Desk Posture

1. When seated at a desk/table the shoulders should be relaxed (i.e. not hunched or rounded) and elbows flexed to 90º; the forearms should be approximately 5cm from the work surface so that the keyboard thickness allows keying with minimal stress to wrist, elbows & shoulders.

2. The chair should ideally be adjustable and able to swivel.

3. The feet should be able to rest flat on the floor, or on a slightly sloping surface directly below the knees which are flexed to 90º.

4. In a seat that slopes forward the knees should be a few degrees lower than the hips, which is ideal. If the seat is level the knees should be approximately level with the hips.

5. A slanted footstool, angled towards you approximately 10º should be used if the feet cannot comfortably be supported by the floor.

6. The chair should be stable, with a wide base of support and therefore not be able to tilt, tip back or tilt to the side on the base when body weight is transferred (however, the chair back may have a tilt safety built into it).

7. The seat of the chair should be able to tilt forward between 5º and 10º, which encourages improved posture for the lumbar (lower) spine and pelvis. If not, a wedge shaped cushion could be used to achieve this.

8. The front edge of the seat should be rounded to avoid undue pressure on the back of the leg.

9. If the chair is a recliner its back should be able to tilt to approximately 30º from vertical.

10. There should be ample leg room under the work surface, with suggested depth of no less than 55cm and width of 70cm.

11. The work surface should be slanted for writing and reading tasks (or on a copy holder angled 15º-30º).

12. Lighting should be carefully arranged to avoid glare and should be adequate to ensure easy focusing on what is being observed.

13. Keyboards should be separate from the computer screen if one is being used.

14. A wrist support should be used if at all possible when keying or typing for any length of time.

15. The chair-back should support the normal curve of the lower back.

16. The chair arms (if present) should be adjustable for height (or removable).

Regular breaks should be taken from seated work (a few minutes every 30minutes is ideal) to stand, stretch and move around.

For advice, appointments or further information please do not hesitate to get in touch.