1 headaches, migraines, lack of focus

Poor posture:

While working on our computers doing all the right things to fulfill our job responsibilities, we tend to forget about our physical and mental well-being. Hunching over our workstation and laptop/ keyboard, positions our body unnaturally, leading to blood flow restrictions and muscle tension, which can lead to headaches and migraines. Please take our self-assessment guide and learn how to improve the ergonomics of your work setup.

Stress:

Another way we loose sight of our ultimate comfort is by letting stress take over. Experiencing stress first tightens our neck and shoulder muscles, which in turn can lead to migraines and chronic headaches. Learning how to deal with stress like taking regular breaks, breathing and/or meditating is vital. So is investing time in learning how to optimally organize your workspace for comfort and wellbeing.

For complete self-assessment, check out our guide and learn how to improve the ergonomics of your work set up.

Lighting and contrast:

Eyestrain, dryness, and blurred vision can be a result of multiple factors in your workplace setup. Be sure to check your screen brightness and contrast levels, especially relative to the light levels in your room. There should not be much difference between the ambient light and native screen light.

Glare:

Strongly reflected glare on your screen from natural light or overhead light sources can be distracting and cause eye strain. Reduce the overhead light/ ambient light intensity to mitigate these risks.

Monitor position:

The ability to reposition your monitor relative to different circumstances is key in achieving visual comfort. Lighting and glare as such. Additionally having your monitor in proper viewing distance is important for your good posture as well as reductio of eye strain. The monitor should be parallel to your body and should ideally be an arms-length away, depending on your monitor size and level of detailed work. The top line of text on the screen should be level with your eyes.

For complete self-assessment, check out our guide and learn how to improve the ergonomics of your work set up.

There is evidence that poor workplace ergonomics can lead to neck pain and shoulder tension. When working intensely, mostly sedentary for long periods of time, computer-related workers develop forward-leaning head posture. One of the culprits could be the suboptimal screen position, seating posture, and placement prioritization of the primary work tools. Some postural rules to consider are:

• The screen should be one extended hand distance away when leaning on the backrest of your chair
• Eyes should point directly at the top text line of your screen
• Your often-referenced documents should be in line with your screen and keyboard or just to the side of your keyboard
• Forearms should be parallel with or slightly declined to the floor when typing
• Elbows should be at the side of your body
• Feet should be flat on the floor with the thighs parallel with or slightly declined to the floor

For complete self-assessment, check out our guide and learn how to improve the ergonomics of your work set up.

Excessive time in seated, non-dynamic, and poorly supported positions can lead to serious back stress and injury. Computer-related work is known to be more harmful compared to other physically demanding tasks. Be mindful of the following work modes during your seated work routine.

Hunched over position

A sign that you are not well-supported and uncomfortable in our chair or your work set up tase poor ergonomic value. Assuming this posture is very common for people working on a laptop without an external screen and keyboard/ mouse. It is also possible that your screen and work tools are positioned incorrectly.

Reclined/ slouched position

Proper lumbar and thoracic back support alleviates stress and allows the back muscles to relax. A good lumbar position, in particular, assures that the natural curvature and health of the spine are maintained. Lack of good upper back (thoracic) will sometime cause us to slide our bottoms forward, leaving the lumbar unsupported. If your lumbar area and upper back are poorly or not supported at all, look for a better chair (link to task chairs) that will provide long-term comfort.

Standing position

Working standing often in short bursts of time improves spinal health and cognition. However, prolonged standing can also have a negative effect on our back comfort. For optimal results and health stand for 10 minutes every hour.

The selection of a high-quality ergonomic chair and its proper use during our sedentary work hours will have a positive impact on your spine health.

For complete self-assessment, check out our guide and learn how to improve the ergonomics of your work set up.

Working long hours in improper ill-supported hand position can cause discomfort and sometimes debilitating conditions, such as carpal tunnel syndrome (inflammation of the median nerve in the wrist). Properly adjusted and fitted work environment such as appropriate table height, selection, and alignment of the right work tools can greatly elevate the stress on the arm’s soft tissues and wrist.

• for proper positioning, make sure your elbow is slightly elevated or in line with the desktop. If you cannot adjust your work surface heigh, please adjust your seat height, but be careful not to have too much stress put on your lower extremities – always have your feel planted and supported too
• using an external keyboard and mouse is always recommended, so you can bring them closer to your body and in a more natural body posture
• preferably the elbow, wrist, and knuckles of your fingers should be coplanar most of the time
• align the center of your body with the center of your keyboard and monitor, your chest being parallel to the plane of your monitor, without twisting your torso
• Consider using accessories such as keyboard soft pads that support your wrist and give a soft landing position at the base of your palms

For complete self-assessment, check out our guide and learn how to improve the ergonomics of your work set up.

Immobility and long-term sedentary behavior can lead to significant levels of discomfort in your lower extremities due to reduced blood circulation and lack of musculoskeletal dynamics.

• adjust your chair to the proper seat height. Don’t know what that means? (link to ergo assessment)
• consider adding a dynamic footrest if you spend a lot of time in a seated position
• alternate between seated and standing work sessions (recommendation in our ergo assessment)
• take breaks and walk away from your desk. Engage your leg muscles by doing some exercises like squats, jumping jacks, etc.

For complete self-assessment, check out our guide and learn how to improve the ergonomics of your work set up.

Assuming poor posture, bending forward and twisting sideways, and lack of good ergonomic setup can exacerbate nerve sensitivity. Irritation of the sciatic nerve – the largest nerve in our body, a connecting hub for five nerve nodes in the lower spine and runs down through our right thigh – is quite common.

If you already own a good ergonomic chair, be mindful of how you sit in it. Lean into the backrest with your lumbar area supported. Recline often, so you can distribute weight concentration away from your lower back and sit bones. Sit with your feet flat on the floor or elevated surface and don’t cross your leg or lean to one side. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor or slightly elevated at the hips point.

We sit for two-thirds of our waking hours. More than half of that time we spend in our workplace. Hence adopting good habits and investigating improvements in our work environment are essential for good health and pain-free life.

• While this might not be so obvious of a problem at first, we should pain close attention to this condition. When focusing intensely on the task at hand, it is very common that we lean forward when sitting in our chairs. This unfortunately wreaks havoc on our calm state of bodily functions.
• Leaning forward (rounded shoulder and forward head posture) tightens the muscles around our chest and reduces the depth of our breathing, which in turn can reduce our blood oxidation levels. The reduction of blood oxidation can affect our brain cognition and ability to focus.
• Shallow breathing can also trigger our evolutionary “fight or flight” response mechanism, which automatically instructs our body to increase stress hormone levels and upkeep our fat storage levels.
• To counteract these innate body mechanisms due to poor posture, we can be mindful of the effects of good ergonomic practices in our daily work habits.

• It sounds scary, but prolonged sedentary behavior has recently been linked to these symptoms. We have been living in a sedentary epidemic for the past 20 years and now we know that there are tools and practices we can employ for our health benefit
• Start with sitting dynamically. That means never lock your chair’s recline function and allow your body to follow its instincts for movement. Movement nourishes our muscles and our brains too.
• Stand up when working some of the time. Varying our work posture is the best thing we can do for our mindset and health set.
• Taking active breaks. Walk more and often. When talking on the phone stand up or move.
• Practice some version of the active exercise routine during the week. The more our bodies move, the more we groove.