The Importance of Ergonomic Design for Good Health

Designed For Human Use
by Fabian Toulouse

Far too many people suffer through the work day in a cheap chair with no allowances made for the differences in human forms. If you are not working in an ergonomic office chair, you are probably paying the price in pain, stiffness, and fatigue. Most everyone has heard the term “ergonomic” tossed about, but many people have no clue what the word actually means. Ergonomic sounds far more technical and complicated than it really is. It is simply a way of designing the things humans use, taking into account the need to suit a vast array of individual bodies shapes and sizes. Therefore, an ergonomic office chair is constructed so that it will adjust to various human forms. An ergonomic office chair offers optimum support and encourages good posture.

Now, despite it’s cutting edge engineering and fancy cushions and support, the best ergonomic office chair can be undone by a weak set of abdominal muscles. The age-old slump can render the science of ergonomics null-and-void. You should be sitting with a straight back, your hips slightly higher than your knees, your feet on the floor, with your knees about three inches from the edge of the seat. You should periodically change the positioning of your feet, but never cross them at the ankles – this will wreak havoc on your lower back. The right chair will also take the positioning of your arms into account. The arm rests should be adjustable, allowing you to keep your wrists in a flat, neutral position. If there’s too much stress on the wrists, this will effect the shoulders, and the neck, not to mention stamping you as a prime candidate for carpal tunnel syndrome.

You should never get up from you desk feeling like a hit-and-run victim. Though an ergonomic office chair is a tremendous tool in combating modernity’s repetitive stress fractures, it is a two-day street. Sit up straight! Be mindful of your body’s positioning and pay attention – just because you’re not in excruciating pain at the moment, doesn’t mean damage isn’t being done!

Before you take that ergonomic office chair plunge, be sure to visit Relax The Back and read up on a wealth of tips for keeping your back at ease and strong. Click here to get your own unique version of this article.