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Comfortable Workplace Ergonomics: Avoid Body Leg Cramps, Tiredness

Posted: 05 Jul 2011 10:45 AM PDT

Guest Post by Susan : As if the general stresses and strains of the busy working day were not enough, adopting the wrong posture when sitting in front of the home or office computer can take a heavy toll on the body. Indeed, with so many now having to spend extended periods sitting by their system, an array of problems ranging from pins and needles to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and everything in-between can ensue as a result, all of which can be avoided simply by awareness of good posture.

Sadly, such does not involve sprawling out on your franklin furniture and lazing away your working days, but certainly doesn't have to be a particularly taxing endeavour by any stretch of the imagination.

Factors to Consider to Improve Workplace Ergonomics

Seating

Push back your hips as far as they will realistically go in the chair. Ensure that the height of the chair is such that your feet can be placed flat on the floor with your knees at an equal height to your hips, perhaps slightly lower. The back of the chair should be adjusted to a reclined angle of about 100 degrees, with the armrests (if present) adjusted to allow your shoulders to fully relax, or removed completely if such is not possible. Seating has the potential to prevent an array of back and shoulder problems, which in turn can cause pain, headaches, fatigue, dizziness and general heat to toe malaise.

Keyboard

Your keyboard should be positioned so that the keys are directly centred with your body. The height of the keyboard should be such that your shoulders can be fully relaxed, your elbows are in a slightly open position and with your hands and wrists fully straight. The tilt of your keyboard should be comfortable adjusted in relation to your sitting position.

Use wrist pads to cushion wrists resting on surfaces and pad hard surface if present. While most keyboard positions will likely seem satisfactory at the time, hand and wrist complaints manifest over considerable periods and can prove incredibly problematic once they have set in. Taking a proactive approach to preventing them is infinitely favourable to treatment following their occurrence. (See Infographic on proper keyboard usage)

Monitor

The position of the monitor can have a quite enormous effect on the overall posture and subsequent health of any PC user, requiring a level of care that is all too often overlooked.

Your neck should be in a relaxed and neutral position, with the monitor situated directly in front of you and never at a sideways angle. The top of the monitor should be two to three inches below your eye-level when seated.

Glare

Alongside the physical positioning of the monitor in relation to head, neck and back comfort, it is also essential to be fully aware of harmful glare. Generally speaking, glare can be controlled by curtains and the moving of lighting source and so on, but in some cases it may be necessary to consider an alternative location for the computer.

Again, though it may seem rather minor, glare has the potential to result in serious eye strain, which can in turn manifest by way of a catalogue of complaints. You should also see how to automatically adjust monitor color and white balance to avoid strain on your eyes after long hours of work.

Additional Equipment

There is a whole world of equipment provisions that can be procured to help your posture improve, ranging from additional padded seat backs to foot rests to ergonomic peripherals and so on. While such items are often foregone as less then essential, it should be remembered that any money spent this way is something of an investment in your long-term health, which should be considered priceless.

Breaks

The highlight of the day for some and the bane of the existence of others – breaks are essential to release built up tension and help stretch muscles. As such, breaks should never involve simply switching to a more recreational website and downing a few cookies, but should instead be used to take a brief walk and stretch to your heart's content. Stretching in particular should ideally be indulged in at least every 30 minutes or so to prevent the risk of cramps and so on.

Take Your Eyes off the Prize

Another enormously helpful practice is to spend at least a ten to fifteen seconds every few minute looking at something a further distance away and in a different direction to your screen.

Doing so not only helps prevent eye strain, but also naturally required you to move your head, neck, back and so on, enormously reducing the risk of cramps and strains. You should check out these websites to help you relax and calm yourself.

Videos: Ergonomics, Postures to Maintain while Working on Laptop, PC

While taking all such steps may seem something of a rather demanding undertaking, once the ideal setup has be found to promote perfect posture, it can be kept that way with relative ease and all the benefits reaped for years to come.