.
  • Put the mouse close in. Reaching for it all day is what lights up one shoulder and not the other.

Break the day up

  • Stand up every thirty minutes, even for twenty seconds. Position changes beat perfect posture.
  • Take calls walking round the house.
  • Do chin tucks - pull the head straight back over the shoulders, hold five seconds, five times an hour.
  • Roll the shoulders backwards ten times between meetings.
  • Get outside at lunch. Looking at distance rests the eyes and unrounds the back.

Gifts that help a desk worker

  • A heated massage gun for the trapezius and upper back - two minutes during a screen break is usually enough to unstick it.
  • A laptop stand and a decent separate keyboard.
  • A footrest, which sounds dull and gets used every day.
  • A wheat bag for the shoulders on cold afternoons.
  • A desk lamp, because squinting at a dim screen pulls the head forward again.

Making the home office bearable

  • One print on the wall behind the desk changes video calls and the mood - Shop the range
  • A motivational print for the wall opposite - Shop the range
  • A badge on the laptop bag for the office days - Shop the range
  • A candle for the end of the working day, as a signal to stop.
  • Desk accessory ideas - Read the guide

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Found your words? Now find the card

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How to write it so it lands

  • Screen top level with the eyes.
  • Stand up every thirty minutes.
  • Bring the mouse in close.

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Frequently asked questions

What causes desk neck?

A screen set too low, so the head tips forward and the muscles across the upper back and neck hold its weight all day. A laptop flat on a table is the usual culprit.

How do I stop shoulder tension when working from home?

Raise the screen to eye level, support the forearms, bring the mouse in close, stand up every thirty minutes and do chin tucks and shoulder rolls through the day.

What are good gifts for desk workers in the UK?

A laptop stand and separate keyboard, a footrest, a good desk lamp, a wheat bag, and a heated massage gun for upper back stiffness during screen breaks.

Does a massage gun help neck and shoulder tension?

Used lightly on the muscle across the top of the shoulders, yes. Keep it off the front and sides of the neck and off the spine itself, and stop if anything is sharp rather than achy.

How often should you get up from your desk?

Every thirty minutes is the usual advice. The movement matters more than how long you stand for.

Do you sell the massage gun yourselves?

No. We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges, prints and party decorations in the UK. Massage guns and other wellness gadgets are recommendations from elsewhere - the only things linked to our own shop are ours.

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