I started learning correct posture back in 2011. I’d been sitting at a computer for 10 years at that point. Sitting with poor posture for long periods of time, 8 hours a day, caused numerous injuries. Today, I’m going to talk about the 3 worst computer posture injuries I had. Then, I’m going to talk about 3 easy computer posture fixes to prevent them.
By reading this article, you’re taking a valuable step forward to improve your posture. That’s something to be very proud of. Surprisingly, many computer posture fixes are very easy to do. The hard part is sticking to those good posture habits for long periods of time.
I enjoy talking about my personal experience so others can learn from it. My goal is to explain correct posture as simply as possible. I’m a lifelong athlete with a degree in information technology. The combination of those 2 interests is what sparked my desire to write a book. I’ve taken classes on posture, computer ergonomics, and user experience. I talk about ways I corrected my poor posture. I explain them in a way that’s easy to understand, easy to implement, and a valuable use of our time. The correct posture benefits I’ve gotten are decreased computer related pain, increased energy, improved mental clarity, and increased work productivity.
None of my content is professional medical advice. I write about my personal experience. I talk about how I fixed my poor posture at a computer. These good posture habits worked for me. They are not intended to be medical advice. Do your research. Make good decisions. And be the best possible advocate your can be for your own healthcare.
Computer Related Injuries
Working on a computer can cause injuries like back pain, carpal tunnel, eye strain, and headaches. But 3 computer related injuries did the most damage to me, both physically and mentally.
Shoulder pain and tension
I grew up playing sports. Baseball was one of them. Throwing a baseball well required a strong arm and shoulder. Internal shoulder rotation can be a good thing for arm strength. However, it can be a very bad thing when it comes to computer posture. Holding a keyboard and a mouse for long periods of time caused chronic shoulder pain and muscle tension for me. Our muscles are meant to be strong and durable. But they’re not meant to hold the same position for 8 hours a day. This is known as a repetitive strain injury. It’s also commonly referred to as an overuse injury.
Spinal disc degeneration
Slouching forward is a common reason people suffer from back pain. When we slouch forward, most of the discs in our spine are no longer in a neutral position. When we sit in this vulnerable position for long periods of time, we lose the natural curves in our spine. As time goes on, dysfunction sets in. Eventually, I didn’t know how to hold my spine in a neutral position, while maintaining its natural curves. My poor sitting posture had created dysfunction in my spine 24 hours a day, not just when I was sitting at a computer.
Notice the different examples of spinal disc degeneration in the photo above. There are 4 different stages of degeneration. I learned I was in stage 1 back in 2012. I got x-rays done at a chiropractor’s office. He explained that my spinal disc degeneration wasn’t due to a trauma-related incident, like a fall or a car accident. He explained that discs deteriorate over long periods of time when they are not in a balanced, neutral position. This was great motivation for me to stop slouching forward and use correct posture at a computer going forward.
Knee and ankle pain
You may not think that knee and ankle pain can be caused by poor foot positioning while sitting at a computer. This is definitely what happened to me. I used to sit with my feet pulled underneath my body. In order to place my feet under my office chair, I had to activate my hamstring muscles. This also overextended my quadriceps, weakening them. Muscle tension in my quadriceps and hamstrings led to knee and ankle pain. This eventually required 3 ankle surgeries to correct. All from poor foot positioning at a computer. If you’d like to do a deeper dive on this specific topic, click here for the article I wrote titled, “How to Position Feet When Sitting at a Computer.”
Notice how the user in the above photo is slouching forward and reaching for his keyboard and mouse. This tense position is causing excessive internal shoulder rotation. His elbows are below his desk level, which is causing him to activate his biceps in order to hold his hands on the keyboard and mouse. This overuse of the bicep muscles will likely contribute to elbow and shoulder pain in the tendons. Finally, notice how his feet are pulled underneath his desk chair. He has to constantly activate his hamstrings to get his feet in this position. This will also lead to overextension of the quadricep muscles.
How to Fix Poor Computer Posture
These 3 habits are the most helpful ways I fixed my poor posture at a computer.
Keep your eye level at the top of the screen.
One of the main reasons we slouch forward is because our monitor is too low. When you raise your monitor so the top of the screen is eye level, you will naturally sit back in your chair and slouch forward less. When we sit in this neutral position, it can reduce neck pain, back pain, and shoulder pain. Slouching forward contributes to all of these.
Set your height adjustable chair so your elbow level is slightly above the desk.
Having a height adjustable chair is a necessity in my opinion. I raise my chair until my elbow level is slightly above my desk level. This takes a lot of pressure off my bicep muscles. It puts a slight load on my triceps, but I’ve never experienced pain from it.
Side note: After raising my chair and getting my elbow level correct, I double-check the height of my monitor. I want to make sure adjusting the height of my chair didn’t make my monitor too low.
Keep your feet flat on the floor or a footrest.
It took me a very long time to realize that poor foot positioning, while in sitting posture, was causing so much muscle tension and damage throughout my entire legs. All because I pulled my feet underneath my desk chair. I probably did this due to high stress or having my chair too low.
Keeping my feet flat on the floor is probably the easiest poor posture fix I’ve made. But it’s also given me a huge decrease in muscle tension and an improvement in ankle function.
Side note: Not everyone needs a footrest in my opinion. If you’re wondering if you need a footrest or not, there are different variables involved. To learn these variables, click here.
Notice how this user has his eye level at the top of the screen. This allows him to sit back in a neutral position, not slouching forward. His elbows are slightly above the desk level. His feet are not pulled underneath his office chair. He has his feet flat on the floor (or in this case, a footrest).
In summary, there are 3 main variables I follow to have good posture at a computer. First, my elbow height is slightly above desk level. Second, my eye level is at the top of my monitor screen. Finally, I have my feet flat on the floor (or a footrest).
Thanks for your interest in computer posture.
If this article was helpful, check out my book titled “45 Ways to Improve Computer Posture.” It’s available in both digital and paperback versions.
>>> Click here to pick up your copy
This book explains how to improve your posture through different variables of health and wellness. These include computer ergonomics, sleep, hydration, and breathing. Poor posture is not just how we sit at a computer. The health habits we practice, 24 hours a day, are directly related to how good (or bad) our computer posture is.
Go to SittingPosture.com/book to learn more.
Take care,
Todd Bowen
P.S. You can sign up for my free computer posture newsletter here.