Ergonomics for Desk Workers: Preventing Neck, Back and Wrist Pain

A laptop on a dining table, a chair with no back support, and eight hours of email. That setup is behind a large share of the neck, back and wrist pain we see in office workers and students.

The fix isn't an expensive chair. It's a reasonable setup plus regular movement.

Set up your screen

• Top of the screen at or slightly below eye level. If you look down at a laptop all day, your neck carries extra load for hours.
• About an arm's length away. Close enough to read without leaning forward.
• Use a laptop stand or a pile of books with a separate keyboard and mouse if you work on a laptop for more than an hour or two a day.

Set up your chair

• Sit back so your lower back is supported. A rolled towel or small cushion behind the lower back works if the chair has no curve.
• Feet flat on the floor or a footrest, knees roughly level with the hips.
• Elbows close to your sides and bent around 90 degrees when typing.

Set up your hands

• Keyboard and mouse at elbow height, close enough that you don't reach forward.
• Wrists straight, not bent up or resting hard on a sharp desk edge.
• Learn a few keyboard shortcuts to cut down on mouse clicks.

Movement matters more than posture

There is no single perfect posture. Even a good position becomes a problem if you hold it for three hours. The best posture is the next one.

• Stand up or change position every 30 to 45 minutes.
• Take phone calls standing or walking.
• Look away from the screen at something distant every so often to rest your eyes.

A two-minute desk routine

Do this two or three times a day:

1. Chin tucks: gently draw your chin straight back, hold for 3 seconds, repeat 10 times.
2. Shoulder blade squeezes: draw your shoulders back and down, hold for 5 seconds, repeat 10 times.
3. Seated twist: sit tall, turn your upper body to each side, hold for 10 seconds.
4. Wrist stretches: arm straight, gently bend the wrist up and then down with the other hand, 15 seconds each way.
5. Stand and lean back: hands on your lower back, gently arch backwards 5 times.

When to get help

See a physiotherapist if pain lasts more than two weeks despite these changes, keeps you awake, or comes with numbness or tingling in the arms or hands. Tingling in the thumb and fingers can be carpal tunnel syndrome, and pain spreading down the arm can come from a pinched nerve in the neck. Both respond well to early treatment.