Ergonomics101
Take a second to notice your posture...
Take a second to notice your posture...
No, really: Do you feel pain in your lower back and joints? Neck cramps? Is working from bed causing more harm than good? The truth is, humans weren’t made to sit all day, and yet we’re doing more of it than ever before—especially as we work at home.
Half of remote workers reported new or more aggravated back and joint pain since WFH.
8 out of 10 workers will experience back pain at some point in their careers.
70% of all computer users suffer from at least one symptom of digital eyestrain or computer vision syndrome.
The annual cost of medical expenses for low-back pain in the US has exceeded $100 billion over the past 10 years.
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are prevalent amongst 40-80% of frequent computer users.
01
It’s human nature: we prefer what feels good now, and not what would make us feel better later. It’s why we tend to be reactive when our bodies start feeling discomfort, but not proactive in preventing such issues before they arise.
02
While our home is now our workplace, it was never designed to fully support our working bodies, tools, and tasks. Even more, there’s been little education on how to make the most of our workspace—whatever that might look like these days.
03
You’ve probably heard: the average adult now spends 50-70% of the day sitting. Unfortunately, few realize the compounding health consequences of our modern sedentary lifestyle. Not even textbook posture can offset sitting for 8+ hours a day!
Good news. It doesn’t have to be like this. Finding your work-body balance is easy if you follow a few core ergonomic principles. After all, we know that taking a proactive approach to your wellness can make a measurable difference in how you feel about your work, and how you perform at work too.
So, where do you begin? Right here! We’ll walkthrough the healthiest postures for sitting and standing at work, and provide practical tips that make it easy to follow along no matter what kind workspace you’re working with.
Let’s get started!
Let’s start with what you probably spend most of your day looking at: your screen. Make sure your eyes are directly level with the top third of it. Use a monitor arm, or get creative by using something sturdy like a stack of books, to raise your screen so that you aren’t constantly staring down with your neck bent forward. Remember to look with your eyes, not your neck!
To help avoid eyestrain, make sure your screen is about an arm’s reach away. Even more, incorporate the 20-20-20 Rule into your routine: Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away, for 20 seconds to allow your eyes to recover from long periods of close viewing.
Think of a seal balancing a ball on its nose. That’s how your body treats your noggin, held atop your torso by all of the muscles in your neck. Keeping your head in line with the midline of your torso will help ensure your neck muscles aren’t working harder than they need to be (or were made for).
Your shoulders should be relaxed and pressed back; not raised. Make sure your chair’s armrests are at the same height as your elbows. If they’re too high, your shoulders will be paying the price!
Your upper arms should be in line with your torso, with your forearms directly parallel with the floor. You’ll also want to keep your elbows bent between 90 to 120 degrees, with your chair’s armrests at elbow height. This way, you’ll reduce strain on your arm muscles by keeping them out of any unnatural positions.
Alternatively, you can drop your chair’s armrests to pull it closer into your work surface such that your elbows rest directly on the tabletop. (You’ll also want to do this if your chair doesn’t have armrests!)
You probably don’t think too much about your wrists and hands while working, but you’ve probably felt their soreness after a long day of typing. To help prevent strain, start by positioning your keyboard at or slightly below your rested elbow height, with your forearms even with your hands.
Be sure that your wrists are working at a neutral angle. Try not to bend them too far up or down while your fingers use the keyboard or mouse, as this can easily lead to strains in your hand ligaments and muscles.
You want to keep your tools close to your body to help reduce any unnecessary reaching and straining. Instead of extending your arms to utilize your keyboard or mouse, pull your accessories toward yourself so that your hands can comfortably rest at the edge of your work surface.
If you use the keyboard and trackpad on a laptop, consider getting separate accessories so that you can elevate the height of your laptop screen while keeping the keyboard and mouse directly on your work surface. This is the most crucial step in ensuring you’re not straining your neck by constantly staring down (as we’ve talked about).
Let’s talk about back pain—better yet, how to prevent it. Your lower back should be pressed against a backrest, such that the small gap between your lumbar and chair is supported. This will help ensure your spine maintains its natural S-curve even while seated. If your chair doesn’t have a backrest or proper lumbar support, consider placing a rolled up towel or small pillow between your chair and lower back.
You want to offload your body weight to the backrest as often as possible, but be sure not to sit in any single position for an extended period of time. Even the best posture isn’t healthy for hours on end!
Your lower body is just as important as your upper body for a healthy working position. Your hips should sit as far back on the chair as possible, with your knees bent at 90 degrees or wider. Positioning them slightly higher than your knees can also help with relieving tightness.
In addition, you’ll want to maintain about 2 inches (or 3 fingers worth) of clearance between the edge of your seat and the back of your knees; having a seat pan that is too short or too long can lead easily lead to discomfort in your legs and thighs.
Your feet are the foundation of good posture. What you don’t want is for them to dangle below your chair, or be resting atop the base of it. This will lead to improper blood flow and circulation, which increases the chances of leg pain and stiffness.
Plant them solidly on the floor, or if your chair is too high or isn’t adjustable, on a footrest to support the weight of your legs. It’s also easy to get creative here by using a box or a couple reams of paper as a footrest!
No matter your home setup, our bodies are built for movement. It’s not good enough to merely get up for a coffee every few hours; it’s also not good to replace sitting all day with trying to stand all day, damaging your joints in the process. Instead, you want to stay active and move between different positions!
