Poor Posture and Office Ergonomics
I've spoken before about how the biggest underlying cause of spinal mechanical disorders is “Poor Posture”. Latest figures suggest nearly 80% of the working population have sitting or sedentary jobs and therefore the office set up is key to better posture and optimal spinal health.
There are many things that can be done to ensure better posture:
Limit the use of mobile devices (phone, tablets and laptops) which cause you to look down for prolonged periods of time thereby leading to a reduced/reversed normal Cervical lordosis.
If your work means sitting at a desk peering into a computer screen for hours at a time, please try to get up a move every 30-40 minutes. Using a sit down/stand up desk provides the best of both worlds and reduces the need to get up and move quite so often.
The office set up:
- Ensure the keyboard and computer screen are in line and not off set to one side.
- Ensure the bottom third of the computer screen is at eye level (it is best to be looking slightly up at the screen and not looking down) to maintain a better Cervical postural curve.
- Whilst sitting with your wrists resting on the desk, the elbows should be slightly flexed at an angle of 120°-140°. If your elbows are at 90°, you are sitting too low.
- In my opinion the chair is not so important however, you should sit forward on the front edge of the seat with your feet back. This helps to rotate the pelvis forward to maintain a better posture. Instead of a chair you could use a swiss ball, again with your feet back either side of the ball, this additionally improves core strength which is key to better posture.
If you are suffering with neck pain or issues affecting the lower back and you have done some or all of the above, then a more detailed investigation might be required in your particular case, which may require treatment combined with rehab exercise tailored to your particular complaint and more specific advice relating to your office environment. Get in touch with us today for an Initial Consultation to see how we can help with your posture.