Steve Adams, Senior Web Designer @ Ergotron

Try searching the web for “computer ergonomics” and you’ll find plenty of handy charts and tips:

• Tools for Planning Your Space(from Computingcomfort.org)
• Guide to setting up an Ergonomic Computer Station (from about.com)
• How to Set Up an Ergonomically Correct Workstation(from wikihow.com)
• What Happens If You Ignore the Importance of Posture?(from safecomputingtips.com)
• 4 Steps to Setting Up Your Computer Workstation(from ergonomics.ulca.edu)
• How to Set Up An Affordable Ergonomic Computer Desk(from ehow.com)

Notice a common theme? Each page focuses on maintaining proper posture. You’ll find the correct arrangement for an entire workstation, from the angle of a monitor screen to the configuration of a chair. Good information to be sure. 

But what happens when you dutifully follow those guidelines? Do you find ergonomic bliss? Do you experience computing so comfortable that you do it just to get an endorphin rush?

Of course the answer is “No”—because comfortable computing is much more than good posture.

Sitting in the same position all day, day after day, is a recipe for injury. As reported at Canada.com, “Sitting too long is the most common mistake employees are making.” In fact, even if a monitor and keyboard are at the ideal height and you have an ergonomic chair, the effect of so-called “static loading” will take its toll as muscles begin to atrophy. This is because, as a physiologist would describe, “The musculoskeletal system is unsuited for prolonged static work because the body cannot supply fresh nutrients to the stressed tissues.”

Indeed, the sad reality is as Peter Gibbs observed to Michael Bolton in the movie Office Space: “Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day!”

So how does one find computing comfort?

Naturally, first set up your workstation according to the posture guidelines. But that is just the starting point.

The next step is to create a workspace and routine that accommodates movements your body wants to make throughout the day:

1. Use adjustable arms and trays to reposition your monitor and keyboard to where you are moving.
2. Better yet, periodically stand while working whenever you feel like it. Create a sit/stand workstation.
3. Take rest breaks: make excuses for quick walks—to the water cooler or wherever.

Once upon a time I pretended to be a mannequin for the sake of ergonomics and my body rebelled with shouts of pain and stiffness. But now I move—sometimes I stand, other times I sit, and there are all sorts of twists and turns continually happening in my cube. Heck, I even slouch now and then! And happily, all is well.

Carrie Schmitz, Office Ergonomics Consultant & Engineering Publications Manager @ Ergotron

Shooting pains in the wrist and hand, numb elbows, cramped feet, fingers that tingle, stiff, aching neck and shoulders, lower back or jaw pain, blurred vision, itchy eyes, and lack of energy at the end of the day.

These are the symptoms I hear commonly from people when evaluating their computer work stations. In some cases, I’m consulting with a person who has already sought medical attention and may be undergoing therapy to relieve their pain and regain mobility. The way back to health can be a frustrating process that alienates you from your own body, and the irony is, it is neglect of the basic things our bodies require when at work, that gets us to that point in the first place.

Personal experience has taught me that tracing the negative affects of computer use to the source is critical to long term comfort and productivity. But computer related stress and strain isn’t necessarily due to a single condition, and usually happens over a period of months and even years.

Aside from pre-existing medical conditions, there are three main causes for the symptoms described above:

• Incorrect Position of Computer Components
• Prolonged Static Loading
• Inadequate Rest

Understanding the way these factors interrelate is the key to preventing them from impacting your health and retaining your value as an employee – no small thing in today’s economy. Let’s take a closer look at each, keeping in mind that both the problems, and solutions act together.

PROBLEM: Incorrect Position of Computer Components

SOLUTION: Set-up Computer Components According to Neutral Posture

The first thing to know about setting up your computer is that it’s all about YOU. Don’t let the anthropometric charts confuse you – their primary function is to help designers and engineers create products that fit a defined segment of the population.

Instead, think about your body as a unique blueprint for the design of your computer space. You want to place your computer components to support your body in a neutral posture, that is, where the least amount of stress and strain is experienced. Whether sitting or standing, once you learn to recognize your neutral posture, the monitor, keyboard, mouse and chair locations extend logically from that.

