We often hear people say 'they don't have good posture' and pain is blamed on a 'bad' posture. But is posture the only problem? Definitely not! Everything in our body is designed to move - muscles, joints and even organs! So lets move them. The majority of adults in the UK sit for 7-10 hours a day. Even if you have a fantastic desk set up, sitting for this long is going to take its toll. So try to mix it up by using sitting & standing desks, taking short walks and exercising regularly. Especially at the moment while many of us are working from home its so easy to become very sedentary and we have been seeing this causing a few issues in clinic so remember....keep moving!
Here are some tips for a great desk set up:
Is your screen is at eye level? If your monitor does not have height adjustment try elevating it with a riser, or even some old books!
Keep your mouse close. It’s easy for your mouse to drift away from you when working, make sure you are not over-stretching to reach it
Keep your keyboard close. You should be able to sit up in your chair, have your elbows in an L-shape and still be able to reach your keyboard. If you are overstretching to reach it, you will need to make adjustments
Adjust your chair. You should be able to sit right back into your chair, so your lower back is supported while still comfortably accessing your equipment
Feet to the floor. The height of your chair should allow your feel to easily reach flat to the floor. Use some form of riser if needed
Avoid crossing your legs. It can cause circulation problems and puts unnecessary strain through your lower back.
If you are mainly working off a laptop you may want to consider getting wireless keyboards and/or risers so you can optimise your work posture.
