Why Ergonomics and Posture Matter at Work

Your posture matters more than you think. How you carry yourself – and particularly how you sit – can cause serious issues. Unfortunately, a lot of us spend significant time sitting, especially while we’re working.

Bad posture and poor ergonomics can cause several problems. Back, neck, and shoulder pain are common among people who spend their days sitting at a desk. These pains make everything more difficult than it needs to be. They also have serious potential side effects. For instance, if you’re in pain, it’s tough to get a good night’s sleep. That can make it harder to focus and more difficult to be productive. It can also seriously wreck your mood.

Poor ergonomics and posture can cause tension throughout your body, especially in your neck and shoulders, and this tension commonly causes headaches. Everyone who has ever tried to work with a headache knows how difficult that can be.

With the rise of remote jobs and more and more people doing at least some work from home (including checking emails and getting things done outside of work hours), there is an increased need for proper office ergonomics.

Here are some practical, easy-to-follow tips for setting up your home office while protecting your spinal health.

The Basics of Ergonomics

Ergonomics means arranging tools or workstations to improve safety, reduce discomfort, and improve productivity. What it means within the scope of designing a home office is positioning your chair and equipment to ease stress on your body.

It’s about staying comfortable and reducing health risks. A big part of this process is arranging your workstation so you’re not putting unnecessary stress on your body. You don’t want to have to crane or bend your neck to see your monitor, for example and you don’t want to put more pressure on your spine than needed.

Ergonomics are important even if you don’t work entirely from home. A lot of people spend a lot of time sitting, both for work and during leisure time. Setting up your chair, desk, and computer with ergonomics in mind will help reduce pain and discomfort any time you use your system.

The Ideal Chair and Desk Setup

Your chair is a great place to start when you’re looking to improve ergonomics at your desk. One thing to focus on is how your chair supports your back. You want a chair that has lumbar support, which means support for the natural curve of your spine. Many office chairs have this support naturally, but you can add a pillow to help.

The height of your chair matters as well. It’s best to sit so that your knees are bent 90 degrees, and your feet are flat on the floor. Make sure your thighs are parallel to the floor, not up or down at an angle.

The height of your desk and your keyboard matters as well. If your desk is too high or too low, your shoulders or wrists could be strained.

Make sure there’s enough room for your legs to fit comfortably under the desk. Your arms should be comfortable when typing. This usually means bending your elbows at a 90-degree angle so you can type without straining. Your arms should be close to your body and your hands should be at roughly the same height as your elbows. Your wrists should be straight—not bent up or down.

Position your keyboard and mouse so you can use them easily without stretching or reaching.

Monitor Positioning

You should need to strain your neck or bend your head up or down to see your monitor. It should be positioned about an arms length away and the top of the monitor should be close to eye level. The exact positioning will depend on the size of the screen.

Consider using a riser or even a stack of books to raise your monitor so that you don’t hurt your neck looking at it.

Avoid “Laptop Hunch” and “Tech Neck”

These days, a lot more computers are laptops rather than desktops. While laptops are much more convenient, the fact that that can be easily moved around is both a blessing and a curse. When you can work from anywhere, that often means working in conditions that aren’t ideal.

Whenever possible, use a laptop stand or an external monitor to raise the screen so you don’t spend all your time hunched over or craning your neck down. Using an external keyboard and mouse is important as well.

While it’s fine you use a laptop on your lap or on the kitchen table when you’re responding to a quick email, using it this way for hours on end can lead to serious pain. There’s a reason that “tech neck” (the neck pain caused by using technology for long periods without proper ergonomics) has been called an epidemic.

Take Breaks

Even if you have the best, most ergonomically designed set up, you should still try to take frequent breaks. Holding your body in one position for too long (no matter what that position may be) often causes pain and stiffness.

For this reason, taking breaks is crucial. Every 30-60 minutes, take some time to stand up or stretch. Even if you’re just moving your arms away from the keyboard and stretching them out, it can really help. Standing up and walking around for a bit can be a great idea as well. Your break doesn’t need to be lengthy or take you away from your work, but it should give your body a break.

Spine-Friendly Workspace

Small changes can lead to big improvements in posture and ergonomics. Just being aware of your posture while you’re working is important. Every so often, check how you’re sitting. Are your shoulders raised? Is your neck strained? Are your feet flat on the floor? These quick checks will help you make beneficial corrections throughout the day.

If you’re suffering from pain in your neck, shoulders, or back due to your work setup, or if you’re experiencing headaches or other issues because of your posture, we’re here for you. Book an appointment online to come in for a consultation or contact us with any questions you may have.