Here’s my most controversial sitting posture tip:
👉 “Sit up straight” is bad advice.
Nobody talks about this. And it always surprises me.
Instead, I say:
Continue reading My Most Controversial Sitting Posture Tip👍 “Sit with an upright torso. While maintaining a neutral, balanced spine, with its natural curves intact.”
I first experienced knee pain back in 2011.
I stopped running and weightlifting for 6 months, but the pain persisted.
Why? ⁉️
Because I was still sitting at a computer with incorrect knee position for 8 hours daily! 😖
This article will talk about what exactly caused my computer knee pain. It’ll also go over how to fix those computer posture mistakes.
Continue reading Computer Knee Pain: Why It Happens and How to Fix ItIt’s ironic that using a computer causes back pain.
I’m not lifting heavy weights. Or withstanding impact, like running or falling down (which are all common causes of back pain).
I’m literally just sitting in a chair! 😢
So why exactly does computer use cause back pain? Read this rest of this article to learn why, as well as how to fix it.
Continue reading Computer Back Pain: Why It Happens and How to Fix ItWrist pain from computer use can be a real nightmare!
But I discovered mine was totally fixable with a couple easy ergonomic changes!
Carpal tunnel syndrome is when a nerve in the wrist gets compressed.
This can cause pain, numbness, and tingling.
Continue reading How to Avoid Computer Wrist PainI used to think foot positioning, while sitting at a computer, was no big deal.
After all, I was in an office chair—barely putting weight on my feet, right?
Wrong!
I found out the hard way when poor foot posture led to THREE ankle surgeries for a torn tendon, bone chips, and bone spurs. Ouch! 😫
I tore the tendon playing basketball. But long before that day, I had major ankle dysfunction that caused me to twist my ankle.
And that dysfunction was caused by not keeping my ankles in a neutral position, while sitting at a computer for years.
Continue reading Does Foot Position at a Computer Matter?A lot of office workers don’t even know this. One of their biggest problems is excessive internal shoulder rotation.
It’s caused by holding a keyboard and mouse for long periods of time. This causes weak muscles and limited movement throughout the shoulders.
I was years into my good computer posture journey before accidentally discovering how dysfunctional my shoulders were (during a CrossFit class).
One day, I went to do an overhead squat with an empty (45 pound) bar. I could barely hold the bar above my head. Much less do a squat in that position.
This is when I realized my external shoulder rotation was very limited and weak. And my internal rotation was excessive. It was a very big problem.
Continue reading Internal Shoulder Rotation and Computer-Related PainMost office chairs are simply too big, even for my 6’3″ frame!
Incorrect armrest positioning caused me painful shoulder and neck problems that took forever to heal.
I want to save you that trouble.
This article will talk about ways to position armrests correctly. It also talks about how to support your arms when the armrests are too low and too wide.
Continue reading How to Use Office Chair ArmrestsThe standard American desk chair is way too big for most of us. I’m 6’3″ and 200 pounds. These chairs are even way too big for me.
Working at a computer 8 hours a day is hard enough on our bodies. But armrests caused me unnecessary repetitive strain injuries in my shoulders, chest, and neck.
This article will talk about the 3 main reasons that office chair armrests are problematic for good computer posture. It will talk about multiple posture issues armrests create if they cannot be adjusted to the correct position.
Continue reading Why are Office Chair Armrests Bad for Computer Posture?From 2002 to 2011, I sat with poor computer posture at a high-stress sales job.
Despite being a life-long athlete, sitting in that compromised position caused the most stubborn injuries I’ve ever had.
Before starting my career, I got an Information Technology degree in 2001. Which even included a class in Ergonomics.
But having a sedentary lifestyle for the next 9 years still crushed me, both physically and mentally.
Slouching forward for 8 hours a day caused chronic pain and excessive muscle tension. I had dysfunction in my back, neck, knees, wrists, the list goes on.
Continue reading What happened after sitting at a computer for 9 years?Computer work causes excessive muscle tension and chronic pain. It requires us to work in a sitting or standing posture for long periods of time. This makes our muscles, tendons, and ligaments incredibly tight and stiff. These issues are known as repetitive strain and overuse injuries.
But how do we fix this computer-related pain? How do we counteract this muscle dysfunction?
Living a pain-free life, while still working on a computer, is very possible. We just need to make small improvements to our daily habits. Then practice them on a consistent basis.
This article is about my favorite posture exercises for office workers. They require both stretching and strengthening in the same repetition. I use a weight that’s called a steel mace.
Continue reading Posture Exercises for Office WorkersEven as a life-long athlete, I rarely used to stretch when I was younger. And I’m paying the price for it now. Especially due to the excessive muscle tension I’ve gotten from a sedentary lifestyle.
As I’ve gotten into my late 40’s, I stretch just about every day. But for me, it’s not always about how intense and painful the stretch is. I often get great results from light-intensity, long-duration stretches. I make sure to focus on my breathing slowly and deeply.
This article will talk about how I combat repetitive strain injuries with 2 of my favorite stretches. One is called a door stretch. The other is called a cactus yoga pose, which I get the best results from while laying flat on the floor.
