21 Aug 08 Bad Back

I was recently reading about bad backs, and how we get into bad habits at the computer. Many of us spend many hours sat in front of a computer, and bad posture can lead to problems.

Many folks sit on the edge of their chair, and hunch forward. I kow I find myself doing this at times. It’s not good unless you want to be The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Also many folks have their monitor far too low on their desk. If you place your monitor directly on your desk, it’s almost certainly way too low. The way to check is quite simple. You should sit up straight, and look straight ahead. Your eyes should come to rest about on third of the way down your monitor screen. If they don’t or you have to move your eyes down to get to that point, then your screen is too low. What happens is that your eyes don’t look down for long – you tilt your head down, so you can look directly straight out – it’s a subconcious thing – and then you get neck ache, and hunched shoulders.

Get a chair with decent support. Some ergonomic chairs are silly money, but really you need to check for one that you can adjust the hieght, lumbar support, and arm rests on. Try and get one wit ha waterfall front on the seat too, that helps the blood supply to keep flowing to your legs.

Now, you’ve read this, and even before you’ve sat up straight, get up and walk around the room.

Tags: back problems, bad backs, bad habits, bad posture, blood supply, decent support, desk, ergonomic chairs, hunch, hunchback of notre dame, legs, lumbar support, money, neck ache, notre dame, posture, shoulders, waterfall