Before transitioning to journalism, I worked in manufacturing, production, and high-volume auto repair for decades. When I finally swapped my blue collar for white, I figured my old body would appreciate the switch to something less physically demanding. And it did—for about six months. I learned the hard way that desk work can also result in musculoskeletal injuries.
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In the Quality Digest office, ergonomics is always a hot topic. Or should I say, avoiding sore necks, aggravated backs, and eye strain are hot topics? Now, our leadership team has always been willing to explore ways to improve our personal work spaces, but as our entire staff is considering the pros and cons of working remotely for a good portion of the week, a new wrinkle has manifested: ergonomics in the home office.
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Ergonomics and the (not) Remote Worker
I work in a similar situation -- the desk is old so everything starts off placed on the same level. I do have a monitor that is attached to my laptop so I don't have to squint or hunch over to see it but, again, everyting is placed on the same level. I am lucky enough to have a pretty nice chair. The problem was that it was impossible to find the sweet spot for the chair height that allowed me to have my arms at the correct angle for typing and my eyes at the right level for the monitor. So, if I lowered my seat enough that my eyes were at the right level for the monitor, my shoulders would ache because I spent the day with them shrugged up trying to reach a keyboard that was too high. If I raised my seat high enough to have the proper angle for the keyboard, then the pain would be in my neck because I spent the day looking down at the monitor. So, I got a stand for the monitor and set it at the highest position possible. It helped some but was far from perfect. Recently, I got a sit-to-stand desk-top riser. Not the expensive one you see advertized on TV but one that is functional with fewer bells and whistles. Just being able to alternate between sitting and standing has helped immensely and getting to used to standing while typing wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. But the unexpected bonus is that even when the riser is set for sitting, it allows me to position my chair height so that the angle of my arms is correct for my keyboard and the monitor is at the proper level so I don't have to spend the day looking downward. No more sore shoulders or neck pain. And, I fixed the problem of dangling feet by repurposing my old monitor stand.
Sounds like you continued
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