One of the most important ways to prevent gradual onset pain and stiffness is the science of ergonomics — of designing and arranging things people use to be as safe and efficient as possible. When the activities we do every day aren’t set up with the way the human body works in mind, it can cause low-level strains throughout the body that build up over time into stiff spots, aches, and injuries.
While everyone is built a little differently and thus everyone’s home and work setups should be personalized to what works best for them, there are some general guidelines that can be followed to start with, with modifications being made from there. The concepts behind ergonomics can be applied to any activity you do on a regular basis — sitting at your computer or on your couch, gardening and yard work, lifting and moving things around, even sleeping. (I’ve written a whole post about the ergonomics of sleep.) In any situation, the goal is to promote better posture, reduce strain (especially asymmetrical strain) on the body, and reduce the likelihood of injury.
So let’s talk about some ways you can improve the ergonomics of your home and work environments to protect your body in day-to-day life.
The Basics
In general, the following guidelines are a good starting point:
Couches and seat cushions. Take a look at the chairs, couches, and other seats you spend a lot of time in. Are they cushioned? If so, those cushions should be thick enough to provide padding, but not so thick and soft that you can completely sink into them and they can’t at least partially hold their shape under your weight. A good couch or seat cushion should be softening the frame beneath but still providing support for your body. Cushions that are too soft can allow your spine to bend out of its natural curves at rest and put additional stress on your joints as a result.
Low back support in seats. If you have back pain when sitting for long periods, you may need a little extra support beyond what your chairs, couches, etc. provide. You can buy special lumbar support pillows, but you can also slot any small pillow or other cushioning into the space behind your low back, just above your pelvis, to support the gentle natural curve (or lordosis) of your lumbar spine and prevent it from flattening out and overstressing the joints. If you feel significant pressure from the pillow or as if you’re being forced to arch your spine backwards, you may need to reduce the amount of cushioning you’re using.
Reduce twisting motions needed during tasks. Wherever possible, try to set up kitchens, laundry rooms, and workspaces to reduce how often you need to rotate your spine to one side or the other to move items, especially in combination with bending forward.
Organize break times. Technically out of the scope of ergonomics but related enough to be worth mentioning here: being in one position — any one position — for too long can be strenuous on the human body. For every hour you spend sitting down, try to take a 5–10 minute break to stand up, stretch, and walk around. For every hour you spend standing, aim for a 10–15 minute break to sit or lie down and rest.
At The Computer
Monitor height. Many monitors sit low enough to force their user to look down at them, which over time puts undue strain on the neck. Your computer monitor should ideally be at eye level, or even slightly above eye level (though only very slightly). You may need to put your monitor up on top of something to achieve this — many monitor stands exist with small drawers or similar conveniences which can add some extra utility to your desk to boot.
Monitor distance. Your monitor should ideally be about arm’s length away — close enough that you don’t need to lean forward to see text clearly, but far enough away to not cause eyestrain over time. If you find yourself leaning forward at this distance, you may need to adjust the monitor or browser display to display text and images larger. If you haven’t had an eye exam in the last year, this may also be a sign to get a checkup to check for any signs of developing nearsightedness.
Keyboard height. Many desks place the keyboard too high to be comfortable, which can lead to hunching of the shoulders, tightening of the upper trapezius muscles, and excessive tension throughout the shoulders and arms. Ideally, with your upper arms at your sides and your hands on the keyboard, your elbows should be at about a 90 degree angle. For some, it may be more comfortable to have enough desk space to rest your forearms on the desk, in order to avoid the edge of the desk putting pressure on the wrists, which can lead to compression of the tendons and nerves there. However, in this case you should try to keep your elbows off the edge of the desk, to avoid putting pressure on the ulnar nerve where it passes close to the skin through the elbow (best known to most as the “funnybone”).
Chair height. Ideally, you should be able to keep both feet flat on the floor comfortably. If you need to raise your chair height to get your keyboard at the right height for you, you may need to put a box or similar under your feet to accomplish this. A chair too tall, causing feet to dangle off the floor, can compress nerves and blood vessels passing through the back of the thigh over time and cause numbness, tingling, and irritation. Conversely, a chair that’s too low will force knees and hips to be excessively bent, which can cause the hip flexors and hamstrings to become overly tight and tense.
Back support. As previously mentioned, adding a lumbar support pillow may be beneficial for those with low back pain when sitting for long periods.
In the Garden and Yard
Knee pads. For kneeling work such as weeding and planting, investing in a cushioned pad to kneel on can prevent a great deal of knee pain and gradual injury from stress over time. These can be found at most hardware stores or online for relatively cheap, or you can buy EVA foam and cut it to size yourself if so inclined.
Well-fitting tools. When it comes to tasks you perform frequently, tools that fit your hands well are crucial to preventing hand, forearm, arm, and shoulder pain over time. Handles that are too large or too small for their user are difficult to grip with adequate force and precision, increasing the amount of work you have to do to get the job done and in some cases increasing the risk of injury from a tool slipping at the wrong moment. For tasks performed on a regular basis, investing in higher-quality tools upfront is often worth the pain saved later.
Lifting and carrying. Many cite the mantra “lift with your legs, not with your back,” but few ever stop to explain what that means in more detail. Safe and effective lifting requires the following:
- Feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
- Keep your back straight, not bending in the spine at all.
- Hinge forward at the hips until you can’t hinge further without bending in the lumbar spine.
- If needed, bend the knees in a squat until you can reach the item you’re picking up.
- Reverse the steps to lift back up to standing.
These steps should be followed regardless of the weight of the item being picked up. While initial lifting injuries do often occur when lifting a significant weight, they just as often occur when lifting objects that weigh next to nothing — the classic case of “throwing your back out” when reaching down to pick up a pencil. Injuries, especially re-aggravations of old injuries, often occur due to small, unguarded movements, when the brain isn’t “paying attention” and thus the small muscles that control posture are not stabilizing the spine and joints as much as they should be. When this happens, a vertebra can slip slightly farther than it usually would due to the resulting instability, causing spasm of all the surrounding muscles to re-stabilize the area.
Sleep
Sleep is often not a place people think to apply the concepts of ergonomics, but if you have pain early in the mornings on waking or trouble falling asleep at night, it may be worth reading our previous post all about the ergonomics of sleep.
In Summary
While these guidelines are written for specific parts of home life, the principles behind them can be applied more broadly. Working with your body’s biomechanics instead of against them, reducing unnecessary strain on joints and muscles, and adjusting your environment to fit your body wherever possible instead of forcing your body to adapt to an ill-fitting environment can prevent aches, pains, and gradual-onset injury from daily wear and tear. As always, be kind to yourself, listen to your body, and make whatever modifications work best for you.