The majority of businesses have become computer-oriented. It is not wrong to say that people spend more than half of their lives on computers. Hence, it becomes essential to have a good sitting posture and arrangement so that your body does not suffer the consequences of a modern lifestyle.
Ergonomics is a much talked about subject nowadays. There is a sudden rush to purchase ergonomics furniture for a better sitting posture. However, what exactly is ergonomic seating? Ergonomic seating is nothing but a working posture that aligns all the joints of your body naturally and prevents strain.
Some people want to have ergonomic seating at their workplace but do not know how to do it. The following points will help them to start with:
Ideal Ergonomic Seating Postures
- Your head and torso should be in a straight line. Your head should be balanced and bent slightly to the front.
- Your hands, including your wrists and forearms, should be aligned straight and parallel to the ground.
- Your elbows should be at an angle ranging from 90 to 110 degrees.
- The muscles of your shoulders should be flexed, and your upper arms should not be tight, but hang naturally from your body sides.
- Your back should always have firm support in the lumbosacral region, whether you are sitting straight or leaning.
- Your thighs and hips should be well supported with a padded seat.
- The height of your thighs and knees should be equal. You can place your feet a little forward.
- Always relax your feet on the floor or the footrest. They should not hang in the air.
Quick Tips about Ergonomic Desks
You should always change your posture while working for long hours on the computer. Never sit in the same posture for hours together, even if you are in an ergonomic seating posture.
You should adjust your computer chair as well as the backrest after every few hours. Your body muscles need rest at regular intervals. Therefore, do not go on typing or staring at the computer screen continuously. Stretch your arms, hands, fingers, legs, and feet now and then. Move your neck and back at regular intervals to avoid stress. After working for a couple of hours, take a walk for a few minutes and stretch your body muscles. Remember, your eye muscles need rest too.
It is difficult to maintain the correct body posture if your chair and other working accessories of your computer are not right. Hence, it is crucial to choose a suitable setting to maintain the perfect ergonomic seating.
Here are a few tips for an ideal ergonomic seating arrangement:
• Your workstation plays a vital role in a perfect ergonomic seating arrangement. The monitor and the keyboard should be in line with your posture o prevent discomforts to the body.
• Adjust your chair in such a way that you look down at the computer screen, not up.
• The height of the desktop should be at a comfort level. There should be room for other items like files, paper, and so on.
• Your chair should always have an option to adjust its height.
• The mouse mat, as well as the keyboard, should have provision for your wrist to rest.
Our body helps us keeping pace with fast modern life. Hence, we should take good care of it and ensure that it is healthy through ergonomic seating.
Importance of Ergonomic Computer Desks
Ergonomic computer desks are essential for every single person who uses the computer for a longer duration of time. Not only do they improve your work efficiency but they also save you from several health-related problems.
The strain on your eyes and back are the two main health ailments that may cause you problems if you spend a lot of time seating in front of the computer. Ergonomic computer desks, with the help of even minor adjustments in the keyboard or monitor location, can make a significant difference and reduce eyestrain as well as back pain.
Setup is Easy
You must be wondering how to set up an ergonomic computer desk. It is straightforward. You need to remember the fundamental principles of ergonomics and choose the appropriate ergonomic computer desk at your workplace. What are the fundamental principles of an ergonomic computer desk? Let us discuss them one by one.
The height of Work Surface
To begin with, the job of setting up an ergonomic computer desk, you should observe the height of the work surface. If you already have a desk, look at its edge. When do you sit to work what is the shape of the border that faces you? The best suitable configuration for a keyboard tray and monitor setup is a rectangular desk with straight sides.
The most popular choice in home and office spaces are computer desks with radius, diagonal, or 90-degree corners. These desks are readily convertible into ergonomic computer desks. If you need ergonomic computer desks for multiple users, work surfaces with adjustable heights are preferable.
Monitor Position
The position of the monitor is also significant for ergonomic computer desks. How you place, the monitor can help you in fighting eyestrain and back pain. Ideally, the height of an ergonomic computer desk is such that your eye level should be a little bit higher than the top of the monitor screen.
You can adjust the monitor height with the help of monitor lift or arm. However, the height of your chair also affects the difference in the eye level and the monitor top.
Keyboard Position
One of the most crucial principles for setting up ergonomic computer desks is the position of the keyboard. If you are not cautious about the position of the keyboard, you may be exposed to repetitive motion injuries.
What is the ideal height for setting up ergonomic computer desks? The answer is that you should keep the ergonomic keyboard tray at such height that your forearms are parallel with the floor while your elbows form an angle of 90 degrees. You should also have ergonomic wrist support to help you operate the keyboard smoothly. Place this wrist support along with the mouse tray in a line in your keyboard tray to make a perfect ergonomic computer desk.
Choosing the Right Chair
Now let us move to an essential part of our process of setting up ergonomic computer desks, and that is choosing the best suitable chair that can give you maximum comfort.
Ergonomically designed chairs allow you to adjust both the height and the angle of the back. Lumbar support is an essential feature that complements ergonomic computer desks. However, the possibility of using additional back support cannot be ruled out for the people who are suffering from back pain. You should be able to adjust the height of the armrests also. If your feet are not comfortably flat on the floor after making all adjustments for ergonomic computer desks, then buy a footrest.
Accessories
Finally, here are a few tips on accessories to complete the process of setting up ergonomic computer desks. A central processor unit (CPU) holder is helpful in minimizing the back pain, while a document holder can reduce neck pain significantly.