The effects of not having a proper working space as a blogger

Last time I wrote about the downside of working from home, how it has made me feel lazy and adding weight. Over the weekend, I have been having severe back pain spinning down my hips, and I have been wondering what was wrong with me for the sudden back pain. After reading @Eybyoung article earlier today about how she saved herself from back pain due to no proper working space as a blogger, I realized that the cause of the pain I have been struggling with was due to not having a proper working space as a blogger.

Almost every day, I use my laptop on the table in my living room which is much lower than the couch. I tend to bend over the table putting too much force on my Spinal cord and lower back making it hurt. I never realized that it was the positioning of my laptop on the table that was causing the back pains I have been facing. It all began a few weeks ago when my electricity was disconnected and I have to make a temporary connection from my neighbor's flat into my sitting room where I had to plug the laptop for use until I have my electricity reconnected.

I have been working with the laptop on the table in my bedroom which is much higher than the table in the living room. But, with the disconnection of my electricity last week, I had to make the temporary working space in my living room. I never knew that bending over to work on a lower table can cause severe back pains in me.

For the last two weeks, I have been wondering what was the cause of the sudden back pain when I haven't done any physical job for over 2 years now. I thought the problem could be an underlying fever, and the pain was the symptom. I have treated myself of a fever and yet the pain still would not go. At a time I was afraid that it should not be symptoms of arthritis, which a person of my age shouldn't experience.

It turns out the problem is not the fever or arthritis. It is the condition of my working space since I have been bending over the table as a result of sitting on the couch all the time to get to use the laptop at my sitting room table.

At my age, I can start suffering from back pain as early as 40 years. I am 40 years old and I should not be suffering from back pain, right? What I have discovered was that if I put the laptop on the higher table in my bedroom with the chair I use with it, I wouldn't feel back pains. But, with a lack of electricity, I have to continue using the laptop on the table in my living room.

After finding out the cause of my back pain, thanks to Eybyoung, I have decided not to use the laptop for now until I get my electricity reconnected and start using it on the table in my bedroom the way I have been using it before the electricity was disconnected.

Moreover, I have decided to arrange a proper working space for myself, which should be something like a desk, a chair, and power cables, so that I can sit on the chair and properly use my laptop, instead of using it on the table in the living room or my bedroom as I have been doing.

I have been on medication for the past 2 weeks for back pain and fever, and I have been taking it consistently. However, I have decided not to continue with the medication because it can make me sleepy, and having understood the cause of the pain, I believe staying away from using the laptop in that position can heal the problem faster.

I would like to show how harmful a sitting posture is to the spinal cord and the lower back.

Basil Otis White, an American acupuncturist, in his book “Spine”, advised sitting at least 40cm or more away from the bed to reduce stress on the spine.

If a person sits upright with their buttocks on a chair or couch, the lower back cannot relax. The muscles in the lower back are thus in more constant tension. The muscles are therefore not used to their full capacity.

I know some people are using laptops on their laps, but it does not matter if the laptop is on the lap. The pain is because the lower back is not able to be relaxed, which makes the position of sitting on a lap, with the lower back too much to keep in tension.

In conclusion, I wish everyone to think about the issue of sitting properly on a chair or a couch so that we can remain mobile. At least have a proper working space, which will prevent pain in the spine and back, while using a laptop on a desk.

If you have been having back pain like me, now you know what is the cause and you have the solution to stop the pain and restore the spine to its original state.

I would like to thank @Eybyoung for writing about this topic today, as she has helped me to resolve the problem of my back pain. Thank you very much, Eybyoung, you are a great healer.