THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD WORK POSTURE

Recently, so many of us have had to change and adapt the way we work and more importantly where we work. Many of us are working from home due to the coronavirus, or are finally back at work. Either way, we need to be sure that we have the right office setup to help prevent any physical problems and additional stress on our muscles and joints.

Poor posture/ergonomics is a major contributor to workplace injuries, and result in additional stress to our joints over time. An example of an acute injury caused by poor ergonomics is lower back pain caused by lifting an object using poor technique, or sitting for long periods of time at a chair that is the wrong height.

Many jobs require people to perform the same movement again and again, day after day. Over the long term, if someone is repeatedly engaging in movements that are unhealthy or “not ergonomic” that can lead to discomfort, injury, and disability. These are known as repetitive stress or overuse injuries.

A task as simple as typing, overtime, can result in serious injury. For example, if an employee is able to type 40 words per minute, he or she presses 12,000 keys per 8-hour day. Approximately 200g of force is necessary to depress one key. Almost 3 tons of force will be exercised by his or her fingers each day.

That’s a lot of force, so it's easy to see how if done incorrectly, can result in injury overtime.

Ergonomic disorders are the fastest growing category of work-related illness. According to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor, they account for 63% of illnesses reported. In South Africa, This will hopefully no longer the case as Ergonomics is now law. In 2019 it was passed into legislation that correct ergonomics falls under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (85 of 1993) and companies are to comply in order to keep their staff from injury. So now there is no excuse to be in pain as a result of your work.

For now, here are some topics showing you how to correct your workstation making sure it is ergonomically correct, to help prevent any injuries that may occur.

Work Spaces or Environments

Here it is important to analyse how you sit, stand, or move at work. Some examples to consider in an office environment include:

- Are the desks arranged to encourage good posture?

- Do workers who have to talk on the phone and type at the same time have headsets so they don’t have to cradle a phone between their ear and shoulder?

- Are there standing desk options and, if so, are the desks at the right height?

Here are some of the benefits of ergonomic furniture:

Ergonomic Chairs - these are designed to support your weight and keep you in optimal positions to reduce back neck and leg strain. Many of us sit for many hours at a time, so it’s important to have a high quality/supportive chair.

Sit stand desks and Height Adjustable Workstations- these desks and tabletop devices easily move up and down so that you can change positions every hour or so. It’s recommended that you don’t stay in any single position for more than an hour.

Monitor and Laptop Mounts- it’s important to keep your monitor or screen slightly below your eye level. This way you’re looking almost directly at the screen, not too far up or down. This will reduce eyestrain, neck and shoulder pain.

Ergonomic Keyboards and Mice- laptop keyboards are notoriously small and harder operate than full-sized keyboard. Standard mice put your arm in a difficult position. Both can cause wrist pain arm and elbow strain as well as shoulder injuries. By buying an ergonomic mouse, your hand will be in a prone position which is much more beneficial.

It’s very important to customize your workspace for your style and body. Ergonomic furniture is not one-size-fits-all as people require different heights and sizes.

Remember, ergonomics is there to help prevent an injuries in the workplace/space. But if you feel that you are frequently having headaches or your back aches after a long day, it is time to contact your Chiropractor.

Cheers,

Team Hughes Chiropractic

(Blog post is written from a combination of my experiences and the various research I have read over time).