How to Make Your Desk More Ergonomic

Poor posture is one of the most common factors when dealing with continuous neck and back pain, and do you know what often causes poor posture? Hours spent sitting in front of a computer screen. A recent study found that the average American worker spends roughly 1,700 hours a year in front of a screen. There is no denying our society spends massive amounts of hours staring at screens all day, so it shouldn’t be much of a shock that neck and back pain has been increasing as well. Screen time has become so ingrained into our daily life that eliminating it to relieve your neck and back pain is not really a viable option. Instead, you can try things like creating a more ergonomic workspace. By creating a more supportive workspace, you can help to relieve your pain without compromising your career. To get started, read on about tips and tricks to make your desk more ergonomic.

The Fundamentals

The fundamentals of any workspace include things like your chair, monitor, and telephone. Positioning these office staples will help set you up for ergonomic success!

• Chair- having your chair at the right adjustment is extremely important for proper posture. You will want to have your chair adjusted to fit your body correctly. Have your feet lying flat on the floor with your thighs parallel to the floor. You can also adjust your armrests so your arms rest gently on them, not too high or too low.
• Monitor-you will want to situate your monitor directly in front of you, roughly an arm’s length away. Position the top of the screen slightly below or at eye level. If you happen to wear bifocal glasses, you can adjust the position so it is 1 to 2 inches lower.
• Telephone- if you use a phone often for work while also typing, you can set your phone to use speaker phone or an attached headset. Cradling the phone between your ear and shoulder can cause increased neck pain. 

Don’t Forget The Details

The fundamentals are important, but so are the details! Keep in mind these more minor points as you set up your workspace.

• Keyboard and mouse- there are a couple of helpful tricks for your keyboard and mouse that can help reduce your movement and prevent strains and pain. Make sure your mouse and keyboard are within easy reach and on the same surface. When using both, keep your wrists straight and your upper arms tucked into your body. You can adjust your mouse’s sensitivity level for clicks that require less pressure and use keyboard shortcuts to limit your movement. 
• Regularly used items- any regularly used items like staplers, pens, or pencils should be kept within easy reach so you are not overextending.

Be Proactive

Even with an ergonomic setup, sometimes some back and neck pain is unavoidable when working in front of a screen for eight hours a day. Schedule time with a professional at Integrated Health Solutions for massages and adjustments to help keep your body aligned and tension free. Call us today to see how we can help prevent and alleviate neck and back pain!