By Lisa Altena, PT
Recently, Tulsa Bone and Joint Physical Therapy has seen a lot of workers start to work from home. With this change, posture or home ergonomics has started to become a very important topic to address. Poor posture while working at a computer can create injuries in multiple areas of the body. Correcting this posture can help with injury prevention especially when you are working from a computer over a long period of time. Working from home brings up new topics to address, like using laptops, surfaces you are working on, and chairs.
What to look at:
- Chair: chair height, seat of chair, and back support of the chair
- Monitor: the height and location of the monitor
- Edge of workstation surface
Ways to make your chair more posture-friendly:
- Put a pillow on the seat to elevate the seat if needed
- Roll up a towel behind the back for lumbar support
- Wrap the armrests in a towel to allow your elbows to rest
- Move your chair close to help prevent leaning over the surface
- Lower the chair so your feet can touch the ground
Ways to make your laptop positioning more posture-friendly:
- Place something under the laptop when using it on your lap
- Use an external monitor, keyboard, or mouse if possible
Way to make your edge of surface more posture-friendly:
Pad the surface edge that you are working on with a towel or pool noodle
Other things to think about:
- If you use two monitors, have your main monitor in front of you.
- Try to stay away from the dining table, couch, bed, and floor.
Applying these ideas and others can help prevent injuries over time.
References:
Davis, K. G., Kotowski, S. E., Daniel, D., Gerding, T., Naylor, J., & Syck, M. (2020). The Home Office: Ergonomic Lessons From the “New Normal.” Ergonomics in Design, 28(4), 4–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/1064804620937907
