Everyone wants pain-free computer posture.
But nobody knows where to start. (including me in 2011)
And that’s okay. Because you’re in the right place.
The human body is very complex.
So I try to explain computer posture in the simplest terms possible.
I provide the minimal info, that will lead to the most improvements.
How to Sit Up Straight While Working
Correct spinal position is only supposed to be straight from a rear view and front view.
From a side view, the spine has natural curves when it’s in a neutral, correct position.
And when sitting for long periods of time, it’s super important that our spine maintains this neutral position.
Or it can quickly lead to computer-related pain and spinal disc degeneration.
Best Spinal Position While Sitting
The correct position is right in the middle of slouching forward and sitting up “too straight.”
Once I realized this, I got familiar with the natural curves of the spine.
It increased my body awareness a lot. And I finally understood what it actually meant to “sit up straight.”
Natural Curves in Spine
I learned to prevent neck and back pain by keeping the natural curves of my spine intact. Especially when sitting, or standing, at a computer for long periods of time. To do that, I got familiar with the natural curves of the spine by learning its 3 main regions.
– Cervical (neck)
– Thoracic (upper / mid back)
– Lumbar (lower back)
I looked at each region and paid close attention to how the spine curved.
Notice how none of these regions are straight from a side angle. All 3 of them contain natural curves.
Best Computer Mouse Position While Sitting
As far as height goes, I want the mouse (and desk) to be 2 to 3 inches below my elbow level. This allows me to keep a relaxed bicep when using the mouse.
If my elbow is below desk level, this is incorrect. This bad posture mistake led to chronic shoulder and elbow pain in previous years. Because it caused me to activate my biceps all day, in order to lift my hands up onto the keyboard and mouse. That repetitive strain and overuse pulled on my shoulder and elbow tendons, which caused tendonitis.
As far as distance from my body, I want to keep the mouse comfortably within arm’s reach. I want my elbow to always stay close to my rib cage.
I used to overextend my arm every time I reached for my mouse. This caused muscle tension and chronic pain all throughout my arm, shoulder, and upper back.
Best Keyboard Position While Sitting
The height of my keyboard should be the same as my mouse, which is a couple inches below my elbow level.
The same applies for the distance from my body. I want my keyboard to be within comfortable arm’s reach. Overextending my arms to reach a far away keyboard used to cause computer pain (that I don’t plan on revisiting).
Best Elbow Level When Sitting
I keep my elbows at 90-degree angles (minimum). My personal preference is slightly more than 90-degrees (elbows about 2 inches above my external keyboard and mouse.
Your upper arms should be kept close to your body. I don’t want to flare them out laterally, even to rest them on office chair armrests. I used to make that posture mistake. It caused me a lot of shoulder pain.
My shoulders are relaxed, but lightly activated. Because I don’t want the weight of my arms to pull down on my trap and neck muscles all day long.
Best Monitor Height While Sitting
I keep the top of my monitor screen at eye level. I make sure to make the adjustment, when I’m sitting with an upright torso, with a neutral spine, with its natural curves intact.
If I’m working on a laptop in my home office, I use an external monitor.
If I’m traveling, I use a laptop stand, with an external keyboard and mouse. This way, I can adjust the top of the laptop monitor to my eye level. I can also relax my shoulders, because I don’t have to lift my hands up to use the laptop keyboard and mouse.
Best Foot Position While Sitting at a Computer
I used to think foot position didn’t matter when it came to desk posture. But I’d learn that lesson the hard way. Poor foot posture caused ankle dysfunction so bad, I’ve had 3 ankle surgeries to correct it.
Stress used to cause me to pull my feet under my desk chair. My hamstrings were constantly activated all day long. There was no way to keep my feet flat. My toes were on the ground, but my heels were up in the air. This was a very compromised position for my ankles.
The most frustrating part, correct foot position is actually very simple.
I just need to make sure my thighs are at least parallel to the floor. Personally, I like my hips to be slightly higher than my knees. Which would create a slight downward angle from the top of my thighs, towards my knees.
Then, I make sure to keep my feet flat on the floor. This keeps my ankles and knees in a neutral position for long periods of time. It also keeps my hamstrings relaxed.
Correct Office Ergonomics
Office ergonomics means more than just posture. Posture is just one variable of ergonomics.
Other ergonomic variables include:
- Breathing
- Sleep quality
- Hydration
- Nutrition
- Exercise
- Muscle recovery
These ergonomic variables are great ways to improve posture at computer.
Sometimes these variables happen at my desk. Sometimes they don’t. But either way, they are always related to how good, or bad, my computer posture is.
How to Avoid Sitting for Long Periods of Time
When working at a computer, I always take breaks at work. Because even with perfect posture, we can still get repetitive strain injuries.
Muscle tension causes pain. And neither one of them cares only about our posture. It also matters how long we work in the same exact position.
Postural muscles get overused. That’s why I switch between different working positions, multiple times throughout the day.
Sometimes, I even work in a reclined sitting posture, to give my postural muscles a break. Because the more physical energy I save, the more mental energy I have available to be productive and creative.
Why Does it Hurt to Sit Up Straight?
Most of my neck and back pain was caused by either slouching forward or sitting up too straight. Both of these poor postures have one main thing in common. The natural curves of the spine are out of alignment, then held there for long periods of time.
There are many reasons it may hurt for someone to sit up straight. They could be slouching forward. Or they could be sitting up “too straight” with an overextended spine. Or there postural muscles are worn out from supporting their torso, because they don’t switch between sit vs stand workstations.
Good posture is the middle ground between slouching forward and sitting up too straight. It’s when I’m sitting with an upright torso, with a neutral spine, with its natural curves intact.
Back Pain When Sitting Up Straight
Lower back pain from sitting at a computer is a mystery.
I’m not lifting heavy, running, or falling on the ground.
I’m literally just sitting there.
My lower back isn’t where the cause of the pain happened.
It’s where the effect of the pain took place.
My lower back is in the middle of a tug-of-war, between my legs and my torso.
Everything in my body is connected, whether directly or indirectly.
So when I feel pain in an area, I zoom out to look for the cause.
Am I overusing my hamstrings, from having bad foot position at a computer?
Or am I slouching forward with my torso?
Both contributed to my lower back computer pain.
Painful computer injuries often happen, from repetitive strain in other areas.
This article talks about how I’ve zoomed out from my lower back pain.
And how I’ve decreased it by correcting my computer posture.
If you want more posture fixes in your inbox, sign up for my Computer Posture Newsletter.
It’s always free. I keep my emails short and to the point.
Because as full-time computer users, we’re super busy.
And I respect your time and energy.
Thanks for your interest in computer posture.
Todd Bowen – Computer Posture Correction and Pain-Free Ergonomics: For Office Workers Who Want to Increase Work Productivity
If you liked this article, you’ll love the one titled Are Toe Socks Good For You and Do They Improve Posture?
Or, check out my digital store to level up your ergonomics game.