Is Your Work Station Working for You?

By Gwen Murphy, PT, MPT, OCS, Cert. MDT

Is your neck, low back, or shoulders sore after working on the computer?  Do your wrists hurt?  Do your hands go numb?  Do you get headaches after staring at your monitor for too long?

Chances are, your workstation isn’t set up correctly. Injuries can result from repetitive motion, improper equipment, poor posture or a combination of factors.  “Computer work, whether for work or pleasure, may appear to be a low effort activity, but maintaining postures or performing highly repetitive tasks for extended periods can lead to problems in localized areas in the body.

To improve your computer work station it is helpful to understand what is meant by neutral body position.  Neutral body position is the posture in which all your joints are naturally aligned. This position reduces stress on muscles, tendons and joints, essentially, a state of “balance” over a base of support, your pelvis, thighs, and feet.   Utilizing neutral body position at the computer workstation is advised; however your work position should be changed frequently throughout the day.  This can be done by making small adjustments to your chair and backrest, stretching fingers, hands and arms, and periodically standing and walking.  No posture is perfect for 100% of the time, small changes in posture is a good way to reduce stress and redistribute pressures related to prolonged positions.  

Repetition and inability to recognize early warning signs of small problems are risk factors that increase the computer users’ risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders.  Repetitive tasks for prolonged periods can lead to problems in localized areas of the body.  

Lack of rest between tasks can lead to localized fatigue, wear and tear; ultimately injury is not recognized and corrected early.  Changing sitting posture, modifying mouse use, taking micro breaks or rest pauses, and alternating “non-computer tasks” with “computer tasks” are suggested modifications.  

Improving awareness of sitting postures, and computer components that increase discomfort is important in recognizing potential hazards.  Early detection of discomfort will allow early intervention, modification of work station and body position.

There are many workstation components that which can be easily modified:

  • The desk surface should allow you to place the monitor at least 20 inches away. Limited space on the surface of the desk may cause the user to place devices in undesirable positions. Frequently used devices, phone, mouse should remain in the primary work zone.  Avoid storing items under desk.  Desk height should be between 20-28 inches high.
  •  A good chair provides support to the back, legs, buttock and arms.  Chairs that allow a variety of positions are important if the chair has a variety of users.  The backrest should conform to the natural curve of the spine to provide lumbar support in a reclined position of 100 to 110 degrees.  The seat should be comfortable an allow feet to rest flat on the floor.  Armrests should allow shoulders to be relaxed with elbows at side.
  • The monitor should be placed directly in front of the user ~20 inches away with the top line of the screen is just below eye level.  Monitors should be tilted 17 degrees from vertical.  Bifocal and progressive lenses wearers may consider a pair of single-vision lenses to avoid tilting the head.
  • Selection and placement of the computer keyboard and mouse is an important factor in creating a safe computer workstation.  The keyboard and mouse should be placed next to one another directly in front of the user at elbow height.  The user’s forearms should be parallel to the floor, wrists flat (not bent up or down) and straight (not bent left or right).  The “B” key should be centered at the user’s mid-line.    Laptop computers are great for short periods of computer work.  However, laptops present an array of computer workstation problems, for example, balancing screen height with distance.