How to keep a correct posture at the office?

General info

Summary

How is a correct posture?

It is vital to focus on the health of your spine if you work a desk job that involves hours of sitting in a day. Adequately supporting your spine and its surrounding tissues while you sit, can take a great deal of load off your neck, back, and other joints.

Ergonomics is the science of applying physical and psychological principles within an environment to increase both productivity and well-being. The study of ergonomics can be divided into three main areas of research:

Physical Ergonomics
Cognitive Ergonomics
Organizational Ergonomics

Physical Ergonomics places a greater emphasis on the human anatomy, physiology, and biomechanical factors influencing movement patterns and posture. This area of ergonomics is therefore of significant interest to physiotherapists.

Beneficial aspects

Here are things that you have to know when you are in the office.

Place your upper arms parallel to your spine

When you sit at your desk, your upper arms must be comfortably placed parallel to your spine and your forearms and hands rested on the work surface. At this point, your elbows should be bent at a 90° angle. If they are not, adjust your office chair higher or lower, as necessary.

Raise your chair to support your sit-to-stand movement

If your seat is positioned too low, you will end up bending your upper body more while attempting to get up, which in turn causes increased stress on your hips, knees, and ankle joints. With prolonged use, a lower-level seat will cause recurrent stresses and possible pain in these joints.

Boost your feet for support

Sometimes, your chair or desk may be too high without an adjustable option. In such cases, consider using a footstool to prop and rest your feet as opposed to leaving them hanging all day long.

Adjust your work surface to match your height

If you are tall and have to constantly bend forward to type on your keyboard or read printed material, consider raising the height of your work station or desk.

Measure the depth of your seat

The depth of your seat may not be something you think about, but having the correct seat depth can make a difference in your back pain. Seat depth refers to the length between the back edge and the front edge of your seat.

Adjust your chair’s swivel and back support

Your work chair should provide back support by angling up to or just past 90°. Some chairs may have excessive swivel and recline options, which can be locked to prevent the chair from tipping back.

Re-evaluate your sitting posture

Make a conscious effort to press your bottom against the back of the chair, and avoid slumping or slouching, which can place extra stress on your lumbar discs and other structures of the lower back. Maintaining an ergonomically supported posture is critical to good spine health.

Watch the height of your screen

Once your chair has been adjusted to the height of the table, your legs have gotten comfortable and your back is supported, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Casually face forward with your eyes closed, and then open your eyes, which should be aimed at the center of your computer screen. Adjust the screen so it is level with your gaze.

Adjust your armrest to support your shoulders

Armrests play an important role in reducing neck and shoulder strain and diminishing the likelihood of slouching forward in your chair. Adjust your chair’s armrest to the point where your arms are slightly lifted at the shoulders. Doing so will allow the armrest to support just the elbow and take the weight off the shoulders.

Postural Rehabilitation

Postural rehabilitation describes performing exercises that are specifically focused on increasing core strength and body alignment in order to improve postural control. Prescribing strength and flexibility exercises particularly, allows for better control of the lumbar region during both slow-voluntary and fast-reflexive movements; thus reducing the likelihood of low back pain.