Comfort and you
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Comfort and you
A guide to the causes of muscle and postural discomfort at work, and some suggested remedies.
Comfort in the workplace
Do your muscles occasionally feel stiff and sore even though all you've done throughout the day is work at a desk?
The reason could be because you've been sitting in the same position for hours, with your body "locked" in a single position. Or you've been using one set of muscles, repeating
the same task or using forceful movements.
If your body is held for a period of time in a fixed position, you may experience discomfort or persistent pain in muscles, tendons and other soft tissues. This discomfort can be prevented,
or minimized, simply by moving around and changing your work habits.
The key to comfort is making sure your body is always in a relaxed, natural position. That means ensuring you activities do not force you to tense your muscles, strain your tendons or
place your body in an awkward posture.
The ideal work position is to have your arms hanging relaxed from your shoulders. If you use a keyboard, your arms should be bent at right angles at the elbow, with your hands held in a
straight line with the forearm and your elbows close to the body. Your head should be in line with your body and slightly forward.
If you work at a visual display, the top of the screen should be at, or just slightly below, eye level. This allows your eyes to see the screen at a comfortable angle, without having to tilt
your head or move your back muscles.
Your chair should be adjusted for comfort, making sure your back is supported and the seat pan is at a height so that your thighs are horizontal and your feet are flat on the floor.
Work materials should be within easy reach.
To give your body some relief from sitting, stand up, stretch or shift position on your chair throughout the day.
This guide describes practical solutions to minimize muscular discomfort and suggests ways to help you find that "ideal" work position that is best for you.
Purpose of this guide
- To increase awareness about the role of constrained body position, repetition and forceful movements in causing workplace discomfort
- To educate employees that they must share the responsibility for their comfort
- To increase awareness of how poor work habits and improper posture contribute to muscular discomfort
- To identify perceived discomfort, determine the cause and, where possible, change work habits or posture to minimize or eliminate it
- To encourage employees to report any persistent workplace discomfort to their manager
Shoulders
(1) Top of shoulder: shoulders kept raised
| Probable cause of discomfort |
Possible correction |
| a. Work surface too high |
Lower keyboard or desk;
raise chair and support feet |
| b. Elbows bump armrests |
Remove or lower armrests; change chair |
| c. Backrest too high |
Adjust backrest |
| d. Worker is tense |
Drop shoulders, hang arms loosely |
(2) Behind shoulder: shoulders pulled back
| a. Same as #1 |
See 1a through 1d |
| b. Keyboard too close |
Push keyboard away so that arms hang vertically |
| c. Incorrect posture |
Sit upright with head in line with body |
| d. Forward lean |
Raise visual task to straighten upper back; see #5 |
(3) Outer shoulder: elbows positioned away from body
| a. Same as #1 |
See 1a through 1d |
| b. Work too far to one side |
Reorganize desk to bring work closer to midline of body so arms hang vertically |
(4) Between shoulder blades: arms held forward
| a. Keyboard or work too far away |
Bring work closer so arms hang vertically |
Neck
(5) Base of neck: forward lean
| Probable cause of discomfort |
Possible correction |
| a. Documents too low |
Raise documents; use a document holder |
| b. Screen too low |
Raise screen so that top is at, or just below, eye level |
(6) Upper back: hunched over work
| a. See #5 |
See 5a and 5b |
| b. Chair too low or high |
Adjust chair |
(7) Top of neck: chin juts forward
| a. Visual task too high |
Lower visual task, or slightly recline |
| b. User wears bifocals |
Switch to trifocals or separate prescription for VDT distance |
(8) One side of neck: head constantly turned
| a. Main visual task to one side |
Bring work closer to center; alternate placement of work to either side; use document holder |
Back and legs
(9) Lower back: inadequate back support
| Probable cause of discomfort |
Possible correction |
| a. Backrest too high or low |
Adjust backrest to firmly support the small of the back (lumbar region) |
| b. Backrest not used |