Continue reading Posture Stretches for Office WorkersI used to make painful computer posture mistakes when it came to monitor height. I would use a laptop monitor 8 hours a day. Laptop monitors are too small and too low. This caused me a lot of eye and neck strain. That neck strain would contribute to the painful headaches I used to get.
Once I realized using a laptop monitor wasn’t ergonomic, I switched to an external monitor. But I also kept that monitor height too low. I didn’t raise my external monitor up to the correct height until after the first couple years I had it.
The proper monitor height is one of the most important variables of computer ergonomics. It’s helped me prevent:
This article will focus on reducing eye and neck strain with correct monitor placement. Which is actually a pretty simple fix.
Continue reading What is the Proper Monitor Height to Prevent Eye and Neck Strain?I used to slouch forward at a computer from 2002 to 2011. It’s one of the most destructive things I’ve ever done to my body. I worked in this poor posture for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Since then, maintaining a neutral spine at my workstation hasn’t been easy. But I can say that it’s possible to come back from years of slouching at a computer desk. We just need to make small posture improvements and practice them on a consistent, daily basis.
This article will provide a list of what I require for my ergonomic desk setup for better posture. It will also go over proper computer posture tips to prevent slouching forward.
Continue reading How to Avoid Slouching While Working on a ComputerSitting at a computer for long periods of time caused me poor posture, decreased energy, decreased mental clarity, and low work productivity.
I still sit at a computer part-time. But I also turn my desk into a standing workstation for part of the day. After all the damage that sitting has done to my body, I wanted to learn how to stand at a computer with good posture.
This article will talk about the furniture and technology I use for my ergonomic standing desk setup. It’ll also talk about my computer ergonomic tips for correct posture at a standing desk.
Continue reading Correct Standing Position for Computer WorkComputer workstation ergonomics can be a complex topic. Computer-related pain hurts. It’s also stressful, depressing, and it can impact work productivity.
The goods news is, we can always improve. It might only be a 1% improvement. But imagine a 1% improvement every day, over a period of a few months.
The best way of posture correction for office workers is through small, healthy habits practiced on a daily basis. It took a long time for sitting at a computer to break our bodies down. It’s also going to take a long time to improve our posture.
But pain-free, productive computer posture is an attainable goal. And you reading this article is a big step towards that goal. So congratulations! That’s something to be proud of. Let’s get started with some healthy sitting habits.
This article will talk about the furniture and technology that I require for my ergonomic desk setup. It’ll also talk about healthy sitting habits for proper computer posture.
Continue reading Correct Sitting Position for Computer WorkWhy does sitting at a computer even cause shoulder pain? We’re not pushing any weight over our heads. Also, we’re not throwing a ball. We’re not pushing a door open. These are all actions that require shoulder strength.
Sitting at a computer causes shoulder tension for a few reasons. You’ll learn some causes of it later in this article. But in the end, this shoulder tension is a result of repetitive strain and overuse. When using a computer, we use our shoulders 8 hours a day, for light-intensity, long-duration muscle holds.
This article will talk about these ways to reduce shoulder tension from typing:
Computer posture can be a complex topic. I try to explain it in the easiest, most actionable way possible. But the advice, “Sit up straight,” isn’t going to get the job done. To get any real results, we’ll need to get more technical to improve computer posture.
This article will explain how the technology and office furniture we use plays an important role in computer ergonomics. These tools can help us decrease computer-related pain, improve posture, and increase work productivity.
Continue reading What do I need to buy for an ergonomic workstation?Computer-related injuries are a common cause for muscle tension and chronic pain. Computer posture can be a complex topic. But my goal is to simplify it as much as possible.
Pain-free, proper posture for computer use is an attainable goal. If you’re reading this article, congratulations! You’re taking a huge step forward to improve your computer ergonomics, as well as your quality of life. That’s something to be very proud of. Thanks for your interest in sitting posture.
This article will answer frequently asked questions related to computer posture. The questions are:
Computer-related injuries are a common cause for muscle tension and chronic pain. Computer posture can be a complex topic. But my goal is to simplify it as much as possible.
Pain-free, proper posture for computer use is an attainable goal. If you’re reading this article, congratulations! You’re taking a huge step forward to improve your computer ergonomics, as well as your quality of life. That’s something to be very proud of. Thanks for your interest in sitting posture.
This article will answer frequently asked questions related to computer posture. The questions are:
Neck and back pain are very common complaints from office workers. When using a computer 8 hours a day, repetitive strain and overuse injuries occur. The worse our posture is, the more pain we’ll feel.
But what if I told you that proper posture for computer use can be simplified? Making a couple ergonomic changes to our desk setup may not completely heal our computer-related neck and back pain. But those changes could greatly reduce our pain, as well as decrease the risk of future repetitive strain injuries.
This article will talk about why computer use causes neck and back pain. Then, it’ll cover ergonomic desk setup tips for reducing and preventing neck and back pain from sitting.
Continue reading Neck and Back Pain Prevention for Computer Use