To break up prolonged periods of sitting, stand for about 15-30 minutes per hour. If you don’t have a standing desk, relocate your laptop to a high countertop or any stable surface that is roughly aligned with your standing elbow height. And for meetings or calls that don’t require you to be in front of your screen, set a reminder to take them while pacing around your room or on a walk.
Let’s not forget about downtime. In fact, not taking breaks can be one of the most detrimental factors to your productivity, creativity, and focus. It leaves us feeling burnt-out and fatigued, which means we end up working harder when we should be working smarter.
Taking breaks also helps with our mental health, stress levels, and encourages diffuse thinking. Try blocking breaktime into your calendar, adhering to a productivity system like the Pomodoro technique, or scheduling breaks at the same time as your housemates so you’ve got some time to socialize throughout your workday.
So, where do you begin? Right here! We’ll walkthrough the healthiest postures for sitting and standing at work, and provide practical tips that make it easy to follow along no matter what kind workspace you’re working with.
Let’s get started!
Let’s start with what you probably spend most of your day looking at: your screen. Make sure your eyes are directly level with the top third of it. Use a monitor arm, or get creative by using something sturdy like a stack of books, to raise your screen so that you aren’t constantly staring down with your neck bent forward. Remember to look with your eyes, not your neck!
To help avoid eyestrain, make sure your screen is about an arm’s reach away. Even more, incorporate the 20-20-20 Rule into your routine: Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away, for 20 seconds to allow your eyes to recover from long periods of close viewing.
Think of a seal balancing a ball on its nose. That’s how your body treats your noggin, held atop your torso by all of the muscles in your neck. Keeping your head in line with the midline of your torso will help ensure your neck muscles aren’t working harder than they need to be (or were made for).
Your shoulders should be relaxed and pressed back; not raised. Make sure your chair’s armrests are at the same height as your elbows. If they’re too high, your shoulders will be paying the price!
Your upper arms should be in line with your torso, with your forearms directly parallel with the floor. You’ll also want to keep your elbows bent between 90 to 120 degrees, with your chair’s armrests at elbow height. This way, you’ll reduce strain on your arm muscles by keeping them out of any unnatural positions.
Alternatively, you can drop your chair’s armrests to pull it closer into your work surface such that your elbows rest directly on the tabletop. (You’ll also want to do this if your chair doesn’t have armrests!)
You probably don’t think too much about your wrists and hands while working, but you’ve probably felt their soreness after a long day of typing. To help prevent strain, start by positioning your keyboard at or slightly below your rested elbow height, with your forearms even with your hands.
Be sure that your wrists are working at a neutral angle. Try not to bend them too far up or down while your fingers use the keyboard or mouse, as this can easily lead to strains in your hand ligaments and muscles.
You want to keep your tools close to your body to help reduce any unnecessary reaching and straining. Instead of extending your arms to utilize your keyboard or mouse, pull your accessories toward yourself so that your hands can comfortably rest at the edge of your work surface.
If you use the keyboard and trackpad on a laptop, consider getting separate accessories so that you can elevate the height of your laptop screen while keeping the keyboard and mouse directly on your work surface. This is the most crucial step in ensuring you’re not straining your neck by constantly staring down (as we’ve talked about).
Let’s talk about back pain—better yet, how to prevent it. Your lower back should be pressed against a backrest, such that the small gap between your lumbar and chair is supported. This will help ensure your spine maintains its natural S-curve even while seated. If your chair doesn’t have a backrest or proper lumbar support, consider placing a rolled up towel or small pillow between your chair and lower back.
You want to offload your body weight to the backrest as often as possible, but be sure not to sit in any single position for an extended period of time. Even the best posture isn’t healthy for hours on end!
Your lower body is just as important as your upper body for a healthy working position. Your hips should sit as far back on the chair as possible, with your knees bent at 90 degrees or wider. Positioning them slightly higher than your knees can also help with relieving tightness.
In addition, you’ll want to maintain about 2 inches (or 3 fingers worth) of clearance between the edge of your seat and the back of your knees; having a seat pan that is too short or too long can lead easily lead to discomfort in your legs and thighs.
Your feet are the foundation of good posture. What you don’t want is for them to dangle below your chair, or be resting atop the base of it. This will lead to improper blood flow and circulation, which increases the chances of leg pain and stiffness.
Plant them solidly on the floor, or if your chair is too high or isn’t adjustable, on a footrest to support the weight of your legs. It’s also easy to get creative here by using a box or a couple reams of paper as a footrest!
No matter your home setup, our bodies are built for movement. It’s not good enough to merely get up for a coffee every few hours; it’s also not good to replace sitting all day with trying to stand all day, damaging your joints in the process. Instead, you want to stay active and move between different positions!
To break up prolonged periods of sitting, stand for about 15-30 minutes per hour. If you don’t have a standing desk, relocate your laptop to a high countertop or any stable surface that is roughly aligned with your standing elbow height. And for meetings or calls that don’t require you to be in front of your screen, set a reminder to take them while pacing around your room or on a walk.
Let’s not forget about downtime. In fact, not taking breaks can be one of the most detrimental factors to your productivity, creativity, and focus. It leaves us feeling burnt-out and fatigued, which means we end up working harder when we should be working smarter.
Taking breaks also helps with our mental health, stress levels, and encourages diffuse thinking. Try blocking breaktime into your calendar, adhering to a productivity system like the Pomodoro technique, or scheduling breaks at the same time as your housemates so you’ve got some time to socialize throughout your workday.