Ergonomic Office Chairs, Wow is my back pain gone already?

Well today, I opened the box for my new office chair. Having worked in the office industry for a number of years and knowing how much affect your office chair can have on your back, I should have opened it last week when it arrived. But, work as always keeps me busy with little time left over for ergonomics, office chairs, leather, headrests and the like.
I order a new chair roughly every two years. With my knowledge of ergonomics and of course my “hook up” in the office industry……..haha I sell office chairs and tend to give myself a pretty reasonable price point.
Anyways, this time I decided on a mesh chair. I sit in my office chair in front of this darn computer for hours and hours and whenever I order, I need to make sure that my ergonomic chair is going to fit my needs and be durable for the long sitting periods.
The mesh chair I ordered this time is part of the Matrex Ergonomic line. Featuring more than 5 different styles…for example..with headrest or without or in black or metallic color….these chairs offer a fabulous design, similar to the Herman Miller Aeron Chair that is so popular, but at an amazing price.
This chair has all of the ergonomic features and adjustment levers as the Herman Miller Aeron Mesh Chair….but at a price tag that is about half of the Aeron. Like in the clothing industry, sometimes you are simply paying for the name and not anything different about the actual task chair. The Matrex Line of Mesh Office Chairs has 2-1 synchro tilt to keep your feet flat on the floor, even when reclining and it keeps your eyes at the same eye level, even when in the reclining position.
Even though I have sat in many different office chairs, I must say that so far, in only one day, I may rate this new chair as my absolute favorite. I have never responded so quickly and my back has never been so relaxed so quickly after just starting to use the chair. I love all of the adjusmtent features and can not believe how much my lower back is thanking me…and let me also say that I am posting this at 10:00 at night and have probably been sitting in this chair for the good part of the day and am STILL COMFORTABLE. So comfortable in fact, that I am still sitting up and couldn’t help but to blog about it before I clocked out and went to sleep.
Check out the Matrex Mesh Office Chairs……but only if you desire comfort and design at the highest of quality.

Author Jeff Pedersen works in the ergonomics and office furniture industry and is an expert in his field. Please visit his ergonomic websites to see more information and details on executive, mesh, leather, task and ergonomic office chairs and furniture to maintain your workstation.

Offering a wide variety of executive and task office chairs with an online sales catalog as well as providing ergonomic information on proper chair positioning and seating at the workplace.

Sit On This Ergonomics:

Office Chairs and Furniture
http://stores.ebay.com/sitonthisergonomics

More Ergonomic Info
http://stores.ebay.com/Sit-On-This-Ergonomics/Ergonomic-Positioning-Explained.html

Office Chairs and Maintaining Proper Ergonomic Posture

Proper posture is vital both at work and at home. Ergonomic posture is a valuable part in preventing or managing back pain during any activity.  Bad posture while sitting in an office chair, driving, or standing for long periods of time can lead to back pain.

 Standing Posture 

When standing it is important to maintain the natural curve of the spine in order to achieve good posture. The spine is similar to the letter S when viewed from the side and maintaining the two curves is what is key to proper posture.

 

·        Your head should be directly over the shoulders (chest out, head back)

·        Keep Shoulders directly over the pelvis

·        Tighten the core abdominal muscles

·        Tuck in the buttocks

·        The feet should be slightly apart, with one foot slightly ahead of the other, with the knees bent slightly.

 

When you first attempt this posture if you are not already doing it, you may feel a bit awkward. Give it some time and it will begin to feel natural. It can sometimes be tiring and this can be due to weak rhomboids and middle trapezius (spine muscles). This can be done using light weights or elastic bands.  You will see improvement shortly after beginning these exercises.

 

Another cause of pain is prolonged standing on a concrete or hard floor. In this scenario it is best to wear shoes with cushioning and good support. Often a rubber mat or cushioned mat can correct this problem. Using a mat can enhance the ergonomic positioning and ease pressure on the back. Another technique it to use a railing or box to prop one foot up while standing to relieve pressure. It is important to change feet and position about every 15 minutes.