Notice in the illustration below how each part of your body relates to a computer component.

More specific recommendations for computer components can be found at this link.

http://www.computingcomfort.org/educate.asp

PROBLEM: Prolonged Static Loading

SOLUTION: Movement: Blink, Breath, Stretch

Static loading is another way of saying “staying still” and it is a major contributor to muscle fatigue and resulting stress. Working in front of a computer screen can cause your eyes to blink less often, making them dry and blurry. When you’re focused on your work, your breathing may become shallow, and you may forget to stay hydrated.

Simple movements and stretching help the body rid itself of the poisonous by-products of muscle metabolism. Don’t work for more than 20 minutes without taking a “breather” of 1-2 minutes for active rejuvenation. Stand up during phone calls or meetings, get up for a glass of water, stretch and shake your limbs. Move at every opportunity and create opportunities to move.

If you want to investigate the benefits of standing at your computer desk, follow this link.

 http://www.umsystem.edu/ums/departments/ur/interact/?p=174

For simple stretches designed for office workers, click the link below.

http://internalapps.ergotron.com/aspfordnn/cci/site/lit/routine-poster.pdf

PROBLEM: Inadequate Rest

SOLUTION: Establish Regular Periods of Rest

Regular periods of rest can compensate for the negative affects of faulty posture and static loading. Even if every aspect of your work space and routine were perfect, your body would still require rest. Ergonomists recommend 15 minutes of rest after every 2 hours on task. Don’t feel compelled to prove that you’re a model employee by being a SPUD (seat planted under desk). Ask you employer to explain the break rules where you work, and take advantage of every minute.

To read the US Department of Labor regulations on breaks, click on the link, below.

http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/workhours/breaks.htm

Computer related discomfort isn’t limited to office workers any more. Students and retirees who spend more than two hours a day on the computer are reporting similar symptoms – especially those who use laptops or small-scale computing devices.

If there’s any good news to report, it’s that preventing stiffness, pain and loss of motion requires the same approach as those outlined above: Neutral Posture, Motion and Rest remain the best ways head-off the 3 main causes of computer related discomfort.

Remember that the best solution for you centers around your own body, the work you do and the environment in which you use the computer. Let your body be your guide to comfortable computing.

For more information on comfortable computing, visit our website:

http://www.computingcomfort.org/

Carrie Schmitz, Office Ergonomics Consultant and Engineering Publications Manager @ Ergotron

Choices are available to us in almost every segment of our lives – but until recently, cube life has meant sitting at a computer for up to 8 hours a day, five days a week for three or more decades of one’s adult existence. True, our mind is engaged while at work, but too often our bodies have been side-lined until it’s time to go home. Is that how you want to spend a major portion of your lifetime?

Working at a computer shouldn’t be like a game of statues where the object is to freeze in one position for as long as possible. That’s  what ergonomists call “static loading” and it’s a contributing factor to a number of computer-related disorders that can creep up on you unaware.

Sitting in front of a computer for extended periods without a break can cause your eyes to blink less often, making them dry and blurry. Your breathing becomes shallow, and your muscles stiffen or cramp. After a while, your head begins to sink, your chin thrusts forward, your shoulders cave-in and your back curls forward. As the mind concentrates on its work, the abandoned body has taken the path of least resistance. It’s almost as though your body and mind are acting separately instead of as the team they’re meant to be.

Now contrast that to a game of tennis. Imagine yourself with knees slightly bent, head balanced over your shoulders, shifting your weight from one foot to the other, your hips rotating, left forward then right forward. You gaze ahead, ready to take whatever comes across the net in your own time and on your own terms. This is much closer to the way I feel when I’m at work, since I opted for a Sit/Stand workstation. It was simple to accomplish, but saying good-bye to the traditional desk and chair configuration seemed revolutionary at the time.

