Good Posture At Work
Most postural issues are caused from everyday habits from everyday activities such as sitting in office chairs, staring at a computer, prolonged use on your mobile phone, especially smart phones and iphones, carrying a purse or bag over your shoulder, driving and repetitive physical activities. In regards to your posture at work, here are some basic tips to improve posture and ergonomics, especially for people who sit for most of most of the day. Sit up straight Align the ears, shoulders, and hips in one vertical line. Sitting in the one position for a prolonged period of time, even a good one, can be tiring. Shifting forward to the edge of the seat with a straight back and alternating with the support of the chair can help add some variety. Take regular breaks and get up and move around. Get up every half hour for two minutes to stand, walk or stretch.
- Head is level and inline with the torso. Beware not to draw the head forward towards the computer screen as this can put a lot of stress on the neck.
- Shoulders are relaxed, not shrugged, and upper arms hang normally at the side of the body.
- Hands, wrists, and forearms are straight, inline and roughly parallel to the floor.
- Keep your elbows close to the body, ideally at your sides, this will take stress off the back of your shoulders and your mid back.
- Keep your back upright and not slouched.
- Keep the knees and hips at the same height
- Keep your feet on the ground and if you cannot touch the ground use an elevated footrest.