You may think sitting in a chair at your desk may be a simple task, but if it’s your job to work at a computer, even the simplest thing done wrong for years can have devastating consequences to your body. The three biggest thing to make sure are proper at a computer workstation are the chair height, screen height and angle, and a comfortable keyboard.
The first thing you need to ensure is your chair is the right height. Keep the ’90 Degree Rule’ in mind. When you sit, your feet should be flat on the floor; knees should have a 90 degree bend, as well as your hips and your elbows. Having your chair too high or too low at a desk will change all of these angles.
If your desk/table is too high to allow for this, raise your chair and add a footrest. If you cannot raise your chair, get a new chair.
Office chairs range from $20 to over $1000. At minimum, your chair should raise, lower and have a backrest. If you do not feel your backrest while you are sitting properly and it does not adjust, there are many after-market low back support cushions that will slide on easily and save your body.
Now, a chair at the proper height obviously saves a lot of problems in your low back, legs, and feet. But, if you type at a desk for years with your wrists angled up, you are at an increased risk for early arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or compression of other nerves that can cause pain in your hands, elbows, shoulders or neck. Having your chair at the right height helps save aches and pains in your whole body.
The angle of your computer screen is a vital part of preventing neck pain, headaches and eye fatigue. It should be easy for you to see your entire screen with your head in a neutral position. This is slightly more difficult to manage when using a laptop or tablet, but a desktop computer allows you to raise and lower the screen without affecting the height or angle of the keyboard.
The following tip may seem very obvious, but I have seen hundreds of problems with this while doing on-site care for corporate offices: HAVE YOUR KEYBOARD CENTERED IN FRONT OF YOUR COMPUTER SCREEN SO YOU DO NOT HAVE TO TURN YOUR BODY TO SEE YOUR SCREEN. Unless of course, you want to see your chiropractor faint, then by all means, go ahead.
A good way to know if you need to do something with your keyboard is to look at your forearm after you have been typing for 10 minutes. If you see dents in your skin from the edge of your laptop, keyboard or desk, this is a good indication that you need to make some adjustments. Start with checking your chair again.
If you spend hours a day using a laptop or a tablet, invest in a separate keyboard that allows for your wrists to be neutral and your fingers comfortable while having the screen at the proper height and angle. My trick for airports or restaurants is to have the separate keyboard in your lap with the tablet on the table. This allows for a very comfortable position for your wrists and saves table space.
Keep these tips in mind to keep yourself in check at work and at home. Encourage your children to get in the habit of adjusting chairs and equipment to make sure it is comfortable for them.
Dr. Jessica Allen is owner of Chiropractic Concierge, PLLC and myhomechiro.com