Adjust backrest forward to support lower back; change chair |
| c. Forward slump |
See #5 and #6 |
| d. Buttocks not to rear of chair |
Move backrest forward; sit back |
| e. Chair too high |
Lower chair |
(10) Lower leg: leg circulation cut off
| a. Feet not supported on floor |
Lower chair and/or work surface; use footrest |
| b. Seat pan too deep |
Change chair |
| c. Front of cushion not rounded |
Change chair |
| d. Chair too high |
Lower chair |
Forearm, hand and wrist
(11) Forearm upper surface: hand held up
| Probable cause of discomfort |
Possible correction |
| a. Wrist on table or keyboard when keying |
See 1a through 1d; use wrist support |
| b. Keyboard angle too steep |
Adjust keyboard angle |
| c. Wrist held stiff |
Relax work style |
| d. Lack of mini-pauses, job variety |
Relax and vary tasks, drop hands when not keying data |
(12) Outer surface: hand held sideways
| a. Elbows stuck out |
See 1a through 1d |
| b. Keyboard at wrong angle |
Turn keyboard to straighten wrists |
| c. Wrist is bent to reach function or cursor keys |
Move arm, don't bend wrist |
(13) Hand (little finger end): bending wrist and stretching
| a. Over-stretching |
See 12c |
| b. "Hammering" action (striking keys with hard pressure |
Relax work style |
Forearm and hand
(14) Forearm flexor muscles: banging keys
| Probable cause of discomfort |
Possible correction |
| a. Lack of training |
Use tactile/auditory feedback; use lighter touch |
(15) Flexors (outer/ulnar side): hand held sideways
| a. Lack of training |
See 12a through 12c; move arm, avoid bending wrist |
(16) Little finger: over-stretching or banging
| a. Over-stretching fingers |
See12c |
| b. "Hammering" action (striking keys with hard pressure) |
Use different finger; relax work style |
(17) Thumb muscle: sustained pressure
| a. Repeatedly hitting space bar |
Modify action to make space bar repeat when held down |
| b. Folding paper using thumb to crease |
Use back or side of hand, folding block or blade |
| c. Writing with awkward thumb angle |
Replace pen; add rubber grip |
Eyes
(18) Eyes: awkward head position
| Probable cause of discomfort |
Possible correction |
| a. Head juts upward to peer at screen |
Vision not corrected or improper prescription; bifocal wearer may need separate single-prescription glasses |
| b. Worker sits close to screen |
Vision not corrected; eyeglass wearer may need separate prescription for VDT-related tasks |
| c. Worker sits away from screen |
Vision not corrected; eyeglass wearer may need separate prescription for VDT-related tasks |
(19) Eyes: squinting
| a. Screen appears to be fuzzy |
Check vision/prescription; check for sources of glare; clean screen; check for computer malfunction |
| b. Staring at screen |
Blink regularly, more often if wearing contacts |
Working smarter
Sitting in a fixed position for long periods of time can be uncomfortable and fatiguing. Shifting your position and occasionally stretching or changing your routine by doing other tasks can
help keep you alert and reduce muscular discomfort.
Make sure that you:
- Adjust your seat so that you are comfortable, with your back supported, your feet flat on the floor and there is no pressure behind the knees.
- Change position, stand up or stretch whenever you start to feel tired.
- Use a soft touch on the keyboard and keep your shoulders, hands and fingers relaxed.
- Organize your work area so that all work material and tools are within easy reach and at a comfortable level.
- Use a document holder, positioned at about the same plane and distance as the display screen.
- Batch work; do a variety of tasks where possible.
- Keep your head in line with your body, with your head slightly forward.
- Adjust your display to a comfortable viewing height, with the top of the screen at or just below eye level.
- Rest your eyes by occasionally looking off into the distance.
- Include vision care in your health program; advise your eye care specialist that you use a VDT, including the frequency of use, sitting distance from screen and angles of visual
tasks.
- Avoid glare by positioning your screen away from light sources, e.g. sunlight from window or overhead lights. Use a glare filter, if needed.
- Adjust the screen for contrast and brightness.
- Clean the screen.
- Notify your manager if discomfort persists.
The ideas expressed in Comfort & You are based on the "Pocket Ergonomist" developed by David A. Brown and Dr. Robin Mitchell of Sydney, Australia, and are used under a
licensed agreement.
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