Ergonomics and sedentary lifestyle

Poorly adapted workstations often cause injuries and are conducive to the development of chronic pain. Are “perfectly” ergonomic stations “THE” solution to absolutely eliminate all health problems linked to work posture?

Healthcare professionals, especially those promoting ergonomic stations, please don’t throw me rotten tomatoes. Based on my on my clinical experience, I affirm that a “perfectly” ergonomic station ALONE does not solve all health problems linked to work posture.

The exemples below are primarily based on office work that requires the use of a computer on a regular basis.

The cons of a non-ergonomic station

Work table too high = shoulder tendinitis and tension in the upper back and neck.

Laptop keybord = carpal tunnel syndrome and upper back and neck pain.

Work chair too high = tension in the lower back, sciatica.

Mouse too far from the center of the body = shoulder tendonitis, epicondylitis, carpal tunnel syndrome.

Chair without lumbar support = lower back pain, lumbar sprain, sciatica.

These are juste a few exemples of very common situations and recurring health problems related to them.

The pros of an ergonomic station

In theory, all the risks of developing one of the health problems mentioned above are eliminated… as long as the person is positioned well… This is because, yes, despite the ergonomics of a station, the user may position themselves inappropriately. I expand on this point further.

The pros of a non-ergonomic station

The discomfort preoduced by a non-ergonomic station encourages people to move, change position, get up, take a break, etc. Brief! From a certain point of view, a poorly adapted installation forces users to remain “active” and to use different muscle groups.

I put the word “active” in quotation marks because we understand that it is not a question of practicing a relatively intense physical activity… with the aim of keeping onself in shape… But rather of varying the posture to accomplish the same task… Right?!

The cons of an ergonomic station

Generally, the ergonomic station only allows one and only one posture :

• Sat,
• Straight back,
• Knees, hips and elbow at 90 degrees,
• Straight head which allows you to look straight ahead.

What does this mean for the body? This means that the persone must keep the same posture for long hours, despite all the comfort and reduction of tension that the station provides. As a result, the individual moves less, which means they are more sedentary. In turn, the parts of the body that are less used weaken and become stiff: which causes other types of health problems such as loss of range of motion.

I give a somewhat “stupid” example: the ergonomic mouse. This tool allows a natural position of the arm and wrist. Generally, when you use such a high-performance mouse, there are only 2 or 3 fingers that move. If the wrist is solicited, it is barely mobilized. What about the reste of the arm? It remains still. We can easily conclude that the entire arm remains in a resting positions for several hours. By moving so little, the muscles lose tone, and the joints lose mobility.

Countering the cons of non-ergonomic stations

It is clear that an ergonomic workspace is “THE” ideal choice. But!…

Take breaks

All health professionals, including ergonomics specialist, say it: we must take regular breaks to stretch ourselves. Personnaly, I think we should get up every 15 to 30 minutes to:

• Go drink a glass of water,
• Go to the toilet,
• Stretch,
• To look outside,
• Etc.

It doesn’t have to be long. Just 2 minutes is enough. At the same time, it allows you to clear your head in order to refocus better later. This therefore has a double benefits :

1. Your body feels better;
2. You increase your intellectual performance.

Eliminate bad postures

That’s not all. There are still 2 things to do to counteract the disadvantages of ultra-ergonomic stations. The first, and the most difficult, is to get rid of bad portural habits. Obviously, if a person is in the habit of leaning on one of his elbow to the point that his shoulder comes close to his ear, and this, with a crooked and rounded back, this person will tend to adopt this bad posture, little it matters whether the workstation is ergonomic or not. We must therefore be aware of how we position ourselves and regulary check that we are positioning ourselves correctly.

Postural exercices

The last thing to do is to engage in physical activities that promote proper posture. Obviously, it is not just unfavorable habits that cause bad postures, it is also the condition of the area of the musculoskeletal system that is involved that comes into play.

I take the example of the round back. This posture is often caused by pectorals that are too short and a trapezius and rhomboids that are not strong enough. You must therefore balance these muscles by stretching the pectorals to open the rib cage and by doing exercises that give strenght to the trapezius and rhomboids to keep your back strainght over a long period of time.

Do you need help correcting your posture? Consult a kinesiologist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist or osteopath.