My desktop is positioned 39″ above the floor – roughly equivalent to my elbow height when standing. In this arrangement, my forearms are fully supported, which means my shoulders can remain relaxed and open, fostering deep breathing. When typing, my elbows are tucked close to my body to give me a full, effortless range of motion in an arc across the desk surface. I use a palm support to keep my arm, wrist and hand at the same level. For optimum productivity, I use two monitor screens (one from my laptop) which are both suspended above the desktop on arms which lift, pan, tilt and rotate.

There are still times when I prefer to sit, so I keep a tall chair near my desk. And it is important to note that not everyone can stand when they work. Whether for health or safety reasons, you should discuss the possibility of a Sit/Stand workstation with your health care provider and work supervisor. If the Sit/Stand approach is not compatible with your situation, don’t despair. There are many ways for you to avoid the perils of static loading. Everyone, regardless of the position they are working in, should incorporate periodic movement and rest into their work routine.

Playing “statue” is okay for kids in the school yard, but if you’re an adult working at a computer for prolonged periods throughout the day, you need to consider mixing it up. Sit/Stand desks are preferred by one out of three employees in my office, and our ranks keep growing.  It’s a real game changer if you’re game for a change!

So get your head in the game, and while your at it, why not your feet, legs, back, shoulders, arms, well, you get the picture.

By Giljam Nijsse, Director of Channel Sales, Europe @ Ergotron

The other weekend I came across a fascinating report titled Fit For Work? Musculoskeletal Disorders in the European WorkForce on http://www.fitforworkeurope.com/. Fit for Work Europe is an initiative committed to working with healthcare professionals, policy makers and patients to help improve the quality of working life for people with musculoskeletal disorders. This report is the product of a major study conducted by The Work Foundation across 23 European countries.

The information in the report was quite shocking to me to be honest. Even though addressing ergonomic issues is part of our daily work at Ergotron, I didn’t fully realize the magnitude of the problem. It’s alarming to read that over 100 million people in Europe suffer from chronic musculoskeletal pain and that 44 million (one in six) have a long standing health problem that affects their ability to work. Or that these musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) account for a higher proportion of sickness absence from work than any other health condition. 

With such numbers it’s not hard to imagine that the cost of all these people being out sick, or less productive because they’re not feeling well, is also large. The indirect cost from the impact on productivity is even larger than the direct cost of healthcare related to the illness (as much as nine times larger in the Netherlands!). So what does that all mean for European companies and economies? The report qualifies poor workforce health as one of the most serious barriers to growing prosperity and even states that the European workforce might not be healthy enough to drive the improvements in productivity required to maintain its competitive position in the world.

The ironic part to me is the fact that over 40 million workers in Europe are affected by MSDs atrributable to their work. Stop and think about that for a second: it’s the work these people do, or the way in which they do it, that affects their health in such a way that they can’t be (productive) at work any longer….I don’t think that can be the goal of any employer, so there must still be a lack of understanding on how to prevent that.

The report provides a set of recommendations to reduce the increasing burden of MSDs in Europe. These include improvements to workplace practices and clinical and ergonomic interventions at an early stage to ensure that many more of the future generation of workers in Europe are fit for work.

How are you helping your employees get fit for work?

Carrie Schmitz, Office Ergonomics Consultant and Engineering Publications Manager @ Ergotron

You are a SPUD if your Seat is Planted Under a Desk all day.

A SPUD is a close relative to the couch potato. Rather than lounging in front of the TV with one hand cluthcing the remote and the other hand thrust in a bag of snacks, the SPUD sits in front of the computer with one hand cantilevered over a mouse while the other hand hovers above a keyboard.

Unlike the couch potato, most SPUDs are unaware of the health risks associated with their behavior. SPUDS think that rooting themselves in front of a computer for long periods of time without moving means they are dedicated employees. But just because you’re vegetating, doesn’t mean your body is getting rest or your brain is functioning at its optimum level.

The fact is, a number of computer related disorders stem from staying still (otherwise known as static loading), a major feature of SPUD life.

