We all know we should improve our work set up. We all know that out posture could be better. We all know that sitting at our desk 40 hours a week is finally catching up to us. Our back hurts, our neck is getting a hump, our hands are going numb. It’s time to make a change!
But making changes can be hard... and expensive. So we made a list of adorable and simple changes you can make today to improve your desk set up and decrease risk of pain and repetitive strain on the job.
Raise your computer screen- The top of your screen should be at eye height. Prop your lap top or monitor up on a box (thank you, Amazon) to improve your head and neck positioning. Looking down at a computer screen all day promotes a forward head and rounded posture. 2 things we really want to avoid. You can also adjust your chair height to achieve the same thing. We can a straight spine and neck!
Get a detached keyboard- You can purchase a keyboard on Amazon for less than $20, or even better there is probably one sitting around the house in that old junk drawer. Position the keyboard close to your body or even on your lap. We want your elbows to be right next to your ribcage and elbows bent to 90 degrees in order to keep your wrists neutral. This will prevent shoulder and forearm pain, tendonitis and carpal tunnel.
Remove or lower the armrests on your chair- We can’t to avoid constant pressure to your elbows as this can cause cubital tunnel syndrome (which feels like you fit your funny bone AT ALL TIMES! No thanks) removing the temptation of resting your elbows down on arm rests will keep your elbows happy. Additionally put your phone on speaker or use a head set rather than hold it up to your ear during your next call. Constant bending of your elbow can cause a similar problem.
Prop your feet up- after positioning your chair and removing arm rests you may notice your feet are not able to properly rest on the floor, grab another box of a few old text books to use as a foot rest. We want your hips and knees to be bent to 90 degrees and supported to take pressure off your back.
Change up where you put things- place things your use the most close to you. It is best to avoid repetitive reaching and lifting. If you know you use your stapler 20x per day, tuck it in the corner nice and close to you. If you are reaching all the way across your desk to dial the phone, slide it closer to you. You body works best when things are done close to use. We want to be able to maintain good upright posture, elbows close to your sides and minimize forward reaching and bending to achieve what we need to.Â
Use bigger pens- if you do a lot of hand writing and note taking, gripping a small pen all day can be hard on your muscles. Using thicker pens or even adding a pencil grip can make you much more comfortable and successful, any maybe even improve your hand writing.
Set up voice to text- most online softwares (including google docs) have voice to text for free. Use this dictation feature to be able to speak and have your computer type it up for you. This will reduce being stuck in the same position all day with hands on the keyboard and the repetitive finger use on the keyboard. Another win- if you are slow typer this may increase your efficiency!
Improve lighting- having the room well lit can decrease strain on your eyes. This can decrease the feeling of fatigue and improve your accuracy when working and reading
These small changes will have a huge impact on your day for essentially no cost. Boxes, books and moving things around is all you need to improve your set up. We spend a majority of our week at work so might as well make is as comfortable as possible!
Needing a customized ergonomic setup? We offer remote and in person work assessments to determine what is causing your pain and give you a solution.