 Office Chair Posture 

While many of us are increasingly spending large portions of our day in front of a desk it is important to have a correct posture. Bad posture can result in back pain and neck pain. Most of this pain is avoidable and can be achieved by:

• Adjust the office chair, computer, and desk positioning

• Modify your sitting posture from a forward leaning slump. The best position is to sit back in the chair and to use the chairs lumbar support to keep the head and neck erect.

• Periodically take stretching and walking breaks when sitting for long periods of time.

A consistent and comfortable work environment can depend on placement of the computer screen, where the hands and feet are and the type of office chair.

• Choose the surface height of your desk

This can vary depending on the task performed. It also should be adjust to the particular height of each worker.

• Adjust your chair

Your work surface should be elbow high. Two fingers should be able to slip under the thigh. If this in not possible then a foot rest might correct this. The back of the chair should push the lower back forward slightly to offer lumbar support. Many typical chairs cannot do these functions and an ergonomic chair is recommended.

• Proper screen height

Sit in your new chair and close your eyes and relax. Open you eyes slowly and where your sight initially focuses is the proper placement of the center of your computer screen. This can be accomplished by using a screen stand or the tilt operation on many screens. The new flat panel screens make this a simple fix.

Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved, Sit On This Ergonomics, LLC.

Author: Jeff Pedersen is penned as a Sit On This Ergonomics featured Ergonomic Insider. Having worked in the ergonomics and office industry over 10 years now, he is currently co-founder of Sit On This Ergonomics, operating a number of Ergonomic Sites dedicated to office chairs and the practice of good workplace ergonomics for better seating and productivity.

Featuring a wide variety of executive, leather, mesh and task office chairs with an online sales catalog, their website also provides detailed ergonomic information on proper work chair positioning.

Office Chairs and Furniture:
http://stores.ebay.com/sitonthisergonomics Credit Report Tips and Credit Score Secrets:
http://www.yourcreditscoresecrets.comErgonomics Detailed:
http://stores.ebay.com/Sit-On-This-Ergonomics/Ergonomic-Positioning-Explained.html

Back Injuries at Work and Your Office Chair, Preventing Injury

Back Injuries at work 

One of the most common work-related injuries is back pain. This can be caused by simple work activities such as sitting at your office chair or lifting of heavy objects. If you establish certain workplace ergonomics, especially in your office chair,  it can widely reduce work related back pains and even injuries. It will also help employees maintain a healthy back and not take work home with them at least in the pain part of the job. Your office chair positioning can play a big role in good ergonomic body health.

 

Ergonomics must be targeted to each individual worker and the tasks that he or she performs. It is helpful to go thru all of the job descriptions at your work place and to tailor a ergonomic program that best suits each individual worker. It is also important to take into account the physical abilities of each worker as well as their personal limitations. There are two types of situations that regularly cause worker to either report back pains or to actually sustain and injury.

 

     1. No-accident injury, where pain can develop from the result of regular duties and  

         requirement of the worker. Repetitive motions, fatigue, prolonged activity, poor

         body mechanics can all be contributing factors to this type of injury. This type of

         injury often occurs by sitting in an office chair or standing for long periods of time

 

     2. Accident-Injury, where an event that is not anticipated cause an injury while

         performing the task. Some common cases of this is a load that slips as its being

         lifted, hitting the head on a solid object, straining back muscles by improper lifting.

         These types of accidents can jolt the back, joints, neck resulting in muscle tearing or

         strain on the soft tissue of the back.

 Physically demanding tasks that cause injury 

Tasks that are either physically demanding or require repetitive lifting are at a high risk for no-accident and Accident-injuries. A good example of this is people who work in the health care industry. Patients come in all sizes and have differing needs. Patients often need assistance rising, walking, changing position. This situation is also seen often by factory workers and firemen and construction workers whose job requires daily lifting.

 Injuries sustained by sitting in an office chair 

Workers in the 21^st century often sit most of the day. Many work at a computer, while sitting in an office chair which can place them at high risk for no-accident back injuries. Office and computer or workstation ergonomics, can assist in minimizing the risks of repetitive injuries. Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common injuries that most have heard of. Other symptoms of improper ergonomics can be neck strain, lower back pain and pain in the legs.

 

Now that you’ve learned about all of the common cause of workplace injury it is important to understand how to prevent this. For more information on preventing workplace injury please see other articles.

