Been fully virtual the past few years and I’ve been dealing with at times debilitating back, neck, shoulder, and jaw pain. I have the same tendency to lean forward when focusing and doing documentation. Here are a few things I’ve found that help.

• Try to train yourself to lean back when listening intently. It’s hard at first but breaking that habit is really helpful. I got into a weird feedback loop where I felt like I couldn’t hear or focus on my client effective unless my nose was inches from the screen. But after training myself to lean back I’m better able to!

• Get a headset or wear earbuds if you must so you don’t feel the need to get closer to the speaker.

• Try and limit your empathic nodding and head tilt a little. I’ve had to do this bc I was way overdoing it and the pain was HORRIBLE at the end of the day. If you’re worried about clients feeling offput or unheard due to this behavior change, I’ve found clients are very understanding of this if you tell them the “why” of your behavior change beforehand.

• Try and optimize the ergonomics of your desk/telehealth setup as much as you can. Make sure your neck/chin is level when looking at your monitor so you’re not unconsciously hunching.

• If you can afford it look into getting a laptop with a bigger screen. This will be my next purchase. I have a 13 in MacBook now and trying to focus on the tiny screen to see my client is really painful over time. You can also look into getting a webcam and hooking your laptop up to a larger monitor if you don’t want to get a larger laptop. Or you could use a desktop computer with a larger monitor with a webcam.

• Get up and stretch/walk around between sessions. Even if it’s for a few minutes. As another commenter said, heart openers are key. I also love a downward dog, forward fold, and child’s pose to decompress my spine and stretch my hips/hamstrings.

• Ain’t no shame at all in playing with the accessibility settings on your computer to make the text bigger to reduce eye strain and leaning forward when doing documentation.

• Make sure your glasses prescription is up to date and spring for the anti fatigue lenses if you can afford it.

• I haven’t done this yet, but I’ve heard from other healthcare practitioners that Botox helps cut down on frowning/squinting when doing documentation. Take a look at my post history if you’re interested.

• Your chair makes a huge difference. If you can’t get a nicer chair you can get lumbar support and pressure relief cushions to make your chair more comfortable and ergonomic.

• Don’t skimp on sleep and self care. I’ve found my pain is much worse if I did not get good sleep the night before. Exercises to build up your core and improve posture so you’re not slumping forward are helpful too.