Fix Your Sit: Preventing Back Pain At Work
Posted on March 19, 2015
Low back pain is the by far the most common compliant I hear when doing office ergonomic assessments. A small percentage of people have pre-existing back conditions but honestly the majority of the time the problems I see are from terrible posture. If you sit hunched over at your desk, day after day you are bound to experience discomfort in your back. If you continue to work at a desk and sit all day with incorrect posture you will end up with back problems. Good news is that with a few simple adjustments to your chair, computer set-up and practicing good habits you can prevent a lifetime of back pain.
First off you need to look at your chair and make sure it is optimally adjusted to promote proper posture. What is proper posture? You should be sitting with your feet flat on your floor, sitting back fully in your chair with using the backrest to support your lower, mid and upper back. Your shoulders should be rolled back and down in a relaxed position with your elbows bent at approximately 90 degrees with your forearms supported by armrests.
A good chair has adjustable features of the seat pan, backrest and armrests to help support you in this optimal posture while working. To correctly adjust your chair follow these tips:
- Adjust the height of the chair so that the seat pan is just below your knee. This will ensure that your feet are flat on the floor and thighs parallel.
- Sit fully back in your chair with your back against the backrest. Adjust the backrest angle between 94- 110 degrees. Be sure the lumbar support of the chair is actually supporting your lower back and make height adjustments if necessary.
- With your shoulders rotated back and relaxed down, bend your arms at 90 degrees and adjust the width and height of the armrests to support you in this position.
Now that you are set up in your chair, adjust your workstation to fit you. If you have a keyboard tray adjust it to be at the same height as your elbow. If it is placed on the desk adjust the height of your chair. If you increase the height of your chair you may need a footrest to support your feet. Your computer monitor should be positioned directly in front of your to avoid twisting of the spine. The monitor should be a comfortable reading distance away and at a height in line with your seated eye level.
All of these adjustments combined with regular stretch breaks every 30 – 60 minutes will have you well on your way for maintain a healthy back. For more help on how to combat low back pain click here for exercise programs to help you move and sit without pain.
