In this Age of Information, many of us have desk jobs. Years of sitting at school and at the workplace can wear and tear on the body. In this blog, I give advice to reduce risk for future pain.
#1 Reducing risk for carpal tunnel syndrome
To reduce the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, make sure your wrists are straight at the keyboard and not bent. While you can buy an inexpensive wrist rest, you can also just fold up a towel to the proper height, as demonstrated in my WorkStation Tips video. If your hand is angled upward at the wrist by a computer mouse, you may need a smaller mouse that fits your hand better.
#2 Reducing shoulder tension
After sitting for hours at a desk, many people experience shoulder pain or tension. Sometimes, this pain is caused by sitting up too high or too low at your desk. I illustrate in the Workstation Tip video how find that right height for you.
Step 1: Backup from your workstation, and swing your arms back and forth in a relaxed manner until your arms come to a resting point. It should be approximately a 90 degree angle.
Step 2: Adjust the height of your chair so that you arms rest at that comfortable angle position.
#3 Reducing neck pain
To make sure your monitor is at a proper height, turn your monitor off, and spread your hands vertically parallel to the screen, as I illustrate in my Workstation Tip video. Close your eyes, and slowly nod up and down until your head comes to a neutral position. When you open your eyes, note which finger you are looking at. That is where your eyes naturally rest. Is it in the center of your screen? If your eyes rest too low on the screen, consider purchasing a monitor stand or just putting books under the monitor. By raising the monitor, you’ll be less likely to jut your neck forward as you strain to read your screen; this can cause neck pain or tension if you continually hold that position throughout your work day.
#4 Increasing Blood Flow
As I referenced in his Workstation Tips, modern research states that we need to get up from our workstations every hour and walk around for at least five minutes. By getting up and walking, you save the lining of your arteries and vessels in your legs, which, in turn, helps with the blood flow.
