How to Prevent Pain with an Ergonomic Desk Setup
Working at a desk for long hours can lead to discomfort and pain if your setup isn’t ergonomically sound. Many people make do with what they have, but small adjustments can make a big difference in preventing aches, pains, and long-term issues.
I’m Lauren Masi, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. I’m also the owner and clinical services director of Bay Area Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy. Today, we’re going to talk about ergonomics and your desk setup, and we’ll walk through how to create a comfortable and supportive workstation.
What Are Ergonomics, and Why Do They Matter?
Ergonomics is how we fit into our environment. Whether you’re working at a desk, cooking in a kitchen, or driving a car, ergonomics plays a role in how you interact with your surroundings. Poor ergonomics can lead to discomfort, strain, and injury over time.
When it comes to desk setup, I want you to read this whole article and see how every piece fits into the next. This is because, based on the equipment that you have at home, you might not be able to change one component without changing another. We want to avoid you having to go out and buy a whole new desk setup if at all possible. Please make note of the areas in your body where you might have aches and pains, and focus your corrections on those areas to begin with, and then we can work towards fixing everything.
Start with the Basics: Proper Chair and Positioning
The number one thing that I think is a mistake for most people is, you really want a good chair. And by “good chair,” I don’t mean it has to be an expensive one. You can have a very expensive, ergonomically correct chair; but if you sit in it wrong, it’s not going to matter what kind of chair you have at all.
Here are some tips for choosing a good chair:
- Chair Back Support: Having a high-backed chair that comes up to your shoulder blades, at least, allows you to sit into the chair and let the chair hold you up.
- Lumbar Support: You don’t have to have a big cushion that’s pushing into your lower back. You just want to make sure that you feel supported the whole length of your back.
- Seat Positioning: You need to make sure that your tush is all the way wiggled into the back of that chair so that there’s no slouching. The minute your butt slides forward, it puts a curve through all of your body and will push your head a bit forward.
- Proper Chair Size: You want to make sure that the seat of your chair doesn’t push into the back of your knees. I’d recommend about three to four fingers of clearance from the end of your seat to the back of your knees.
- Proper Sitting Posture: You should have 90 degrees at your knees and about 90 degrees at your hips. You definitely don’t want your hips to be positioned lower than your knees. That can cause some hip pain and low back irritation as well.
- Proper Chair Height: If you tend to be a little bit shorter in the leg, you might need a footrest to bring the ground up to you so you can maintain that proper sitting posture. They make a variety of different footrests you can use, or you can even grab some old yellow pages or reams of paper and put them under your feet so they can be supported.
Should You Use a Chair with Armrests?
If you do use armrests, they should be low enough that they don’t press your shoulders upward when you rest on them. They should support lightly at your elbow.
You also shouldn’t be leaning on arm rests because not only does that curve your spine, but it can also compress the nerves in your elbows and cause numbness and tingling.
Keep Your Keyboard and Mouse Within Easy Reach
Another mistake that I see a lot of people make is that they have to reach out for their mouse, and the number one pain that they’ll report is shoulder problems. When you’re doing that, you’re actually using your rotator cuff all the time to keep your arm up and move the mouse around.
A general rule of thumb is that, if you were to let your arms hang at your sides and you bend your elbows 90 degrees, you should be able to easily reach your keyboard and mouse without having to reach forward.
If you are at a desk surface that’s higher, that’s when you might want to invest in a keyboard tray that you can pull out underneath the desk to keep your elbows at that 90-degree range of motion. And you should be able to rotate your arm out to the side from that position to reach your mouse.
Position Your Monitor at the Right Height and Distance
One problem we see a lot is that people place their computer monitor at the wrong height or distance. You want the monitor to be at about eye level so you can look straight ahead to view the screen.
If you’re using a laptop, you may want to get a riser to be able to lift the screen to eye level so you aren’t looking down and hunching your neck and shoulders to see it. Hunching or leaning forward to see your screen can happen if it is not placed at eye level and if it is too far away for you to see easily. This causes terrible posture, which can lead to upper back pain and neck pain.
Depending on your setup, you might be able to adjust it by bringing the monitor in closer to you. Otherwise, please visit your eye doctor because they can make you glasses specifically designed to use with computers. That is something that exists that can help you see your monitor clearly.
Take Frequent Breaks from Sitting
The one thing that I can’t control for you is how long you have to sit at a desk. If you have to sit at a desk for eight hours at a time for work, I encourage you to take breaks.
If you need to, set timers to remind yourself to get up and walk around throughout the day. And every once in a while, take a break from looking at your screen and look at something 20 feet away for a few minutes to reduce eye strain.
Reach Out to Bay Area PT for a Consultation
If you are already experiencing numbness, tingling, or pain in your arms or hands, check out our blog articles on carpal tunnel syndrome and laser therapy for more information on how we can help.
Or, if you’re ready to see how physical therapy can help alleviate your pain and discomfort, reach out to Bay Area Physical Therapy today for a complimentary consultation.