Ergonomics and Why Should You Care Anyway

Ergonomics affect all of us, not just those of us who sit in our office chair in front of our computer all day long. When seated in the average office chair, one does not normally give much thought as to the ergonomics or positioning of their body. That is, not until they start to feel the tension or experience pain from a RSI or repetitive stress injury. At this point, the damage may already be done and once injuries such as this have occurred, the effects can be inreversible. Injuries such as carpal tunnel are currently the number one debilitating condition that is a disability reported by insurance Companies. Maybe ergonomics do affect us after all.

They affect not only the sufferers of RSI’s but the employers as the corporations are the ones paying out the big bucks in insurance money due to the number of worker’s compensation claims being filed daily. Ergonomics is the solution to all of these problems and once businesses and the average computer geek start to realize how important ergonomics are to overall body health and employee productivity, they may become more important.

It shouldn’t take injury or problems to arise for people to become educated on ergonomics and office chair positioning. Your office chair takes a good beating, with you sitting in it for such long periods of time throughout your day. Make sure that your body does not take the same beating and learn to sit properly and practice good workplace ergonomics. Educate yourself on ergonomics and your back, neck and entire body are sure to thank you for it.

For more information:
How to Choose Your Office Chair
Ergonomic Office Chairs

Office Chairs, Ergonomics and the Tension Relief of Proper Positioning

Today has been quite a long day for me, with a lot to do and tons of work stacking up, sometimes it can seem hard to get it all done. So today, unlike most days, I have not given the slighest bit of thought to my positioning or ergonomics of how I am sitting in my office chair. Having worked in the ergonomics industry for a number of years now, office chairs and their very important role are well known to me. I write constantly about sitting correctly and the proper positioning of your office chair ergonomically to lower your risk of such large scale employee injuries as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or other repetitive stress injuries, not to mention the numerous back pain problems sitting in a computer for long periods of time causes for people.

As a long term sufferer of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome myself and one who kn ows how important a part that ergonomics can play in the workplace, I know how little time most people spend thinking about workplace ergonomics. It seems that these same people float around in their “bubble” of ignorance, that is until someone starts experiencing problems sleeping at night and sometimes their hands seem to be “tingly” or falling asleep, even when working.

Once the onset of one of these Repetitive Stress Injuries has occurred it is often hard to find your way back to perfect health and remember a time when RSI’s were not a term known to you at all. Surgery or other methods are available as last resorts if these injuries effects are not reversible in the current stage they are discovered in. Hopefully, for most, with the wearing of the right mechanisms, in forms of carpal tunnel braces, or splints for tendinitis, the effects of these injuries can be lessened and reversed as long as proper ergonomic positioning is practiced in the future and not ignored.

Once positioned ergonomically, it is easy to see why people talk about the importance of proper positioning. You can feel the effects on your body within weeks usually when properly positioning your office chair and workstation. Most people rant and rave about the difference once working in the correct position for only a couple of days, as they can feel the difference in their back or neck from the release of tension. When seated in your office chair in the correct ergonomic position, you should be more productive at work and therefore, more comfortable. Enjoy your ergonomic chair, and make sure to take the time to position it once it arrives.

Office Chair Ergonomic Blog Carnivals and Where Are They At?

Having worked on the internet for several years now, I have participated in many blog carnivals and boy are the rides fun!! Not exactly the thrill of riding on the ferris wheel, however, I have found blog carnivals to be very useful when it comes to finding a collection of information on one subject from a variety of sources. When reading a good blog carnival, one can find useful information and I myself enjoy the variety of authors with different views on the same subject so the subject does not take on a boring, all the content is similar and the wording is plain type feeling.

Having also worked in the ergonomics industry for more than 10 years now and writing many published ergonomic and office chair articles, I was shocked to find that I couldn’t find any current blog carnivals on office chairs, ergonomics, workplace erognomics or how important it is to your body health.

In this, the computer age and with the average worker spending so much time infront of their comuter sitting in their office chair, it is time to take body health and erongomics more seriously. Although I have participated in blog carnivals for years now, it is finally time that I start my own. I guess every good blog carnival category started out with the author realizing the need for the content to be created.

Anyways, hope you all will visit and come see the carnival soon. My new ergonomics carnival will feature the same great content that my readers have come to expect from Sit On This Ergonomics. The new ergonomics blog carnival will feature ergonomic advice, tips, articles and lots of great information on office chairs and ergonomics in the workplace. lets see what I can find.
Of course, I will post links when the blog is ready and will of course be wordpress hosted and listed on blog carnival website probably through my current account, look for it coming soon.

Sit On This Ergonomics

My Blogs:
Sit On This Office Chair
Ergonomic Office Chairs, Sit On This

Favorite Blog Carnivals, The Best Out There:

Carnival of Money Stories

Carnival of Debt Reduction

Carnival of Debt Management

Carnival of Debt Relief

Carnival of Credit Card

93rd Carnival of Personal Finance

Some Models are Big and Tall, Others are Not

Are you more of a big and tall type person or is the average size better for you is a terrifc question to ask yourself when shopping. What size is it that you require when seated in your chair? This question applies to many different products, services or items for sale. Office Chairs are no different and it is important when picking your office chair, that you select the correct one for your body type.

