Your body is built to be in a prone position. So is it any wonder that sitting in an office chair a good part of the day can lead to backaches and other pain?
The pain emanating from the back, neck, shoulders or legs at the end of a workday generally is a result of something making the muscles work harder than they should.
If you work in an office, back pain could be related to your workstation setup. The chair you sit in most could be too high or too low. The screen on your computer may not be located properly, thus causing unilateral strain to one side of the neck muscles, eventually resulting in neck and shoulder pain. The computer mouse may be too far, or too elevated, requiring a constant contraction of your shoulder muscles to support your arm position.
If the paperwork and documents you refer to while working at the computer are located improperly, you could be constantly looking to one side which will also result in the same type of symptoms caused by an improper computer monitor position.
There are several preventative measures you can take to help take the load off your back, neck, shoulders and legs.
Check the height of your office chair. A desk chair should be high enough to allow your upper legs to be parallel to the floor with adequate clearance under the desk or workstation.
Your feet should be supported with an angled foot pad, if available.
Invest in a good quality chair that provides low back and pelvic support. (The Steelcase Leap chair was recently evaluated by the University of Michigan and the results were excellent in improved productivity because of decreased low back and neck pain.)
The arm rest height on your chair as well as the position and location of the computer monitor, angle of the keyboard and where your reference paperwork is located all contribute to your comfort and musculoskeletal flexibility at work. Your arms and shoulders should be supported in a neutral position to avoid arm and neck strain.
The computer monitor should be centered in the work place and your eyes should have a five degree to 20 degree downward gaze when looking at the computer monitor. Your eyes should be between 18 and 30 inches away from the monitor, and any paperwork you’re referencing while working at the computer should be placed beside the monitor to avoid repetitive turning and strain.
David J. Poethke is a doctor of chiropractic in downtown Milwaukee and can be reached at 414-220-9441.
Nov. 8, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
