Office setup recommendations

Many of us do not have a good office chair and there are a lot of negative effects a bad posture has on our bodies. For example it can translate to Neck pain, Headaches, Sciatic and Back pain.

Most people have access to an Occupational Therapist through their work. It is usually a free service and from my experience it is not sought out enough when it comes to office spaces.

I highly recommend that you make use of their expertise when it comes to setting up your workstation. There are many things in your office that can lead to occupational strain and cause pain.

If you are suffering from work related injuries during the Covid 19 situation it would be good if do some research yourself on how to set up your workstation more safely. But when this situation is over, you should really consider having a professional assess your space.

For this post I want to focus on chair set ups.

While a good chair is definitely not the only factor in maintaining strong physical health, it is one that is often overlooked.

They say that sitting is the new smoking and I completely agree with this statement. Out of all the clients I treat, people who sit for prolonged periods of time tend to suffer from a lot more pain than people who perform physical labour on a regular basis.

So what can you do? Having to sit in order to make a living is a reality for a lot of people nowadays.

My top two recommendations when it comes to working in an office are the ‘standing desk’ or the ‘kneeling chair’.

Standing desks

Standing desks' are excellent and have been growing in popularity. There are many products out there so do your research. My recommendation is to purchase a good stool with it. Standing in one spot for a long time can negatively impact your low back and other parts of your body. Therefore you should alternate between standing and ‘perching’ on a stool. 

There are many great standing desks. You can choose between electric and manual control to select the height of the table so you can also alternate between standing, sitting on a stool and sitting in a chair. (IKEA and VariDesk are two good providers)

Every office is different and yours might not allow for a standing desk due to space limitation (slanted ceilings for example). They can also be a bit more costly.

So if budget and space are an issue for you then I highly recommend ‘the kneeling chair’.

Personally, this is what I have been using with my computer related work for 6 years and they are amazing.

Kneeling chairs

The ‘kneeling chair’ puts you in a very good ergonomic position thus preventing strain on your body. I can spend long office days on my ‘kneeling chair’ without feeling any strain compared to what I would normally suffer from when using a regular office chair.

My biggest recommendation with regards to the ‘kneeling chair’ is paying attention to the thickness of the cushioning before you purchase one. If the cushion is too thin, it will hurt your shins after a while and become uncomfortable to sit on. I suggest that the kneeler has at least 3.5 inches of cushion for the shin and buttock area.

It is also good to purchase a ‘kneeling chair’ that lets you adjust its height. It gives you more flexibility and you can share it more easily with others this way. But you can also find one that suits you perfectly even though the height does not adjust. (Mine cannot adjust in height)

You can find a good ‘kneeling chair’ starting around $150.

Here are two videos that explain the premise of the kneeling chair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbficso02uA&t=132s

The guy in the second video does not have a lot of knowledge about anatomy, but still explains how a regular office chair causes slouching and how the kneeling chair prevents it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbficso02uA

There are different types of kneeling chairs out there. The classic ‘kneeling chair’ allows you to engage in a rocking motion and seems to give even more flexibility if you need to reach across a desk. Personally I have never tried one of these, but they look excellent and I suggest you do your own research to find the type of ‘kneeling chair’ that suits you.

Here is a video for a classic ‘kneeling chair’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOav_qql-fU

I hope this post gives you something to think about with regards to your office space!

Stay well,

Roman