News hardware How not to have back pain when you spend hours in front of your PC: 13 tips you need to know
Published on 09/17/2022 at 17:25
To avoid having neck or back pain following spending a long time in front of your desk, we advise you to check your settings and adjust them if necessary. A few centimeters more or less can make the difference.
To get your installation off to a good start, it is necessary to start by adjusting your chair before moving on to that of the desk and the screen. First information, and not least, the healthiest sitting position is in fact the one that is the rarest. We explain, if you sit at work or at home all day, it is better for you to take every opportunity to get up.
Phone calls, video calls, brainstorming sessions or game lobbies are, for example, times when you can stretch your legs and take a few steps, even if only back and forth. Alternating sitting positions can also be a blessing for your back.
Adjusting your chair correctly in a nutshell:
- Feet flat on the floor
- Your knees should form a 90 degree angle
- Right backrest
- The lumbar vertebrae (lower back) must absolutely be supported
- The hand, wrist and forearm should form a straight line
- Standing or changing your sitting position from time to time
After having correctly adjusted your chair, it is the turn of your desk to afford a good adjustment. First, the most important thing is to make sure you get a right angle at your elbows, much like your knees. You also need to make sure you have enough space for your legs. If you have a relatively small table, it’s best not to put your PC or other bulky items under the table.
You’ll know you’ve set up your desk properly when your elbows are snug and your arms are relaxed. In addition, the distance between the legs and the edge of the table should be regarding 10 centimeters wide. If you have armrests on your chair, they should be at the same height as your desk.
Setting up your office in a nutshell:
- Your elbows should form a 90 degree angle
- The feet must be regarding ten centimeters from the edge of the table
- The work surface should not be too small
- The keyboard and mouse should be centered in front of you and should not cause incorrect posture
These tips are certainly the hardest to apply, since they greatly depend on the positioning of your chair. Finding the ideal posture to correlate the advice is not easy. The best way to get real results is to have a desk on jacks.
Finally, we will look at the positioning of your screen. The key is height of the last. Ideally, it should be positioned at eye level or slightly below to match the natural tilt of the head.
In addition, your screen should not be placed in front of a window, as this will strain your eyes too much. To avoid glare, there should also be no window behind you. It is best to orient your monitor so that it is parallel to the window or your field of view is parallel to the window.
Set up your screen correctly in a nutshell:
- The top of the screen should be at eye level or slightly below
- Install the monitor parallel to the windows
- The distance between the eyes and the screen should be between 60 and 70 centimeters
This guide is not universal and will not suit all peoplehowever, the advice you will find there has been thought out to limit back and neck pain as much as possible.
