Are you reaching for a heating pad by the end of the day? Setting up your work station correctly can make the difference between breezing through the day or ending it with a sore neck, painful forearms, numb hands, or worse. A few thoughtful adjustments to the back of your chair or the location of your computer monitor may put large groups of postural muscles at ease during the hours you spend at your desk.
Your Mom did know a thing or two when she was telling you to sit up straight. Good posture allows your body to balance and use the minimal amount of muscle strength necessary to maintain your position. When this balance is disrupted for a short amount of time, the muscles can accommodate until the position is changed. However, muscles and other soft tissues (ligaments, tendons, nerves) have trouble tolerating repeated marathons of our sitting in “out of balance” positions. The placement of your keyboard, mouse, monitor, desk, and chair can bring your body out of a balanced posture and create strain that leads to Cumulative Trauma Disorders.
Your chair. You may have a great chair but you’re only sitting on the front edge of it! The good features in your chair are only helpful if you actually use them! The objective is to maintain a straight line down from your ears through your shoulders and to your hips.
Seat height: Should allow your feet to rest comfortably on the floor (use a footrest if you need to). If your feet are dangling, there is more weight from your thighs on the front edge of the seat and circulation to the legs is diminished.
Seat depth: The length from the front edge of the seat to the backrest of the chair should be shorter than the length of your thigh. A seat that is too deep will hit the back of your knees, prohibit your feet from resting on the floor, or cause you to sit on the front edge and not benefit from the backrest.
Backrest: Imagine sitting at a picnic table or on bleachers for 6 hours a day.
You are putting that same stress on your back muscles if you are not properly using the backrest of your chair. The natural arch of your lower back should be supported to keep you from slumping forward, especially as you fatigue later in the workday. If your chair does not have a built in “lumbar support”, you can purchase pillows designed for that purpose or you can simply place a folded towel behind you.
Armrests: Your neck and upper back muscles significantly relax if your elbows and forearms are well supported. Adjust the height of the armrests to comfortably support your forearms when you are sitting up straight and your elbows are bent to 90°. NOTE: the armrests should NOT be so high that you cannot pull your chair under your desk or close enough to your work surface. Otherwise, you’ll be at the edge of your seat again! Three quarter length armrests usually allow you to pull up close enough to your desk that you don’t need to hunch forward.
Flooring: Deep carpeting or a chair without wheels will make it difficult to freely move your chair to/from your work surface. It is then more likely that you will hunch forward, sit on the edge of the chair, and/or work in a rotated position rather than move your chair to face your work.
Your computer. Desk space can be at a premium as we need so many things at our fingertips (telephone, papers, pens, coffee, etc.) but if your computer is your primary work tool, it MUST be at center stage.
Monitor: The middle of the screen should be DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF YOU and just below eye level. Place your monitor on a stand or book to achieve the appropriate height. Flat screen monitors often fit better into limited desktop space.
!Note for those of us who wear bifocal or progressive lens glasses! When
selecting the height of your computer screen, keep in mind the reading portion of
your lens. Lower your screen slightly to avoid tilting your head back to read
through the lower section of your lens. Consider full lens “reading glasses” for
use at the computer.
Keyboard: It is imperative that the keyboard be directly in front of you and directly in front of the monitor. The keyboard can be on the desk or on a pull-out tray. Your elbows and forearms should be supported on the armrests of the chair or on the desk itself (see above for the appropriate height). You may need to purchase a “wrist rest” to support your wrists in a neutral or slightly extended position. Your wrists should not have to bend down to the keyboard.
Mouse: This should be as close to the side of the keyboard as possible. You should not have to reach forward or sideways from the shoulder to use the mouse. If your keyboard is on a pull-out tray, the tray should be wide enough to also hold the mouse.
Copyholder: By placing your copy at the same level, angle, and distance as your screen, you can speed your work and minimize eye and neck strain.
Lighting: Indirect lighting is best to reduce reflections and glare. Non-glare screens can be purchased to cover your monitor and “soft light” bulbs are available (even for flourescent lights).
Your Mom did know a thing or two when she was telling you to sit up straight. Good posture allows your body to balance and use the minimal amount of muscle strength necessary to maintain your position. When this balance is disrupted for a short amount of time, the muscles can accommodate until the position is changed. However, muscles and other soft tissues (ligaments, tendons, nerves) have trouble tolerating repeated marathons of our sitting in “out of balance” positions. The placement of your keyboard, mouse, monitor, desk, and chair can bring your body out of a balanced posture and create strain that leads to Cumulative Trauma Disorders.
Your chair. You may have a great chair but you’re only sitting on the front edge of it! The good features in your chair are only helpful if you actually use them! The objective is to maintain a straight line down from your ears through your shoulders and to your hips.
Seat height: Should allow your feet to rest comfortably on the floor (use a footrest if you need to). If your feet are dangling, there is more weight from your thighs on the front edge of the seat and circulation to the legs is diminished.
Seat depth: The length from the front edge of the seat to the backrest of the chair should be shorter than the length of your thigh. A seat that is too deep will hit the back of your knees, prohibit your feet from resting on the floor, or cause you to sit on the front edge and not benefit from the backrest.
Backrest: Imagine sitting at a picnic table or on bleachers for 6 hours a day.
You are putting that same stress on your back muscles if you are not properly using the backrest of your chair. The natural arch of your lower back should be supported to keep you from slumping forward, especially as you fatigue later in the workday. If your chair does not have a built in “lumbar support”, you can purchase pillows designed for that purpose or you can simply place a folded towel behind you.
