On many days Kelly sits behind a screen from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. And she notices this in her neck and shoulders, which feel heavy and very cramped after a working week. “My attitude has never been good. I hold my shoulders and head too far forward. But so far I've gotten away with it.”
Kelly works at the Pharmacovigilance department of Bayer Netherlands, where she, among other things, identifies reported side effects of medicines. “A real office job: occasional phone calls, but mainly a lot of computer work,” she says. Her complaints have worsened due to sitting still a lot, and it doesn't help that she works from home a lot because of corona. Small work interruptions – just going to the printer, the canteen or visiting a colleague – are an inconvenience at home. “I sometimes drink tea downstairs, but that's about it.”
The pain became so bad that Kelly made an appointment with exercise therapist Mirjam van de Moosdijk. She was quite shocked when Mirjam showed her in the mirror how bad her posture was. Kelly received a re-mind and a clear assignment: sit upright with every vibration, so that her shoulders touch the backrest of her office chair. The first few days it turned out that she was sitting at least 10 to 20 centimeters too far forward. After a few weeks of 'listening to the re-mind' every day, things are going much better. “Sometimes I'm in a good position on my own. That always feels like a victory.”
Many people carry the re-mind with them – in their pocket, sock, wristband or around the neck. Kelly prefers to put the device on her desk. With every vibration she turns around: the sign to pay attention to her back and shoulders. She therefore links the re-mind signal directly to her attitude. “I do what I have to do and then I just get back to my work.”
An app on my phone? “No, that wouldn't work for me. A beep can mean anything. I don't respond directly to that.”
In addition to using the re-mind, Kelly does exercises to stretch her shoulder muscles and she goes running, mountain biking and walking more often. She slowly builds up to the challenge that comes next. “The biggest problem is how I hold my head, and it has been too far forward all my life.” The re-mind gives her confidence that she can also overcome that hurdle. It will be a long-term project, she knows. “But I'm going to tackle this. I still have many years of work ahead of me and I want to be able to do that without pain.”
User
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