18 Nov How to Sit Correctly in Your Office Chair
Sitting correctly in your office chair is vital for providing adequate support to your spine, lower back and neck.
Lots of office workers often complain of a sore back – which more often than not is down to your chair being set up incorrectly. Even if you have an ergonomic chair that has been specially designed for added comfort you still need to ensure that you have it set up to suit your workplace. These days there are so many ergonomically-designed office chairs too – so you really do have a great range to choose from.
The first thing you need to do is sit at your chair facing your computer screen. Shut your eyes and then slowly open them – your eye line should be pointing towards the centre of the screen. If this isn’t the case then you could place a few large books under your screen to correct this. If you miss out this step you could be causing your neck unnecessary strain – your head actually weighs about the same as a bowling ball so that places a lot of strain on your neck if you are constantly looking down.
Secondly, you need to ensure that you are sat right back into your chair – not perching on it half way. By placing your bottom right against the back of the chair you are offering your lower back extra support. Once you have ensured that you are sitting correctly – place your elbows on the table – they should be at a 90 degree angle, if they aren’t your chair height may need slightly adjusting.
Pull yourself so you are tucked under the table – your thighs shouldn’t be touching the table – again if this is the case your chair height needs a slight adjustment. Your feet should also be flat on the floor. If you do have shorter legs you could perhaps invest in a foot rest.
Once you are happy with your position ensure that all of your computer equipment is suitably placed around you – you shouldn’t have to stretch too far to reach anything.
Once you have completed these steps it should take a lot of strain off your back. But remember – you must also have regular breaks from your desk. Regular breaks will ensure that you stretch your legs and increase the flow of your blood supply. Ergonomic chairs can be useless if you don’t set it up properly!
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