Armrests: Your neck and upper back muscles significantly relax if your elbows and forearms are well supported. Adjust the height of the armrests to comfortably support your forearms when you are sitting up straight and your elbows are bent to 90°. NOTE: the armrests should NOT be so high that you cannot pull your chair under your desk or close enough to your work surface. Otherwise, you’ll be at the edge of your seat again! Three quarter length armrests usually allow you to pull up close enough to your desk that you don’t need to hunch forward.
Flooring: Deep carpeting or a chair without wheels will make it difficult to freely move your chair to/from your work surface. It is then more likely that you will hunch forward, sit on the edge of the chair, and/or work in a rotated position rather than move your chair to face your work.
Your computer. Desk space can be at a premium as we need so many things at our fingertips (telephone, papers, pens, coffee, etc.) but if your computer is your primary work tool, it MUST be at center stage.
Monitor: The middle of the screen should be DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF YOU and just below eye level. Place your monitor on a stand or book to achieve the appropriate height. Flat screen monitors often fit better into limited desktop space.
!Note for those of us who wear bifocal or progressive lens glasses! When
selecting the height of your computer screen, keep in mind the reading portion of
your lens. Lower your screen slightly to avoid tilting your head back to read
through the lower section of your lens. Consider full lens “reading glasses” for
use at the computer.
Keyboard: It is imperative that the keyboard be directly in front of you and directly in front of the monitor. The keyboard can be on the desk or on a pull-out tray. Your elbows and forearms should be supported on the armrests of the chair or on the desk itself (see above for the appropriate height). You may need to purchase a “wrist rest” to support your wrists in a neutral or slightly extended position. Your wrists should not have to bend down to the keyboard.
Mouse: This should be as close to the side of the keyboard as possible. You should not have to reach forward or sideways from the shoulder to use the mouse. If your keyboard is on a pull-out tray, the tray should be wide enough to also hold the mouse.
Copyholder: By placing your copy at the same level, angle, and distance as your screen, you can speed your work and minimize eye and neck strain.
Lighting: Indirect lighting is best to reduce reflections and glare. Non-glare screens can be purchased to cover your monitor and “soft light” bulbs are available (even for flourescent lights).
Your desk.
Height: The desk should be high enough that your knees fit comfortably underneath it. If you have a keyboard tray, it should also be high enough for your knees to fit underneath. If your chair does not fit under the desk, you’ll be on the edge of your seat again!
Work surface: Unfortunately the depth and width of a desk is often determined by the available floor space and not by ergonomic needs. The depth of the work surface must allow for the computer monitor (flat screen?) and keyboard to be directly in front of you. A keyboard tray leaves the front work surface free for paperwork when it is pushed under the desk and your chair is pulled forward under the desk. Avoid having the keyboard between you and the paper on which you are writing. A desk that is deep and narrow will often draw you forward to reach for things near the back. A desk that is shallow and wide will often cause you to work in rotated positions to reach work that is off to one side. L-shaped work surfaces can be ergonimically efficient if you move your chair to face your work area.
Your breaks. S-T-R-E-T-C-H!
The large muscle groups of the trunk are used to maintain the same postures all through a work-shift. Those large muscles must burn a lot of fuel to do their work. The waste products from that fuel accumulate within the muscles unless there is really good circulation to clean out the waste and bring in fresh nutrition supplies. Taking just a 2 minute break to stretch will improve circulation, clear out waste, bring fresh fuel (nutrients), and help prevent muscle soreness & fatigue. Take frequent stretch breaks.
Fit for work. You only have one body and you must use it for both work and play. Your heart-lung endurance determines how well your circulation can deliver blood and oxygen to your working muscles. Your overall fitness determines how well your body manages a day at work and how much energy you have left over for family, friends, and play. High “stress” levels and some of the naturally occurring changes of aging can also be positively influenced by exercise.
These are just a few of the important adjustments that can be made to improve posture, reduce fatigue, and decrease the incidence of injury. It is still possible to develop pain in a well designed work station. Physical Therapists are uniquely qualified to assess musculoskeletal effects of repetitive stress on your body. Following an evaluation, the Physical Therapist will be able to make further ergonomic suggestions, prescribe stretches and exercises, and help relieve any current symptoms of pain. If you are having pain related to prolonged hours at your computer, you may consider consulting with your physician about a referral to a Physical Therapist.
Your breaks. S-T-R-E-T-C-H!
The large muscle groups of the trunk are used to maintain the same postures all through a work-shift. Those large muscles must burn a lot of fuel to do their work. The waste products from that fuel accumulate within the muscles unless there is really good circulation to clean out the waste and bring in fresh nutrition supplies. Taking just a 2 minute break to stretch will improve circulation, clear out waste, bring fresh fuel (nutrients), and help prevent muscle soreness & fatigue. Take frequent stretch breaks.
Fit for work. You only have one body and you must use it for both work and play. Your heart-lung endurance determines how well your circulation can deliver blood and oxygen to your working muscles. Your overall fitness determines how well your body manages a day at work and how much energy you have left over for family, friends, and play. High “stress” levels and some of the naturally occurring changes of aging can also be positively influenced by exercise.
These are just a few of the important adjustments that can be made to improve posture, reduce fatigue, and decrease the incidence of injury. It is still possible to develop pain in a well designed work station. Physical Therapists are uniquely qualified to assess musculoskeletal effects of repetitive stress on your body. Following an evaluation, the Physical Therapist will be able to make further ergonomic suggestions, prescribe stretches and exercises, and help relieve any current symptoms of pain. If you are having pain related to prolonged hours at your computer, you may consider consulting with your physician about a referral to a Physical Therapist.
Debbie Bodin, PT, MPT, Linda Brabant, PT
Personal Care Physical Therapy
Personal Care Physical Therapy
