Definition of ergonomics
1: an applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely — called also biotechnology, human engineering, human factors
Working from Home
With the pandemic, many folks are working from home now. With that new environment come new challenges. One of those challenges is ergonomics. Sometimes our at home set ups are not as friendly to our bodies as the ones we have at work. This can lead to a variety of issues like sore back, sore neck, headache, and carpal tunnel. How do we fix this?
Well, I think many of us did not expect that working from home would last so long. The vast majority of us do not have the space to have a home office so we’ve made do with what we had available at the time. Now that it’s clear this is not changing anytime soon it may be time to change your set up to better address your body’s needs. The first step is assessing where your set up is not helping.
Factors that affect ergonomics
• Chair height
• Desk height
• Screen placement
• Keyboard placement
• Mouse placement
Ideal Set Up
• Sit in your chair with your feet flat on the floor
•Your knees should be bent at roughly a 90° angle
•Your seat should be roughly level with your knees
• Sit up straight with your shoulders relaxed.
• Your arms should be relaxed with approximately a 90° bend at your elbows
• Your wrists should be relatively straight to slightly flexed towards your keyboard
• The computer screen should be eye level
Image Source: Office Ergonomics: Your How-to Guide – Mayo Clinic
Solutions for Home Set Ups
Home set ups vary widely. Some people have an actual home office with a desk and office chair and desktop computer. Some people have a laptop and whatever chairs or tables are available. Here are some ways to work with what you have.
Atypical Tables and Chairs
If you aren’t using an adjustable chair or desk it can be very difficult to get the correct desk and chair height ratio. There are a few ways to deal with this:
• Sitting at a kitchen counter on a barstool: place a box under your feet to allow for a 90° bend at the knee
• Using a dining room table and chair: usually the heights are appropriate but you can adjust as needed by adding a seat cushion or placing a box under feet as needed to bring knees to a 90° angle
• Working at a couch with a coffee table: make sure that your bottom and knees are about level and knees are at a roughly 90° angle by adding seat cushions as needed. To adjust the table height you can either add boxes or textbooks under your computer or you can get an mobile laptop cart these range in price from $35-$300, depending on the model.
Solutions for Laptops
Obviously, when going through the ideal set up you may have noticed that not all of this is doable with a laptop style computer. Typically, you cannot have the computer screen at eye level without raising your desk in such a way that your arms arm reaching up to type on the keyboard because they are attached.
There are 2 main ways people address this issue:
• Buying a separate monitor
• Buying a separate keyboard and mouse
Both are totally reasonable and depending on what you do for work may determine your choice.
Separate Monitor
Pros
• No batteries or recharging
• Larger screen to see more windows at once
Cons
• Expensive: $100 minimum
• Requires larger desk space
• Not easy to store
• Additional Cost:
• connectors: $10-$20
• monitor stand: $15-$50
Separate Keyboard & Mouse
Pros
• Inexpensive: about $35
•Takes up less space
•Easy to store when not in use
Cons
• Batteries or recharging required
• Additional Cost:
• laptop stand: $15-$50
Wrist Health Solutions
Keyboard wrist pads are used to lift the wrist up to a neutral position. These are available online for $10-$30 online and come in a variety of colors. You could also make one if you are crafty.
General Tips:
• Take frequent breaks – try to get up at least once on hour so you aren’t just sitting in one spot all day.
• Stretch – there are lots of stretches that can be helpful for sitting at a desk for long periods of time. There are lots of books on stretching like Stretching by Bob Anderson as well as lots of free online resources like Mayo Clinic’s Desk Stretches video collection.
• Go outside – this will give your eyes a break from the computer screen and also give you a breath of fresh area.
• Still having pain or issues with your work set up? Schedule an appointment and we can work together to address your complaints.
References
Desk stretches: Video collection – Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2021, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/office-stretches/art-20046041
Easy Ergonomics. (n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2021, from www.dir.ca.gov/samples/search/query.htm
eTools | Computer Workstations eTool | Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2021, from https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/computerworkstations/index.html
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Ergonomics. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ergonomics
Office ergonomics: Your how-to guide – Mayo Clinic. (n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2021, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/office-ergonomics/art-20046169
Workstation Adjustments Texas Department of Insurance. (n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2021, from www.tdi.state.tx.us.
Author: Victoria Lofdahl, ND