Many jobs now entail sitting behind a desk for several hours a day, which can negatively affect your body. In addition to that, poor posture can increase pains in your body. As a result, you'll not only have to deal with pain, but you will also struggle to stay focused on your work. Well, the good news is that using an ergonomic office chair and setting it up correctly at your workstation can make a significant difference.
It allows you to sit in the correct position, limiting the strain on various parts of your body. Therefore, this article offers various ergonomic tips that primarily involve using your chair correctly for the ideal sitting position.
Ergonomic Tips to Find the Ideal Sitting Position at Your Work Desk
Ergonomics is the process of prioritizing efficiency by the way you physically position yourself for a job. So, in the context of a desk job, it involves sitting in the ideal position that can help you stay focused on your work by limiting pains in your body. Therefore, below are some important ergonomic tips that pertain to your sitting position at work. You can make a significant improvement in your overall work experience by simply making these small changes, and most of them start with the right ergonomic office chair.
Get an Ergonomic Office Chair
Good ergonomics starts from having the right equipment. You surely can make a basic setup ergonomic, but you miss out on certain necessary comforts such as an adjustable headrest or armrests.
If you're working in an office, have your employers get you and all other employees ergonomic office chairs. FlexiSpot is a budget ergonomic chair that is excellent for prolonged use.
The Chair Should be Comfortable
The entire chair is made of mesh. Therefore, it offers superior breathability. As a result, you won't have to worry about feeling hot after sitting in it for hours. You also can reduce the chances of developing skin issues or itchiness due to sweat build-up in certain areas.
While the chair is made up of mesh, it does have a soft cushion seat. This cushion offers excellent comfort and supports your hips to reduce overall strain in that part of your body. The cushion is also made from durable materials that won't lose shape for a long time. Therefore, you won't have to compromise your sitting position as the chair gets older.
In addition to that cushioning, this chair uses a curved design that's in the shape of the letter S. Therefore, this curved design gives your back a great resting position that helps keep you upright and offers support for your lower back.
Height Adjustability Features
Another extremely important feature of this budget ergonomic chair is that it has height adjustability. As you will learn later in this article, height adjustment is critical to finding the ideal position. Thus, this particular product can be raised and lowered anywhere between 16.9 inches to 20 inches from the floor to the top of the seat. So, people of various heights can find a comfortable sitting position at work with this chair.
Good Neck and Lumbar Support
This chair comes standard with lumbar support. Therefore, you can support your lower back and reduce strain on it after sitting for hours. In addition to that, it includes an adjustable headrest. So, you can make sure that your neck also has support without needing to push your head far back.
Comfortable Armrests
Comfortable armrests should be a standard with an ergonomic office chair. As we explain below, you will need to keep your wrists in a specific position, and your armrests will help you do just that.
Set Your Legs in the Correct Position
Once you have access to the best ergonomic office chair, you can adjust its height to ensure that you don't strain your hips. Therefore, you must raise or lower the height of your chair to ensure that your feet are flat on the floor when you are seated. You may have to change the height when you shift from heels to flats. You will start putting a strain on your hips and legs if you can only rest your toes on the floor.
In addition to that, your thighs should be almost parallel to the floor. Therefore, your knees should be slightly below your hips. In addition to that, open your knees only slightly greater than 90 degrees. So, your ankles will only be slightly ahead of your knees. If you overextend your legs, you won't be able to rest your feet on the floor. Moreover, try to keep about a gap of three fingers between the back of your knee and the chair's seat.
Always Maintain Good Posture
You should sit upright when you are seated on your ergonomic office chair. You should never hunch forward over a laptop or books. Doing so can cause severe injury to your back. You want all parts of your back to get rest when you are seated. Sitting upright will help you accomplish that. If you cannot do that with your laptop, consider using an external monitor or laptop stand to elevate your screen.
Rest Your Arms in the Correct Position
Desk jobs often involve a lot of typing work. Therefore, you can use the armrests on your office chair to ensure that your arms are parallel to the floor. Like your knees, your elbows should be at about 90 degrees when you are seated. You shouldn’t have to extend your arms to reach your keyboard and mouse.
In addition to your arms positions, your wrists should also be straight when they meet the table and keyboard. This position will limit the possibility of developing serious wrist conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome. These conditions will make it impossible for you to use your wrists at a desk for a short while—possible days.
Align Your Monitor Screen At Eye Level
Your monitor should be positioned in a way that the top or upper half of the screen reaches your eye level. While you can use your seat’s height adjustment to achieve this tip, it’s best to also use your monitor stand to increase or decrease the height of the screen. This way, you don’t need to compromise your seating position. The purpose of this ergonomic tip is to ensure that you don’t have to look down at your screen. You could strain your neck if you have to look up or down. Keeping your neck straight will greatly reduce neck pain and injury.
Make sure to use the height adjustments on the headrest on your ergonomic office chair. That feature can help ensure that your head gets the right support to minimize strain on your neck.
Additional Ergonomic Tips That You Must Follow Daily
Some additional ergonomic tips that you must keep in mind are as follows. You must make it a point to follow these tips every day at your workplace or home office.
Take Short Breaks Every Now and Then
Make it a point to take a break of at least five minutes after every hour of work. During that break, get off your seat, and take a stroll around your office space. Doing so will help regulate blood circulation in your legs and feet. In turn, you are less likely to cause them fatigue or get injured in the long term.
Do Not Skip any of Your Breaks
Take your lunch break. If you have an hour or hour and a half long lunch break, take all of it. Your mind and body need the rest to function well. You will ensure that you can stay focused if you take breaks that you are entitled to.
Look at Things at Different Distances After Short Intervals
After every 20 minutes, look at something other than your computer screen or your books. Try to look at something that is at least 20 feet away from you. Doing so will help reduce strain on your eyes. Thus, your eyes are less likely to hurt after long hours of work in front of a desk. In addition to that, it may reduce the chances of having trouble sleeping.
Last Few Words
This guide on shows you just how important an ergonomic office chair can be. If you work in an office with other colleagues, make sure to communicate to your employer just how crucial such equipment is. Make sure that they invest in these items so that you and other employees of theirs can work to their fullest potential. Again, ergonomic setups do not only help your comfort and health, but they also improve productivity. This factor is of great importance to an employer.