When seated in your office chair you need to not only be comfortable but be assured that the chair you pick will work with your body type and the office chair model will work with your positioning in your workspace. Your body type and height can affect many of your purchases. It is not easy for the Big or Tall person to always find what it is they need when shopping.

Next time you go shopping for your next office chair, check out the selection, there may be 20 -30 different model chairs and only 1 or 2 different Big and Tall models. If you are a larger sized person, it is critical to your body health to pick a chair with the proper ergonomics and that can be postitioned correctly for your body type or you will find yourself uncomfortable quickly.

Most Big and Tall Chairs of good quality should feature on them what the weight restrictions are and how much weight it can hold. But what many people forget is the height factor. Many larger people are not only large in size but height and many users that are not “bigger” than average still need to use a Big and Tall chair due to the height adjustment features these office chairs offer.

When seated in your office chair, you want your feet to be flat on the floor, your wrists positioned so they are relaxed and your eyes at the correct height for your computer monitor. In order to get the positioning correct for the taller individual, this can require a special cylinder height to find comfort ability. A cylinder is the mechanism under the seat that works the height adjustment mechanism allowing the user to adjust the seat closer or farther from the floor.

For the longer legged people out there, this can be hard to find for a good price. Keep shopping around, there are many big and tall chairs out there and many can also be custom ordered to choose your own cylinder heights or arm features. Online shopping seems to offer the most options when shopping for a Big and Tall model office chair. When walking into the average office department store, you may only find 1 or 2 models.

Online sites on places like eBay or Froogle seem to offer the biggest selection for these models offering 4-5 big and tall office chairs each. With good customer service and the chance to shop around without leaving your home, it can also make it easier to find that hard to find product to go online with your search. These sites offer customer service and guarantees as well, at least the reputable ones do, making your office chair purchase less daunting.

With all of the selection out there, make sure to shop around and find the big and tall chair that is right for your body type and you will sit and feel more comfortably. Shopping for a big and tall model chair can be more challenging than shopping for the standard task office chair, but keep looking and you will find the right one.

Big and Tall Office Chairs

Office Chairs eBay Store

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Saving Time and Money for Your Business with Ergonomics

Saving the company money, managing employees correctly and increasing their productivity is always a concern of any good business team. With higher productivity, employee’s are obviously happier which leads to happier employers who have formed a hard working and highly productive workforce. And saving money in business is not one point needing to be explained, what business wouldn’t want more working capital in the bank?

Workplace injuries are causing a huge strain from the major corporations all the way to the smallest family business as ergonomics can be applied in most job situations but are not. Currently most businesses do not have the ergonomics training for employees that is needed. One of the objectives for most business situations should be to lower the incidences of Repetitive Stress Syndrome (RSI) and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

These two injuries are becoming commonplace with employees sitting in front of a computer for such long hours of the day. Even people who do not spend long hours are at risk for these injuries if not properly positioned ergonomically while they work.

As our reliance on computers increases, these injuries seem to be hitting epidemic proportions. It is estimated that more than 28 million Americans use computers each day. According to the people at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), many of these people are at risk of coming down with carpal tunnel syndrome or RSI injuries.

Today, the number one debilitating condition that is a disability reported by insurance Companies is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Yet many still plug away at their computer, fully unaware of the risk they are taking with their health. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome comes in many stages and forms but none are pretty.

Most sufferers, once Carpal Tunnel has set in find that they are unable to even use their hands without braces or surgery. Employers need to recognize the risk they are taking with their money when it comes to insurance claims.

The average Carpal Tunnel surgery can cost thousands of dollars and it is not the employee who will be paying if proper ergonomics were not applied. Instead of businesses shelling out their hard earned money to Insurance companies because of high premiums due to the number of workplace injuries, why not try prevention and make sure your employees are healthy and of course more productive.

Not only do the employers have to worry about injuries caused by workplace conditions, they also need to constantly worry about productivity. When employees are comfortable in their workstation and do not feel any extra tension or stress on their muscles, they are more likely to keep working and work better. Someone who is not feeling their best, is definitely not working at their best.

Businesses need people to perform at their top level when they are the ones doling out the paychecks. Having a team that is comfortable and has the proper body health can absolutely do wonders for the productivity of the team. OSHA reports that claims stemming from Repetitive Musculoskeletal injuries result in $15-20 billion in lost work time and Worker’s Compensation claims each year. Does your company want to be one of the ones shelling out the cash to these insurance behemoths? I would rather have my employees plugging away happily in front of their ergonomic desk, in their ergonomic office chair than worrying about filling in the endless insurance claim forms.

Ergonomics can save your business both time and money and should not be put aside to worry about later. Positioning your workstation correctly and educated yourself on how to sit and work ergonomically can help any person or business to better body health, more money and of course higher productivity.

For more information:
How to Choose Your Office Chair
Ergonomic Office Chairs

Office Chairs, Seatbacks, Ergonomics and Lumbar Support and Why They Work

Office Chairs don’t really require a seatback in order to work properly. The spine is able to maintain it’s natural curvature even without the lower back support provided by the average task chair seatback. However, the natural tendency for most people when seated for long periods of time in front of the computer is to slouch forward towards what they are concentrating on.

