By Dr Carla Cupido • January 20th, 2010

¸ Seating that is too low may require you to use awkward arm postures to reach up to the work surface, or may cause you to sit with your knees raised, increasing the stress on your lower back.
¸ Sitting for long periods without varying your posture increases fatigue.

You chair should have the following features:
¸ A five-point base to decrease the risk of tipping
¸ A non-slippery fabric to prevent you from sliding away from the backrest
¸ A rounded front edge as a straight edge can push into the back of your thighs, compressing the sciatic nerve.
¸ A seat the tilts forward and backward to adjust to your spine

FOOTREST
A footrest can reduce the pressure placed on the back of your thighs by the seat, therefore decreasing pressure on the sciatic nerve. The correct height of the footrest is the distance your feet are off the floor after you have established your correct seat height.

A footrest should have:
¸ A non-slip surface large enough for both feet to rest comfortably (about 30cm by 30cm or 1 ft sq)
¸ An adjustable slope (10-20 degrees) to allow a comfortable position for your ankles
¸ Stability to prevent sliding when your feet are on it

BACKREST
Backrests are important to support the lumbar lordosis (curve). Rounding through the low back increases the risk of disc injury. By maintaining your curve, fewer microtears will occur along the posterior aspect your disc and your overall risk of disc injury will decrease substantially.

ARMRESTS
Armrests can decrease the stress on your shoulders and back. Your forearms should rest comfortably on the armrests with your shoulders relaxed.

Remove armrests if they:
¸ Prevent you from placing your chair at the appropriate place for typing or viewing the screen
¸ Interfere with typing or using the mouse
¸ Prevent you from turning your chair
¸ Prevent you from getting up easily

SCREEN HEIGHT

The top line of text on your computer screen should be at eye level.

VIEWING DISTANCE
The distance between your eyes and the screen when sitting in your typing position should be approximately arm’s length. Your ears should be in line with your shoulders when you view the computer (your head should not be out in front of your body).

DUAL MONITORS
Tips for working with two monitors:
¸ Both monitors should be at the same height as for a single monitor.
¸ Both monitors should be no closer than arm’s length away to avoid added neck rotation.
¸ Increase the font size, if necessary, to maintain at least an arm’s length from the monitor.
¸ Position your main monitor straight in front of you and in line with your keyboard and chair.
¸ Position your second monitor right next to the main monitor.
¸ If you use both monitors equally, place them side by side and adjust your body, keyboard, and mouse to be straight.
¸ Increase your mouse speed; this will reduce the amount of movement required to move the cursor across both screens.

KEYBOARD
To ensure that your wrists remain straight while typing, try the following:

¸ Adjust the keyboard surface either up or down. Your wrists should be straight when your fingers are on the middle row of keys. (Raise or lower your chair if your keyboard doesn’t adjust this way)
¸ Your work surface should be just below your elbows.
¸ Your forearms should be parallel to the floor.

PALM SUPPORT
If you drop your palms or wrists while typing, try placing your palms on a support that is approximately the same thickness to your keyboard. It should also be narrow in depth so that it only touches your palm, not your wrist.

MOUSE
Mouse tips:

¸ Place your mouse at the same height as your keyboard.
¸ Place your mouse as close to your keyboard as feels good.
¸ Don’t reach further than necessary to use your mouse.
¸ You may have to get an extension to the keyboard surface for your mouse if your desk doesn’t offer this option.
¸ Give yourself enough space to move the mouse freely.
¸ Keep your wrist straight while using the mouse.
¸ Avoid extending your wrist or bending it to either side.
¸ Guide the mouse with a full arm motion from the shoulder, not just the wrist.
¸ Don’t hold it too tightly: relax!
¸ Remove your hand from the mouse when not using it.
¸ Increase the mouse’s pointer speed if you are noticing discomfort in your hand or wrist.

ORGANIZATION OF WORK AREA
Organize your work materials and accessories into primary and secondary work zones. This not only improves efficiency and provides more space; it also decreases the risk of repetitive strain injuries on muscles required to accomplish recurring reaching tasks.

Primary work zone:
¸ Regular work area
¸ Within easy reach – up to 30cm (12 in.)
¸ Place items that you use frequently or for long periods in this area
¸ Arrange them around you in a semicircle

Secondary work zone:
¸ Occasional use area
¸ Within moderate reach 30-50 cm (12-20 in.)
¸ Place items that you use irregularly in this area

TELEPHONE
Headsets are a brilliant option for people who are on the phone a lot. Cradling the phone between your ear and shoulder increases the risk of neck injuries.

TAKE HOME POINTS
¸ Follow these Work Safe BC guidelines for your workspace.
¸ Avoid acute or chronic injury by having tight muscles and pain assessed by your health care practitioner immediately.
¸ Remember, the longer something has been bothering you, the longer it normally takes to correct.
¸ If you aren’t healthy, you can’t work, so look after yourself NOW!


This is a link to Work Safe BC for more information & diagrams on workplace ergonomics.
The majority of this article’s information is from the Work Safe BC document entitled, “How to Make Your Computer Work Station Fit You”.

Learn More about Dr. Carla Cupido.

My name is Carla Cupido and I am a chiropractor in Vancouver (Kitsilano), Canada, who believes strongly in the bond between yoga and chiropractic. I will be writing a series of articles on neuromusculoskeletal conditions and their connectedness to yoga from a chiropractor’s perspective. I encourage you to learn as much as you can about the human body, as the more you understand, the better able you will be to protect yourselves from injury. I wish you all the best in your practices and in your lives! Namaste.

You can contact Dr. Carla Cupido by email at carla@drcarlacupido.com
or via her website: www.drcarlacupido.com.
Her practice is located at 3623 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, V6R 1P2.
The phone number at the clinic is 778-968-3722.

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