The most important station of your life……

Lets face it we spend most of our lives working in an environment which is not optimal for us to function in other areas of our lives. After working with a number of clients this month who have had to change their workstation setup there are a few simple steps we can take in order to improve common causes of pain in the lower back, neck and shoulders.

1. Seat – working on a seat that allows you to keep your knees at 90 degrees and feet flat on the floor will be optimal. If not you may find you go up on your toes shortening the calve muscles. If you can’t reach the floor place something underneath your feet.

2. Desk – Your desk height should allow you to sit back in your chair and reach your computer without having to lean forward. Typically people will have the chair too low and have to arch their lower back in order to reach the keyboard. If you get a pain across the mid back that’s you!

3. Computer – Ensure that your computer is close enough so your arms are bent at 90 degrees. An excessive lean forward will also lead to upper back soreness and lengthen these muscles over time.

4. Screen distance – This will be personal to you and very dependant on your eyesight! If you are straining to see what is on the screen your head will be in a forward lean position causing strain on your deep neck flexors and SCM which can be a common cause of headaches and severe neck pain…..ever wondered why you struggle to turn your neck without pain?

Four very simple steps to assist you in developing an optimal environment for your workstation but can make a big impact in relieving aches and pains. I found this cool website where you can calculate your ideal workstation measurements based on your height quite general but a good starting point

http://www.thehumansolution.com/ergonomic-office-desk-chair-keyboard-height-calculator.html

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