Sitting in front of a computer for extended periods without a break can cause your eyes to blink less often, making them dry and blurry. After a while, your head begins to sink, your chin thrusts forward, your shoulders cave-in and your back curls forward leaving less room for your heart to beat and your lungs to expand with air. As the mind concentrates on its work, the abandoned body has taken the path of least resistance, not unlike a sack of potatoes.

But there is help for SPUDs who want to change the way they work on a computer. October is National Ergonomics Month - what better time to explore options for comfortable computing? Visit the website for more information and a chance to win an ergonomic desk stand!

For the latest thing in work station technology, every SPUD should look into  The WorkFit , a stand-alone solution that allows you to stand or sit at any time without having to adjust your computer screen, keyboard or mouse. With a large worksurface and tool-free positioning, the innovative WorkFit encourages healthy movement, promotes greater bone density and might even get you a better night’s sleep.

Now if we could only do something about those couch potatoes.

A recent news story grabbed everyone’s attention with the shocking headline, “You sit. You die,” from a Fox News video. Okay, we can all agree this is a little overstated.  We’re all going to sit. And we’re all going to die.

But it gets your attention. And there’s something to it.  Recent studies are connecting the health impact of lifestyles that are too sedentary.  Especially vulnerable are workers in corporate environments who have been predominantly sitting in their cubes, or at meetings, the majority of their 40+ hour work weeks.

Robert Probst of Herman Miller  is credited with the design of systems furniture of the 1960’s that has governed much of how corporate America works and interacts ever since.

Cube Life, with all its powerful idiosyncrasies, has been the subject of water cooler conversations, Dilbert cartoons, and TV shows for decades.  The technology used in the cubes has changed, but the general approach to developing semi-permanent interlocking office spaces has remained amazingly constant for the past 50 years.

It’s a new century and a new millennium.

Many of us are no longer “placed based” workers:  they call us knowledge workers now. Our work can be accomplished anywhere we can plug into a network. With the advancement and proliferation of wireless connectivity, this means we can work pretty much anywhere and everywhere.  And we do.  And that’s the problem.

Empowered by digital technology, the impact of sitting in front of computers and analyzing information, developing new software programs and applications, writing content and creating graphics for digital distribution, takes a physical toll on us. The communicating, connecting, sharing and impressing is good.

The “hunched and crunched” positions we find ourselves in, while we’re doing it, is not.

Ergotron’s corporate culture is one that would like to fix many of the world’s problems.  While this problem doesn’t frequently headline the nightly news, the physical toll knowledge workers pay is costing America in hard, real healthcare costs, softer “alternative medicine” solutions, and in absenteeism and presenteeism. 

What's Ailing Corporate America July 2007

Knowledge workers are either staying home, because of their aches and pains, or they are physically showing up to work ( they are physically present), but they are not getting anything done because they can’t concentrate, can’t focus. They are mentally absent. All productivity is gone.

CubeLife 2.0  is cube life in the new millennium.  It CAN be better.  It has to be.

To reduce the impact of the “hunched and crunched” position, knowledge workers can choose to move around while working. Changing positions from seated to standing is such a seemingly small thing, but it matters.  Physically altering your body is what your body is made to do.  This small, but significant movement can make a difference in workers’ well-being.  Studies like those by Dr. Marc Hamilton, University of Missouri, on the benefit of standing during the workday (Podcast, July 2009) are proving it.

Progressive organizations encourage  knowledge workers collaboration on projects, clustering together in “free form” space when team work is needed, and returning to a private area when quiet concentration is needed.

Earlier this week I was in one of the most progressive offices in Minneapolis, where workers actually “rotate” from area to area just to keep things fresh and keep the employee interactions lively.  Yes, there was some “system furniture” in this facility, but there were no walls, no barriers, and absolutely no Cubes.

Yesterday, I heard from one of the major insurance companies here in town that they are moving to “stand up” meetings.  They understand standing is healthier than sitting, are are looking at ways to provide furniture that accomodate this physical behavior.

These are encouraging signs that the world is ready for a change in CubeLife.

Some may call it a revolution. We call it The Uprising. Getting up from a seated position, undocking those buttocks from a chair, standing, moving, and working.

Explore what it could do for you.