This slouching posture pushes out the lower back, making the natural inward curve point in the wrong direction. With the spine pushing outward towards the chair, the lower back structure is strained, creating unneeded tension. It was obvious there was a need to remind all of us to sit properly and the lower back supports for seatbacks on office chairs were born.

Some manufacturer’s still make amazingly ergonomic chair models without any seatback, such as the Swopper stool, which helps train the person to sit corretly and position their body correctly instead of expecting the chair to do all the work. No matter how ergonomic the chair is, as with any health product, it still needs to be used properly in order to work right. An ergonomic chair is no help at all when used improperly, it is the seating position that really matters and how you use the mechanisms that matter to your body health.

When placed correctly, a good lumbar back support should keep your ears, shoulders and hips aligned which in turn maintains the natural inward curvature of the lower spine. Overall the lumbar back support should keep the spine in a very natural position, not overly accentuating the inward curve and not leaving it totally unsupported either.

Most portable lumbar support pillows that are built to use with office chairs are shaped with one end different from the other and should also be positioned correctly where needed to keep the spine posture right. If your ergonomic office chair has a built in support piece, it is important to test to see if the chair fits well for your body type. Not all chairs and supports were built for one size fits all and everyone’s back is just a bit different when it comes to placement and curvature from the neck down.

Some ergonomic office chair models come with an adjustable lumbar support which can be key for some people when it comes to getting the proper fit. The seatback should be positioned so that the curve of the lower spine is supported by the curve in the back of the chair. Some offices require the same office chair to be used with a variety of employees and this level of lumbar back support adjustability can help everyone to sit comfortably.

When seated for long hours in front of the computer, it does not help to ignore office chair ergonomics and posture if one tends to keep sitting in the same chair and keep working. Comfort ability can contribute greatly to one’s overall performance and productivity. When sitting well, body health will greatly improve and one is bound to notice less back pain and tension and thank office chairs for the birth of the lumbar support.

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Ergonomics, Office Chairs and the Real Definition of Ergonomic Workplace Posture

The dictionary definition of ergonomics or human factors is the application of scientific information concerning humans to the design of objects, systems and environment for human use. When a manufacturer uses this process they take into account many factors which can affect the consumer. They use theory, data and principles in order to design a chair that limits all unnatural motions which will cause fatigue and pain. What kind of things do ergonomically designed task chairs take into account?

Some of the factors that help in the design process are taking into consideration are the type of fatigue that will be undertaken, how fast a person must be able to move for quick movements, demands on memory. Physical factors include Strength, size, and speed. Ergonomics can study specific work environments and chair types such as a task chair or executive chair and even stools.

Many things in a persons work environment can affect comfort and productivity. The time it takes to do a task, the risk demands and the physical requirements can all be improved with the proper positioning. Ergonomics includes more than just office chairs. There is a whole industry devoted to proper office ergonomics. After working in the ergonomic industry for a number of years, I started to realize that I am often asked, “What kinds of products are ergonomic?”

In the office environment you can buy ergonomic stools for doctors or factory workers, posture knee chairs for those who work on computers, swopper models to help increase the muscles that promote good posture, and pretty much every chair design comes in an ergonomic model.

But how do I know which are the ergonomic ones and which aren’t? This part is easy. Because a lot of research and design go into the development of each ergonomic chair and often they have more parts they tend to cost a little more. Many are turned off by this but it is like buying a cheap mattress. Yes a $500 mattress can be slept on as easy as a $1000 one but your back pays the extra $500 in pain if you buy the cheap mattress.

Ergonomics is such a growing market that most ergonomic chairs are just a fraction more than there non-ergo counterparts. The main way to know if a product is ergonomic is if it says so. Companies who have energy saver technology advertise it. Ergonomic products will say loud and proud that they are ergonomic. If a product doesn’t openly advertise that it is ergonomic than either it was not designed to be sensitive to ergonomics or it is a cheap knockoff.

There are also many other ergonomic products designed to limit improper movement. By now most of you have seen those awkward looking keyboards and wondered why thy split the keys into two sections. The reason behind this change is ergonomics. By changing the angle that the keys are placed it allows your arms and wrists to use a more natural angle. The next time you type on a traditional keyboard notice how you have to bend your wrists outward to achieve a good angle.

Besides all of the health and wealth benefits of the new ergonomic products they tend to be a lot of fun. Often times they change the way you traditionally do a task. Learning a new way can be challenging but a fun process. Co-workers may laugh at your struggle but trust me after a few days of your new chair or keyboard. One by one they will come up and ask you where you purchased it and then in no time the entire office is ergonomic.

Most ergonomic chairs look different in some manner and this is also an eye catcher. So with all you new found coolness and comfort go out and enjoy a good walk after work because now you’ll actually have the energy.

Author, Amy Pedersen is penned as Sit On This Ergonomics featured Ergonomic Insider. Having worked in the ergonomics and office industry for 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.

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