Desk Posture: 4 Easy Setps!
The chances are, you’ve already been shown how to correctly set up your desk in some way or another. However if you are getting discomfort or pain that gets worse when you are working at your desk for long periods then even the most minor improvements to your desk set up can make a big difference on any pain you are experiencing. Most commonly, if you have a bad set up, you will experience back pain, neck pain or headaches. Here I will go through my top 4 most important things to consider when setting up your desk for best desk posture. So find out what they are and see whether you can further improve your set up. If you prefer to see this in video format then please do watch my video below:
The 4 Steps For Best Desk Posture
The first rule is to ensure that you position yourself before positioning your desk. By doing it this way around you will ensure your desk is customised to you and not the other way round.
Knees ≥ 90 Degrees: This will ensure that the weight coming down from your torso is being dissipated down your legs and that the weight isn’t ending up entirely in your lower back.
Look At Top 1/3 of Screen: Your eyes should be looking at the top 1/3 of your screen. So after putting yourself in an upright posture, adjust the height of your screen. If your screen doesn’t enable you to do this, then find some books you don’t read and place them underneath the screen.
Elbows Resting & 90 Degrees: This is important to help relax the muscles around your neck and shoulders (especially your upper traps). If your elbows are hanging in the air then you will be tensing your neck and shoulder muscles ever so slightly which, sustained over a long period of time will cause pain in this area.
Take Regular Breaks: This is probably the most important step as the spine is designed for movement and for some people, even the best posture in the world won’t stop the pain because the spine is still sedentary. Set a timer on your phone every 30 minutes or drink lots of water (as you’ll have to keep getting up to pee and get water) to remind you to keep taking breaks.
Check out my video above to hear my tips on working from laptops and two monitors as well as some recommended exercise to help relieve pain caused by desk posture.
- desk posture
- desk set up
- home set up
- neck pain
- back pain
- chiropractic
- how to relieve pain at the desk