But Dr. Chelsie I have a sit-stand desk, I shouldn't have pain
AHHH, the far too often excuse when I ask about workplace ergonomics. 'But I have a sit-stand desk so my ________ shouldn't hurt me.' And for those of you having the pleasure of telling me that will no my INSTANT response is to ask you how long you 'sit' or 'stand' for which is normally followed up by 'the whole day or half the day'. Well, I am glad you are all trying to help your bodies out but that reality is that sitting or standing for any extended period of time is NOT a good thing. We need to properly utilize the sit-stand function and switch it up A LOT more than what most of you are. I would prefer you have A+ workplace ergonomics (always sitting, or always standing) with micro-breaks every 20 minutes compared to standing for 2+ hour followed by sitting for 2+ hours followed by standing again. Don't get me wrong that is the better alternative to sitting or standing the WHOLE SHIFT, but it still isn't great in my opinion.
Lets go over 'What should it feel and look like' of a proper sitting and standing set up
Bonus points for printing these off and LEAVING THEM at your workstation for a constant reminder. If you want the PDF version you can Facebook message @Drchelsiechiro or email (officechiro19@gmail.com)
Inactivity is the biggest threat to workstation users. We will sit in one position for WAY TOO LONG and this creates the potential for strain and sprain injuries. Yes you read that properly, DOING NOTHING CAN CAUSE A STRAIN OR SPRAIN. It is not longer JUST athletes that get these injuries. So basically what I am trying to tell you is that you MUST REMAIN ACTIVE throughout your day. No I don't mean leave work and go for a run. I am talkin' about microbreaks. Every 20 minutes take a 20 second break, that seems pretty reasonable? I will even give you the exercises to do! Think about printing them out and posting them on the wall beside your screen. That way there will be a constant reminder that you need to MOVE.
(Thanks Chiro-Up for the great infographs)