According to doctors, rapid fatigue and pain in muscles and joints is 75% caused by the wrong posture at the computer and 25% by the failure to respect the balance between work and rest.
Engineering Insider collected for you the recommendations of specialists on how to properly sit at work so that there are no health problems
Leg pain
Don’t cross either your feet or your legs. It worsens blood circulation, squeezes veins, and causes discomfort in the form of numbness and restless legs syndrome.
The first thing you need to do is adjust the chair. Your feet shouldn’t hang, and the edge of the seat shouldn’t press under your knees. Place your feet on the floor or a special stand so that your legs are bent at an angle of slightly more than 90°.
Back pain
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The depth of the chair should match the length of your hip. If you sit on too large a chair, put a pillow under your waist to partly take the load. Otherwise, you’ll slide down, and this will lead to tension and pain in the back.
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The chair should have a comfortable back with a natural curve so that the back isn’t in the form of a question mark.
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Don’t rush to change position if you feel uncomfortable. Let your muscles get used to the correct posture. Some of them will relax, and the pose will become comfortable, but it won’t happen immediately.
Hands get tired
When you work at the computer, your hands are in constant tension. The load and the wrong position may cause dull and nagging pain as well as a feeling of numbness in the hands in the morning.
The position of the shoulders and forearms will be correct if the keyboard and mouse are at elbow level. Your wrists should be straight, not turned to the sides. Your hands themselves should be bent at the elbows at an angle of 90° and freely lie on the table.
Neck pain
In order to avoid neck and head pain, it’s important to properly position your monitor. If it’s too low, then you have to bend your back or slide down the chair. This increases the load on the front edges of the intervertebral discs and can lead to a hernia or protrusion.
Sit on a chair, close your eyes, and relax. When you open them, the point at which the center of your screen should be located will be just before you. If necessary, use a stand under the monitor so it’s at eye level. The screen should be right in front of you and not to the side so the load on your neck and eyes is minimal.
