If you’re the typical office worker and you’ve been working for at least a couple of years, then most likely you may now be experiencing from some sort of back or hip problems. Your office chair or furniture could be your first suspect.
Dozens of chiropractic clinics have mushroomed in these past years. These problems are not only limited in your place, this is worldwide. The health insurance industry is shocked in this sudden rise of orthopedic issues.
Consider this, in the US alone nearly 65 million Americans have reported a recent episode of back pain. And this has affected not only the health care system but also work productivity.
Most of our offices today here in the Philippines have not adapted designs conducive to the health of their employees. Well, that maybe because ergonomic furniture is quite expensive. But still there are ways to avoid injury in the office.
You can change work styles and habits, rearrange office furniture and fixtures and a lot more. But here some of the ways:
Standing with an adjustable office table
- Say, every hour in your office chair, take time to stand, move your laptop to a higher table and do the work there for another hour, then you get back to your table, this time, sitting. Do this 3 or 4 times in a day. Yes, this might be quite uncomfortable but that’s intentional. For your health. See the picture above? It says, keep moving. That’s one secret to a healthy back. Don’t remain in one position for too long.
- In the standing position, place your monitor, or laptop screen below eye level. Your line of vision should be between 0-60 degrees.
- Your feet should be flat on the floor. Avoid standing on one leg as some would often do.
Sitting in front of your computer table
- When sitting make sure that the things you use regularly are within reach. Elbow and shoulder injuries are avoided in this manner.
- The monitor or screen position in this situation should be between 0-30 degrees. Make sure that the top of the viewing area is below your eye level.
- Wrists and elbows. Your wrists should be straight at desk level. This is where chairs with armrests come into play. Your elbows are comfortable rested on the armrests.
- Lower back. This is where most injuries lie. So you have to adjust the backrest so your lower back is fully supported. Most office chairs now anyway have the tilting feature.
Put these tips into practice now. If you find these to be too burdensome, then an ergonomic office furniture would be your best option. Get it now!