 

More Ergonomic Information is Available: Here

 

 

Office Chairs, Ergonomics and Reducing the Potential for Repetitive Motion Injury

The importance of ergonomics and sitting correctly in your office chair is becoming more and more important as the world is working longer hours sitting in front of the computer. With more and more repetitive motion injuries being reported every month, it is no wonder. Your office chair and how you use your workstation is critical to long-term health with good ergonomics helping you on the road to staying healthy and productive at your job.

Sit Back in Your Chair, No Slouching: Good Ergonomic Chairs are designed for sitting for long periods of time, not to be sat upon like a stool. If you are able to sit you’re your spine straight and remember to slightly recline throughout the day, you will greatly reduce your risk of long-term injury. The slightly reclined position is now considered the desired ergonomic position to hold in your task office chair and the best position for overall body health. Make sure your office chair has a tilt mechanism, preferably with tension adjustment. 

Take frequent breaks and rest periods from Sitting in Your Office Chair: Take frequent breaks and make sure to stretch and change positions throughout the workday. Change up the tasks you are performing throughout the day and break up the different duties. For example, spend 30 minutes doing data entry at the computer and then spend 20 doing filing or reading and then go back and finish your data entry if necessary. The point of this example is to show that when tasks are broken up into manageable sections, one task is not performed for long periods of time, requiring your body to keep the same position for a long time. Movement is critical to good ergonomics and body health. Making sure to change positions and tasks throughout the day can really help to keep your body moving.

Keep Your Computer Monitor at the Right Height for your Chair:Your monitor should be positioned with your eyes centered on the monitor itself and at the correct distance away from your eyes per your operating manual for your type of monitor. When placing your eyes at the right position in the center of your monitor, it alleviates the worry that too much strain will be put upon your neck and shoulders from having to constantly turn to see and keeps your head centered over your spinal column, a great office chair position.

Keep your Arms and Wrists Relaxed and Your Keyboard Positioned Right: The arms on your chair are there for a reason, make sure they are set at the proper height and that your wrists and arms are kept at a straight angle when typing. Most of the time this requires some adjustment of your chair or desk. When typing, your wrist should be relaxed and straight, make sure your keyboard is at the right height to make this possible. Usually adjusting your office chair height will do the trick. Using a keyboard tray platform with differing heights or even an adjustable workstation can really help.

Keep your Accessories Within Reach of Your Chair:When sitting in your office chair, it can take some people a lot of effort and stretching just to get themselves that pen they need for notes. Make sure that your office chair does not have to move every time you need to reach a pen or stapler. Keeping things within reach still requires movement, but also allows the person to keep good ergonomic position instead of constantly trying to adjust themselves back into the right reclining position.

Get Educated About Office Chair Ergonomics:Knowing the symptoms of repetitive stress injuries caused from overuse and misuse of keyboards and the mouse can bring them to your attention when they first start to appear. Repetitive stress injuries like carpal tunnel are best if caught soon, before they have had a chance to really set in. Like most illnesses, when caught early, treatment is much easier and hardly ever requires surgery. In fact, most of these types of injuries can be treated and repaired easily just by using how to properly use your workspace and practicing good ergonomics every day in your office chair.

 © Copyright 2007 Sit On This Ergonomics LLC. All Rights Reserved Amy Pedersen The materials included in The Site are for general information purposes only and are not considered medical advice.  Author: Amy Pedersen is penned as Sit On This Ergonomics featured Ergonomic Insider. Having worked in the ergonomics and office industry over 10 years now, she is currently co-founder of Sit On This Ergonomics, operating a number of Ergonomic Sites dedicated to office chairs and the practice of good workplace ergonomics for better seating and productivity.Featuring a wide variety of executive, leather, mesh and task office chairs with an online sales catalog, their website also provides detailed ergonomic information on proper work chair positioning.

Office Chairs and Furniture: http://stores.ebay.com/sitonthisergonomics

Ergonomics Detailed: http://stores.ebay.com/Sit-On-This-Ergonomics/Ergonomic-Positioning-Explained.html

Credit Score Report Info:www.yourcreditscoresecrets.com