Office work can cause pain from sitting for hours on end and working in ways that strain your body during repetitive movement. Much of this pain is felt in the lower back, neck, shoulders, wrists, and upper back.
This discomfort is caused by poor posture and bad habits during working. Things like slouching over a keyboard can cause stress and physical pain in your back and other areas of your body.
If you work on a computer or sit down all day it is important to make sure you’re using proper posture and giving your body breaks by standing up during the day.
Women’s Health Magazine shared some great posture tips you can use during the day to make sure you are giving your body the best chance to feel it’s best.
Pain Free Posture Tips
- Monitor Height
Position your monitor so that the top of it is in line with your eye height and it’s tilted up slightly so you only have to move your eyes to see your whole screen. This keeps your head in line with your torso so that your neck and should muscles are less fatigued at the end of the day. - Distance From Monitor
You should sit at least a foot-and-half from your computer screen, which will also help you keep your head and torso in line. - Elbows, Arms, and Wrists
Keep your elbows at your sides and your forearms parallel to the floor. Then position your keyboard so that you can reach it comfortably without moving your elbows. - Back
Tilt your pelvis a bit forward so that you’re almost sitting on your hamstrings, rather than back on your tailbone. This allows you to relax your shoulder and neck muscles. - Chair
Feel free to use your chair’s backrest – as long as you keep your pelvis forward. If you find yourself slouching back into your chair, scoot forward a few inches. - Feet
Both of your feet should be flat on the floor. Sitting cross-legged is a no-no, as is sitting on one of your legs, since those positions cause you to get slouchy. Tip: if your feet can’t reach the floor, see if your company will spring for a footrest – or just use a box.
Pain free posture tips via Women’s Health and Lisa DeStefano.
Hopefully these posture tips will help keep you pain free and ready to go! If you’d like more information about posture and how to improve your posture, check out the resources and posts below:
- 7 steps to better posture
- How to choose an ergonomic chair
- Proper ergonomics to improve posture and reduce pain
- Practical ergonomics at work