Anyone who works in the office will know them: head,Neck and back pain. They are now one of the most common causes of sick leave. It doesn't actually take much to enable healthy sitting and standing at a desk. For this reason, more and more companies are deciding to purchase new office furniture for their employees and thus reduce absences due to illness. Here you will find 5 tips for healthy sitting and standing at work.
Maintain your posture, tip 1: The right furniture for the office
Anyone who sits on an office chair for hours will eventually lose body tension, collapse and assume a posture that is unhealthy for the musculoskeletal system. To prevent this, all you need is well-thought-out furniture. So can aboutErgonomically shaped office chairs from specialist retailersSupport correct posture at work. Height-adjustable desks can also improve posture.
Ergonomic office chairsare based on human ergonomics and movement mechanics. They are designed to adapt to the user's movements and thus activate the muscles and joints. This means that they unobtrusively but constantly force the person sitting on them to stabilize their sitting position. To further support the correct sitting position, such office chairs are equipped with, for example, height-adjustable seat depth, 4D armrests, neck and/or lumbar supports, gas springs for correct spring force adjustment, castors or mesh backrests.
Medical seating balls can be used as a temporary replacement for office chairs. Since they have no backrest for arms or back and are very mobile, the person sitting on them has to constantly correct their position, which leads to a very healthy posture. Such sitting balls are available in different sizes.
Throughmechanically or electrically height-adjustable desksPosture can be improved in two ways. If you are sitting, the table can be adjusted to the height at which the person sitting sits upright, has the correct arm position and the correct viewing angle from the computer screen. Many height-adjustable office tables can also be fixed at a height that the employee needs if they want to work standing up. Due to the standing position, the entire musculoskeletal system remains active and you almost automatically adopt a healthy posture while working.
Keep your posture, tip 2: Keep your distance – from the screen and the keyboard
An important factor in maintaining a healthy posture when working in the office is the correct distance from the computer screen and keyboard. Anyone who sits in front of a computer or laptop screen for hours every day needs to ensure that there is enough distance between themselves and the technology. Here, experts recommend a distance of 70 to 90 cm.
The size of the display also plays an important role. Experts recommend screen diagonals of 22 or 24 inches (0.61 m). If you sit too close to a screen that is too small, you have to lower your head to get a good view of it. This can quickly lead to a stiff neck. A screen mount that can be swiveled and also has an adjustable tilt would be ideal. This means you can adjust the screen individually according to your own preferences.
Many people forget that a relaxed and loose hand position when writing is crucial in order to protect the wrists and protect them (or their muscles and tendons) from illness. It's best to adjust the height of the office chair and desk so that your forearms and palms can rest completely relaxed on the desk. The basic rule is that you should be able to place your hands on the table top as horizontally as possible to your elbow.
Maintain your posture, tip 3: Get through the working day in the truest sense
Sitting on an office chair for long periods of time not only causes your entire muscles to become tense if you have the wrong posture, but your backside can also start to hurt. In addition, blood circulation is also restricted when sitting. For these reasons, many employees choose to spend at least a certain period of their daily working hours standing at their desk. A height-adjustable desk offers a certain degree of flexibility. The piece of furniture has several advantages:
• The back is relieved and back pain is reduced
• Blood circulation is improved
• The cardiovascular system is stimulated
• The stretched upper body increases the oxygen intake when breathing
• Standing causes increased muscle development, which improves posture
• When standing you have a greater range of motion
The ideal situation when working is to alternate between sitting and standing. According to experts, simply adopting one of the two postures for hours is too one-sided.
Maintain posture, tip 4: Moving occasionally maintains body tension
Sitting motionless in an office chair all day is pure poison for your posture and overall health. In addition to working while standing, physiotherapists and orthopedists recommend stretching after sitting for a certain period of time and perhaps doing a few simple exercises. Such simple office gymnastics exercises could be:
• Shoulder circles and alternating lifting and dropping of the shoulder (to loosen the neck)
• Bend the upper body forward to the thighs in a sitting position and grab the ankles
• Stretch the chest muscles by lifting, extending and stretching the arms backwards to shoulder height
• Stretch the neck and shoulders by alternately tilting the head to the side with the chin raised and looking forward, the arms on each side support the movement by gently pulling on the head
Maintain posture, tip 5: Check and correct your posture
When working in the office, you are usually so focused on what you are doing that you simply neglect your posture. Only when you feel your back or neck do you realize that you have fallen into an unhealthy posture. To prevent things from getting that far, you shouldn't just rely on your height-adjustable desk and a good office chair.
Rather, it is important that you get into the habit of discipline and correct your standing or sitting posture at regular intervals, straighten up and, if possible,did a little office gymnastics. It's not easy to pay attention to your posture in your daily work routine, but once you get used to it, you quickly notice that your headaches, neck and shoulder pain decrease and you are more productive and can work more concentratedly.
