Computer Posture: Are You Sitting Comfortably?

Computer posture is important. You will probably spend many hours sitting at your PC and how you do this will have implications on your health as well as your productivity.

Do you suffer from neck pain, a burning between your shoulder blades, lower back pain, headaches, digestive problems, breathing difficulties, eye strain? ... the list goes on.

All of the above could be related to how you sit at your PC for hours at a time every day, barely moving, eyes fixed on the screen with deadlines to meet.

Have you tried to follow the advice given by ergonomics experts about correct position of your chair, computer screen and mouse but still find you suffer from the conditions mentioned above?

You are not alone and for good reason. Whilst you can easily adjust the height of your chair and re-arrange you desk to sort out the office ergonomics, it's not so simple to follow the instructions for your body.

We all know that we should sit up straight, but what exactly does this mean? Most people I see who try to do it invariably end up making matters worse!

Why? Because we've forgotten how to sit properly through years of doing it badly.

You can't correct it by trying harder, in fact, you need to stop sitting badly and let your body resume its natural posture. Read on and find out what you can do to improve your sitting posture and eliminate those annoying aches and pains.

Computer Posture: Dos and Don'ts

Sometimes the smallest adjustment to your desk environment can make a huge difference to your computer posture and consequently your level of comfort. Not only does finding the best sitting position relieve your aches and pains, it makes you more productive.

It's not easy to concentrate when you are aching and have to keep moving around to find a comfortable position.

Most companies invest considerable sums of money in ergonomic seating and chairs but even if you have the latest and most expensive model available it won't ensure that you will sit correctly.

So what can you do to ensure the best sitting position?

DO

check the position of your screen
have your chair at the right height so your eyes are level with your screen and your knees are slightly
lower than your hip joints
let your wrists rest on the desk
have you computer in front of you
let your feet sit flat on the floor and not tucked under your chair
keep your shoulders and back relaxed
take regular breaks away from your PC

DON'T

try to sit up straight (more below)
fix your eyes on the screen
lift your shoulders when typing or clicking the mouse
have any equipment where you need to twist
constantly to access it
collapse your neck as you read the screen
use your PC in low light conditions

GOOD

NOT SO GOOD

Compare the two photographs above. Even slight adjustments in body position will make a difference to how much stress is put upon the body. In the GOOD computer posture you will see the head is sitting directly on top of the spine and its weight (approx 4.5kgs/10lbs) is passed down to the pelvis and into the chair.

In the NOT SO GOOD computer posture, the neck has dropped forward and the weight of the head is no longer completely supported by the chair.

Because the spine is curved forward the muscles in the middle of the back are required to do more (inappropriate) work to keep the head up. Also to look at the screen she has to pull her head slightly backwards, this over time will cause the spine to curve more.

Can a memory foam mattress help?

Get out of your computer chair and sit down in a bean bag chair! You will love how comfortable our foam chair is too! Cuddle up with the one your love in our extra large lovesack!

Improving Your Computer Posture

I mentioned earlier that to follow advice on sitting correctly, such as, sitting straight with the shoulders back etc, is not as easy as it sounds.

This is because the majority of adults have developed a poor body concept. What does this mean? We have lost the art of natural poise and movement through our sedentary lifestyles. Your computer posture is just one situation where we can go wrong.

Is your body concept okay? How would you know?

You could try taking my Body Awareness Test and see how you score.

If you didn't score too well don't worry, most adults don't. But think about this - how are we supposed to carry out the instructions about getting the right computer posture (or any postural advice) if we don't know how our body really works?

Not an easy one to answer using conventional methods.

In my (slightly biased) opinion, the best postural re-education systems around is The Alexander Technique . This practical method has been around for over 100 years but is still undervalued and underused. I personally have taught many people over the last 10 years and one issue that usually comes up is the matter of sitting at a computer.

Many make the mistake of trying to sit up too straight and tighten their lower backs, causing more harm than good. For more detailed information see sitting and good computer posture . As soon as people learn not to try and sit up straight, they find it so much easier!

Are you sitting comfortably?
Taking the stress out of sitting at your PC

This very useful program has a few unconventional ways to improve your computer posture. You probably spend many hours a day at your PC so find out how you can make it easier on your body.

For more information click Sitting Posture

Early warning signs that should not be ignored.

Any discomfort experienced at your computer is a sign you are doing something wrong. You may not be too concerned if the aches and pains you associate with sitting at your computer disappear at weekends. But prolonged periods (and we could be talking years) of sitting in a poor position will alter your posture gradually until you begin to suffer all the time.

More serious signs that require you to take instant action are tightness or numbness in your fingers, hands, wrists, elbows or shoulders. This could soon lead to upper limb disorders, also known as repetitive strain injury (RSI).

This is a difficult condition to treat successfully and in a many cases the sufferer has to change job completely to one not involving computers - not an easy career move to make in today's hi-tech world!

If you experience any of the above symptoms, talk to your Occupational Health Advisor or visit your doctor. The longer these conditions persist the harder it will be to treat.

So your computer posture can have a huge influence on not only how productive you are at work, whether you get aches or pains, but also your body shape! You probably don't want to look old before your time, but if you pay little attention to how you sit at your PC you could be rapidly attaining the stoop normally associated with old age.

Remember, you don't have to sit up straight with your chin in, shoulders back ...and all the garbage, you just have to allow your body to be poised. Not as easy as it first sounds but either try one of my programs (see below) or find an Alexander Technique Teacher in your area and try a lesson or two. You never know what you might learn.

For information about AT teachers see Alexander Technique links and resources

Further details about my procedures for developing a better understanding of your body see fitness programs

Want to ask a question?
My view of good posture and how it can be attained is different to the conventional approach. If there is anything on this page that you would like to follow up please feel free to contact me