I often visit companies and assess their employee’s desk and chair set up. It always amazes me how small changes can have such a big impact as most people spend anywhere between 6-10 hours at their desks and on their computers every single day…
3 basic principles of ergonomics are listed below and are things that most people can change themselves…
- Use the back of your chair – Sit in such a way that as much of your back as possible is making contact with the back of your chair. We weren’t designed to sit all day and the support to your spine and natural spinal curves that the seat back provides is far preferable to sitting forward with no support. This tends to diminish the natural curves of the spine which act as springs or shock absorbers for your spine.
- Make sure your monitors are at the correct height – If your monitor is too low, your head tilts downward and this can substantially increase the compressive force going through the neck and the rest of the spine. My opinion is that the top of the monitor should be approximately 3cm above eye level.
- Sit at an open angle – What I mean by that is that when seated, your knees should be slightly lower than your hips… and your back should be slightly beyond the vertical i.e you should be leaning back slightly. Again, this encourages the natural curves of your spine and minimises postural strain.