Healthy Workspace Changes
By Sara Butler
Improving your posture and keeping neck and back pain at bay isn't as difficult as you may think. In fact, a few easy changes can be made to your workspace that can help to make the place you spend your days healthier. Here are a few changes you can make to your workspace to make it a little healthier and more productive too.
Make Adjustments to the Monitor
If you use a computer, then it's important to ensure that the monitor is at the right height for your own comfort. It should be at or just below your eye level so you don't have to look down. While it may not seem like a big deal to look down a little as you work, sitting in a forward head position can lead to some big problems down the road such as back, neck, and shoulder pain.
Keep your shoulders back and your neck in a neutral position. Get creative with the monitor to ensure it's at the right height by stacking books up under it if it's not adjustable. Also, move your monitor close to you so you don't have to adjust your neck to see it. About 20 to 30 inches from your face is the ideal distance.
Think About the Height of Your Chair
The height of the chair you sit in is very important to your health and wellness too. If your chair is too high or too low, it can result in tightness in the hips as well as pain in the hip flexor muscles. This can make activities outside of work more difficult.
How do you know if your chair is the right height? First, both feet should sit flat on the floor comfortably with your knees at a 90-degree angle. If you are unable to lower or raise your chair for your feet to touch the ground comfortably, place a box under your feet to raise the height of the floor or a pillow under you to raise you a bit higher off the ground.
Support the Lower Back
If you have a chair without proper lumbar support, make sure to create some. You can place a small pillow or rolled up towel between your lower back and the chair to help offer support. Doing so can help you to sit up taller and avoid hunching as you work throughout the day.
Your workspace is important to your health, so make sure it's supporting you the way you need it to.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Madison, Wis.