Ergonomic Workstation Setup

During a typical work day, you spend an average of 5 hours and 41 minutes sitting at your desk and 7 hours per day sleeping at night. Increased time spent sitting can be detrimental to your health. This info is from a study by Dr. Myanna Duncan, Mr. Aadil Kazi and Professor Cheryl Haslam from the Work & Health Research Centre, Loughborough University. The study found that people who sit at work are more likely to sit when they are home as well.

The amount of time spent at your computer, as well as how you use your computer, can be a major cause of back, neck and shoulder pain. Poor posture while sitting at the computer and lack of regular breaks and exercise contribute to the problem. Correcting your workstation setup is relatively easy and a great solution to this common issue. Ergonomics can even help you be more productive and function better every day at work. Use our checklist below to assess your workstation and see if it measures up.

Ergonomic Basics:

• Hips all the way back in your chair • Upper torso relaxed against chair backrest • Elbows, Knees, and Hips at 90 degree angles • Feet flat on the floor or on footrest if needed • Avoid tilting wrists back, keep fingers relaxed • Eyes in line with the first line of typing on the screen • Screen at arms distance away • Two inch space between back of knee and front edge of seat pan • Position mouse so that you are not reaching forward to use it • Eliminate screen glare • Use document holder placed close to the screen for easy viewing of documents and tasks • Use headset if your job requires you to use the phone frequently • Visual break every 20 minutes and stretch break once an hour • Air purifiers are a small but significant way to improve the quality of air you breathe

The physical therapists at Mizuta & Associates provide on-site workstation evaluations and recommendations for people of all professions. If you are interested in learning more information about ergonomics and workstation setups, please contact our front office.