Ergonomic and Postural Advice

What is ergonomic and postural advice?

If you have a desk job or are working from home, you might not realise that many of the things you do on a day-to-day basis are affecting your posture and musculoskeletal health.

For example, do you ever find yourself slumping in your chair, hunching over your desk, or laying down on the bed or sofa to read or use your laptop? 

All of these things are examples of poor posture, which is one of the biggest causes of health issues like headaches and migraines, and shoulder, back, and neck pain?

If you’re currently experiencing any of these symptoms, there’s a good chance your workstation or computer set-up could be to blame. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that we’re designing our workspaces with good posture and musculoskeletal health in mind.

Our ergonomic advice and postural advice service can help you create a desk or home office set-up that supports good posture. This will help to prevent back ache and other posture-related health issues moving forward.

Who can benefit from ergonomic and postural advice?

Almost anyone can benefit from our ergonomic and postural advice service. It may be of particular benefit to people who work from home, have a desk job, or spend a lot of time on the computer.

If you are currently experiencing headaches and migraines, or back, neck, and shoulder pain, modifying your workspace to be more ergonomic and posture-friendly will go a long way in alleviating these issues.

If not currently experiencing any of these issues, there’s still a lot of benefit to be had from being proactive and optimising your office ergonomics now before they actually occur. In fact, doing so might even prevent you from experiencing them in the first place.

What does ergonomic and postural advice involve?

During your ergonomic and postural advice assessment, we will look at the way in which you currently use your workspace. Some of the things we will be looking at include:

• Do you display correct posture, or do you have a habit of slouching in your chair, or crossing your legs? 
• Do you regularly get up and walk around, or do you stay seated for long periods of time?
• Do you undertake a varied range of activities throughout the day, or do you engage in the same repetitive tasks?
• Is your computer currently positioned at eye level, or do you have to turn or lower your head to be able to see the screen?
• Does the backrest of your chair support the natural curves of your spine, or does it require you to sit at an awkward angle? 
• Would you benefit from a back support or rolled up towel behind your back when you are sitting? 
• Is the seat of your office chair of a sufficient depth, shape, and angle? 
• Does the height of your desk and chair allow you rest your feet flat on the ground? If not, would you benefit from adjusting the height of your chair, or using a footstool?
• Are all of your commonly used pieces of equipment within easy reach, or do you have to do a lot of reaching for them?
• Would you benefit from specialised ergonomic devices, such as an ergonomic keyboard and mouse or wrist rest?

Based on our assessment of your current workspace, we will then be able to provide you with suggestions and recommendations for how you can modify the space to better support and improve your posture.

What are the benefits of ergonomic and postural advice?

Poor posture can have a number of negative impacts on your overall health. These include:

• Increased inflammation 
• Reduced function and mobility 
• Headaches and migraines 
• Stiffness and tension 
• Fatigue 
• Nerve pain 
• Muscle weaknesses 
• Joint aches
• Poor mood, sleep, and mental health 
• Back, neck, and shoulder pain 

By comparison, if you optimise your workspace to be ergonomically friendly, you will be able to enjoy the many benefits of good posture. These include that good posture:

• Helps to prevent pain and posture-related health issues
• Reduces existing pain 
• Increases flexibility, function, and mobility 
• Helps strengthen your core and muscles 
• Reduces inflammation 
• Supports good sleep quality, mood, and mental health 
• Increases productivity and quality of work 

How can I get started with ergonomic and postural advice?

At Chiro & Integrative Therapies, we can help you to create an ergonomic workspace that should improve your posture and comfort. We are based in Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

To find out more about ergonomic and postural advice, give us a call today on (07) 5607 0161.