“Slip disc at the age of 30 …..are you serious ?”
Have you heard this from your friends or colleagues?
It is sad but true that in today’s day and age young adults are falling prey to many diseases at an early age. One of the main reasons for this is our
sedentary lifestyle as compared to older generations.
In the fast paced world where we live; laptops and computers are indispensable from our lives. You may be at office, a student working for a project, or using the laptop for leisure . But are you maintaining a correct posture? Is your chair supporting your back good enough? Do you get tired at the end of 4-5 hours? Ask yourself these questions , they are really important – we tell you why.
Ergonomics is the process of designing or arranging workplaces, products and systems so that they fit the people who use them. An ergonomically correct office work station will help you avoid fatigue and discomfort – isn’t that every working person’s dream!
Studies claim a bad posture at work not only causes back and shoulder pain but on a long term causes improper digestion, increased stress levels and headaches too. Some simple yet crucial changes in your work posture can help your joints and muscles stay fit .
Here are some simple tips to make working hours sail smoothly :
- Choose a chair that supports your spinal curve. Adjust the height of your chair to suit you.
- Always ensure that your arms are supported at all times. The lack of this will strain your neck and shoulder muscles.
- Make sure your head is positioned comfortably above the neck support, it should not strain forward while working.
- No slouching please. Slouching puts more pressure on the discs and vertebrae of your back. Move your chair as close to your work as possible to avoid leaning and reaching. Make sure to “scoot” your chair in every time you sit down.
- The monitor should be at one arms distance from you with the top no higher than the eye level. The keyboard should be directly in front of the monitor so you don’t have to frequently turn your head and neck.
- The keyboard and the mouse should be close enough to prevent excessive reaching which strains the shoulders and arms.
- The feet should not be dangling when you are seated. If your feet don’t comfortably reach the floor use a footrest or lower the keyboard and chair.
- Multitasking with your phone and computer? Please avoid talking on the phone by balancing it between the shoulder and neck.
- Take steps to control screen glare and make sure that the monitor is not placed in front of a window or a bright background.
- Make it a habit to rest your eyes periodically for several seconds by looking at objects at a distance to give your eyes a break.
So are you ready to implement these minor changes at your workstation? Trust us, the effort is worth every bit.
