A movement break, not medical care.
The close is a 2½-minute standing-or-seated movement break at the end of a meeting. It is not treatment, rehab, diagnosis, or injury management. This page is what happens when something hurts, who should check first, and what has not been reviewed yet.
When something hurts
Anyone can tap Something hurts at any moment. The close stops for that person only, and the screen says to rest. It never suggests another movement.
If it is severe, or comes with any red flag below: stop. Seek urgent medical help. In India, call 112.
Urgent symptoms
Chest pain or pressure, trouble breathing, fainting, sudden severe headache, slurred speech, double vision, new weakness or numbness, severe dizziness, or a recent injury. No session is offered. The screen says to get urgent medical help.
Pain, injury, or feeling unwell
For example a sore back, a sprain, cramp, or dizziness. The session stops. The screen suggests rest and, if it continues, a clinician. It does not suggest another stretch.
Recovering, pregnant, or seeing a physio
A clinician's advice comes first. The app does not adjust around a diagnosis and does not act as a rehab plan.
Red flags
Stop and get medical advice if any of these appear during or after the close:
- Chest pain or pressure, or trouble breathing.
- Fainting, or feeling about to faint.
- Sudden severe headache, or the worst headache you have had.
- Slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, or double vision.
- New weakness, numbness, or unsteady walking.
- Severe dizziness, or a drop attack.
- Pain after a fall or other recent injury.
- Fever, night pain, or pain that is getting worse rather than settling.
This is a short list for a desk app, not a clinical checklist. If something feels wrong, stop and ask a clinician.
Check with a clinician first
Talk to a doctor or physiotherapist before using Viraam if you:
- are pregnant, or recently gave birth;
- have had recent surgery or an injury;
- have an ongoing neck, back, or joint condition;
- get dizzy, lose your balance, or have fainted before;
- have been told to avoid certain movements;
- are unsure whether a movement is safe for you.
You can still use the breathing step on its own. Skip anything that does not feel right.
What Viraam is not
- Not treatment or rehab. It is a general movement break for people who have been sitting.
- Not a diagnosis. It cannot see you, examine you, or tell what is causing a symptom.
- Not injury management. HR should not use it as a workstation or injury-control programme.
- Not a source of health claims. No promises about pain relief, posture, productivity, weight, or sickness absence.
- Not a replacement for care. If you need a clinician, see a clinician.
This positioning matters. Stretching prescribed to treat a work injury can become medical treatment; a general, voluntary movement break is not. Viraam stays on the general side.
What is never reported
A safety stop is care, not a metric. When someone reports pain or a symptom:
- the stop is not counted in the weekly email;
- it is not reported to HR, a manager, or anyone at the company;
- it does not trigger a follow-up nudge from Viraam.
HR sees started and finished counts. Nothing about who stopped, or why. Read the data map.
Review status
The four moves have not yet been reviewed by a physiotherapist. The red-flag copy is written conservatively from public clinical guidance, but it has not been signed off by a clinician either.
Until that changes, the copy stays cautious: slow, small ranges; no bouncing; stop at resistance; no claims about outcomes. The app's symptom detection is a keyword floor, not a medical screen. It can miss things.
What the close is built on
Every phase of the 2½ minutes has a reason, and none of them claims more than the evidence supports.
| Phase | Evidence | What we don't claim |
|---|---|---|
| The whole close | Breaks of 10 minutes or less are linked to more vigor and less fatigue (meta-analysis of 22 studies, Albulescu et al., 2022). | Better work output. |
| Breathe | Daily cyclic sighing improved mood more than mindfulness in a randomised trial (Balban et al., 2023). | That one breath calms anyone fast. |
| Stand, then move | In a review of 6 controlled trials, passive seated breaks left the most discomfort; only breaks that added movement reduced discomfort and fatigue (systematic review, 2022). Which exact moves matter is not established, so the moves stay simple. The move block changes by weekday (neck and shoulders, upper back, legs, hands, whole body) for variety, which is linked to enjoying and sticking with exercise; there are no forward bends, and every move has a seated option. | Prevention or treatment of pain. |
| Eyes | The 20-20-20 rule reduced eye strain while it was practised, and the effect faded when it stopped (Aston University). A daily meeting keeps it practised. | Lasting eye benefit. |
| The transition | In Microsoft's brain-activity study, stress spiked at the moment one video meeting ended and the next began; short breaks softened it (Microsoft WorkLab, 14 people, so directional). Calendar features can shorten meetings, but don't help when meetings run past their end (Petri). | That Viraam reduces stress. |
| Plan | A short "ready-to-resume" plan before switching tasks reduced leftover distraction and improved decisions on the next task (Leroy & Glomb). Plans in the form "When X, I'll Y" improved goal attainment across 94 tests, d = .65 (Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006). | General productivity. |
| Background sound (optional) | A review of 36 studies (meta-analysis of 18) found natural sounds improve health and mood and lower stress; water sounds had the largest effect on positive mood, birdsong on stress (Buxton et al., 2021). Off by default; one switch. When on, the sound changes by weekday (rain, stream, birds, waves, rain), made in the browser. | That 2½ minutes of sound changes anyone's mood. |
| Together | Moving in sync increased cooperation in experiments (Wiltermuth & Heath, 2009); later replications are mixed. For sticking with exercise, groups with a shared identity and goal beat ordinary classes, d = .74 (Burke et al., 2006). | Team bonding. |
So the honest promise is: less fatigue, rested eyes, and a clear first step after the meeting. Viraam is a movement break, not medical care.
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