Most of us sit for long periods in front of the computer, or at the desk. Even traveling to work requires sitting. Sitting generally puts about 50% more pressure on our discs, so it is important to take a few pointers into account when sitting:
- Sit right at the back of your chair and your back should be fully supported. Make sure your office chair has good back support, or use a lumbar support cushion.
- Make sure your head and shoulders are in line with your hips.
- Your desk top should be at elbow height when sitting at your desk, so that your elbows are resting on the desk and not pushing your shoulders up.
- Pull your chair right underneath the desk so you are not leaning forward to reach your desk, therefore change the chair’s arm rest height to fit underneath the desk.
- Your feet should be supported flat on the floor.
- Your knees should be bent at about 90’
- Hips and knees should be at the same height, you may need to put a block on the floor underneath your desk to lift your feet.
- Your computer screen and keyboard should be directly in front of you, not pushed to the side.
- The computer screen should be tilted 15’ lower than the height of your eyes, and any documents that you are reading from should be on a stand next to the computer screen at the same height.
Take regular breaks from sitting about every 30 minutes.