Step 1 & 2 to a Back Pain Free Desk

Ouch, my back hurts…

Sound familiar? Do you stand up after hours hunched over your desk slaving away, only to find your feet numb, pins and needles pouring into your legs, and a war being declared over your neck?

While a ‘back-pain-free-desk’ might sound like a fairy-tale, in truth it is much more realistic.

Are you willing to save your body from the dreaded desk? If so, read on…

Step 1: Desk Duty

The best place to start on your quest to a back pain free desk is… your desk! How high your desk is will determine how you need to set everything else up. The most important aspect about your actual desk (besides the colour!) is its height. A great trick to work out the correct height is to check if your elbow is approximately 90° when you forearm is rested on your desk. If that’s impossible, adjust your chair height to get this angle right.

Step 2: Mindful with your Monitor

Shut your eyes and sit up straight. Now, open your eyes. You should be staring somewhere between the middle of the monitor and the web browser bar at the top of your screen. If you need to lift your monitor, grab some yellow pages or text books to boost its height. Most people’s monitors are too low. If you are constantly looking down at your monitor, your head and neck are continually flexed. This puts unnecessary pressure on the neck joints and can be the cause of recurring neck pain.

Also, your monitor shouldn’t be too far away. Sitting close to your desk, extend your fingers. Your fingertips should just touch the middle of the screen. As a bonus, by angling your monitor up slightly, your neck won’t flex too much as you look down, creating a happier and healthier neck!

If you are still experiencing headaches, neck or back pain from being at the desk all day even after you think you have nailed step 1 & 2, please feel free to call us on 6009 0999 and book in so we can asses your spine at House of Chiropractic. You may simply be out of alignment.