When you are at the beginning of your career, your focus is usually on proving yourself, learning fast, and keeping up with a demanding workload. Musculoskeletal (MSK) health rarely feels urgent, until it quietly starts to affect how you feel and how you work.

Across workplace data, employees aged 18–30 often report more day-to-day discomfort than many people expect. What is striking is not only that pain is common, but that younger workers tend to lose more productivity from pain than older employees who are also in pain.

In other words, it is not that older colleagues are unaffected, it is that pain seems to disrupt younger workers’ focus, energy, and work rhythm more. Understanding why this happens can help you build stronger habits early, rather than having to undo them later.

The three challenges many people in their early-career face

1. Laptop-only working is a major hidden risk

The most common pitfall at this stage of your career is working from a laptop only, whether at the office, at home, or in hybrid set-ups. This often means:

• Your screen is too low, encouraging you to look down or hunch forward.
• Your keyboard is attached to the screen, so you cannot optimise both at the same time.
• Your chair, desk, and screen are rarely aligned properly.

Because this feels “normal”, especially if you are used to studying or working this way, the strain can build up gradually without feeling dramatic in the moment.

Small changes that make a big difference:

• If possible, use a laptop riser and an external keyboard and mouse.
• If that is not available, prop your laptop on a stack of books up so the top of the screen is closer to eye level.
• Bring the laptop closer so you are not leaning forward to see or type.

You do not need a perfect workstation, just one that reduces the need to crane, hunch, or reach.

2. You may already be in pain, but it is easy to under-report

Early in your career, it is common to:

• Normalise stiffness or tightness,
• Avoid mentioning discomfort because you do not want to seem “fussy”,
• Or assume aches are just part of working life.

As a result, many younger employees under-report pain, even when it is already affecting how they feel at the end of the day.

What helps:
Treat early discomfort as useful information, not a sign of weakness. A quick adjustment to your laptop position, chair height, or posture can prevent problems from escalating.

3. Pain tends to impact younger workers’ productivity more

Older employees are not immune to pain, many experience it too. The difference is that younger workers often feel the productivity impact more strongly.

This can show up as:

• Fatigue building up earlier in the day,
• Difficulty concentrating during long screen sessions,
• Feeling drained after meetings or deep-focus work,
• Or needing more recovery time in the evenings.

This is likely because many early-career workers combine high workloads with poorer setups and less established movement habits.

What helps:

• Build short movement resets into your day rather than waiting until you feel exhausted.
• Stand, stretch, or walk briefly every 30–60 minutes.
• Notice when tension is building and adjust early.

How to protect your MSK health early, without disrupting your work

You do not need long breaks or complicated routines. What matters most is consistency.

1. Reduce reliance on laptop-only working where you can.
Even a basic external keyboard or laptop stand can meaningfully reduce strain.

2. Move little and often.
Think micro-resets, not big breaks, a minute of gentle movement each hour can make a real difference.

3. Make your setup fit you, not the other way around.
Adjust chair height, screen height, and distance based on how your body feels.

4. Act before pain becomes severe.
Early adjustments are far easier than dealing with persistent pain later in your career.

Starting strong, not struggling later

Your early career is when habits are formed. The way you sit, move, and work now can shape your comfort, resilience, and productivity for years to come.

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