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If you are working through treatment or managing ongoing side effects of cancer and/or treatment, ergonomic interventions may be a way to alleviate or avoid some additional stress and pain.

So, what is ergonomics? According to the CDC, “the goal of ergonomics, the scientific study of people at work, is to prevent soft tissue injuries and musculoskeletal disorders caused by sudden or sustained exposure to force, vibration, repetitive motion and awkward posture.” After COVID-19, many Americans are working from home with improper setups, leading to musculoskeletal issues in your back, neck, shoulders, hips, wrists and more. Remote work can provide an opportunity for more flexibility when navigating treatment, side effects and privacy, but it is important to listen to and take care of your body in this new environment as many workers work eight or more hours a day.

On a personal note, I have been suffering from severe neck, back and shoulder pain since I started working remotely full-time in 2020. After being in physical therapy for months, I realized my most painful days were working days, so I wanted to make a change to my workspace. Feeling overwhelmed by where to start, I hired an ergonomic specialist from The Rising Workplace, a company that sends ergonomic specialists to your home or office to evaluate your workspace and provide recommendations. While there hasn’t been enough time for me to evaluate the effects of these changes, I wanted to share some key strategies I learned with all of you!

NOTE: You do NOT have to hire an ergonomic specialist to make a change! There are many ways to find free tips and guidance online. As one example, The Rising Workplace offers free blogs and videos to help you set up an ergonomic-friendly work environment.

Here are some basic tips:

1. Keep your arms close to your body and your shoulders relaxed while using the mouse and keyboard.
2. Sit with your ears over your hips, your lower back supported and your feet resting on the floor or a footrest. Sitting on a pillow may help boost you to the appropriate height for your desk. And if you don’t have a real footrest, you might try a shoebox. It is all about making sure everything aligns!
3. Ensure your wrists are straight while typing and using your mouse. Your seat or desk should be adjusted so that the mouse and keyboard are at elbow level.
4. Your monitor should be about an arm’s length away and centered in front of your body so you do not have to turn your neck to view your screen.
5. Your monitor should be positioned so that the top 1/3 of the screen is at eye level. If you are working from a laptop, you might consider using an external mouse and keyboard so you can raise the monitor to this desired position. If you don’t have a laptop stand or riser, you could prop your monitor on a box or stack of books.
6. If you can, work in an area with natural lighting exposure, while avoiding screen glare.
7. For eye strain: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This is a great tool to reset your focus.
8. Take short, full-body movement breaks every 30-45 minutes.
9. It is also important to take micro-breaks from your static positions, such as not actively using your mouse, looking up at the ceiling, stretching, etc.
10. Cancer and Careers always recommends decluttering your desk to help with “chemo brain”. For more tips working with chemo brain, click here.

Besides my wireless keyboard and mouse, every adjustment I made was entirely free. However, keep in mind that you may be entitled to reasonable accommodations which could help as well.

I also recommend reading more information on the Job Accommodation Network (www.askJAN.org). Job Accommodation Network provides free information and consulting services for individuals with all types of medical conditions and can help you understand the accommodation process, assistive technology, equipment product vendors and more. Try using their searchable accommodation database to brainstorm ideas that may work for you!

For more tips from CAC, be sure to check out our website section on Working Remotely.