Posture problems in corporate workers and some ergnomic advice to treat them.

1. Posture problems in corporate
workers and how to treat them
By Sanidhiea pahwa

2. • A lot of research around the world shows that this work group forms the
bulk of people having back, neck, shoulder, knee or other joint pain.
• The different sitting postures at offices can look like the ones below.

3. • Next time you are in your office or workplace, observe your table, how are
things arranged on it.
• Most of us have fixed patterns in arrangements.This means that we keep
objects on one side only, which is usually convenient to us. Is it the same
with you? Or are things scattered on the table?
• Are you able to reach everything without bending over?
• The orientation of the laptop or desktop screen is vital for maintaining our
posture.
• This is because this orientation will determine our sitting posture
throughout the day.

4. • In your screen in the centre of the table so that you can look at it from the
front or is it one side so that you have to always turn to look at it?
• If most items on your table are on the right, there are high chances that you
would always be bending and turning to the righto reach them. Due to this,
one side of the body is under more stress compared to the other and
therefore overloading of that side occurs.
• If the screen of the laptop is on the right side of the table, then you would
always be turned to that side when you are in the office.
• Both things, as in evident, are not good for your body as they lead to
asymmetric or unequal loading on the body.

5. • Ideally the items on your table should be equally distributed on both sides
and important things- one which you refer to regularly , should be in the
centre of the table- right in front of you.The laptop screen should be placed
so that you can look at it from the front- head on.
• It can be in the centre or one side but placed in a manner so that you can be
sitting exactly in front of it.
• let us look at shivam’ s table to understand this better.
• On his table, his diary and laptop are in centre of the table in front of him,
• The files, folders, records are on the right side.
• The stationary, his coffee mug and new , mail and phone are on the left.

6. • For yourself you can invert the positioning but remember that the weight on
each side must be balanced.
• In shivam’s case, since he is right handed, files and folders are on that side.
• But to counter this, he has kept the phone and coffee mug are on the left.
• Another good idea would be to divide your table into zones.
• The “core” zone will contain your laptop, diary and items you need almost
all the time.
• The “intermediate” zone will contain pen drives, stationary or items you
need regularly but not all the time.

7. • The “buffer” zone will contain items that you will hardly use in our day.
• This zone can remain empty also and things can keep moving between the
zones depending on our present activity or task..

8. • Most of us sit in our office for the entire day.The sedentary position is
responsible for many health problems- not just muscular or joint problems.
Sedentary positions at work can lead to heart problems, lung problem, back
and neck pain, depressions and joint pains, vitamin deficiencies and around
30 different chronic conditions.
• A recent research states- “sitting is the new smoking” – this statement is
true in most parts because the harmful effects of sitting for long periods
cannot be undermined.

9. • Prolonged sitting and sedentary lifestyle have become a major reasons for
healthcare advise and are a cause of a flurry of “lifestyle disorders” that have
cropped up over recent years.
• So why does sitting lead to so many problems ?
• Our body is like a machine – a very well crafted and efficient machine that
needs movement .
• Sedentary postures throughout the day lead us to healthy lifestyles mainly
due to lack of movement.
• The lack of movement slows down our metabolism which effects the body
ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and break down body fat.
This is turn can lead to weak muscles and bones.

10. • Ergonomics, or the science of the human movements and postures is a very
wide topic and no one text can be all encompassing regarding it. Each
human body is different and therefore, the correct ergonomic application
will very- but the basic principles would remain the same.

11. • The overall principles and basic fundamentals are the same.The correct
sitting postures shown below has to be remembered and stuck to. All of us,
in today’s times are fixated on our laptops and phones and therefore, the
correct sitting and computer ergonomics are imperative. We spend most of
our days sitting and if we sit incorrectly over the whole day, the cumulative
effect can harm our bodies severely.

12. The simplest of pointers for correct sitting are -
• Sit with hips all the way back, touching the backrest
• Back should be supported completely
• Feet should be supported on the floor or some surface; feet must not be
hanging
• Lumbar support is not required for everyone; use it only if you feel
discomfort without it

13. Since most of us have jobs or past times involving the computer or laptop, important
computer ergonomics also need to be remembered as shown below
• Sit in the correct postures
• The screen of the laptop or desktop should be a little below eye level
• The screen should be at arm’s length from you
• Use an external keyboard and mouse if required
• Take frequent breaks; every 45 minutes or so

14. Standing is generally
considered better than
sitting in terms of
ergonomics and general
health. But anything done
in excess is harmful to the
body, so standing also
needs to be intwespersed
with periods of sitting.

15. For standing, the correct ergonomics to be remembered are as below-
• While standing, the ear, shoulder, wrist an ankle should be in one straight line
• Weight should be equally borne on both feet
• Avoid a sway back or stooped postures
• Take breaks in the form for sitting often
• We need to lift objects multiple times in our day.

16. Many of us drive to work, malls, cinemas or other places.The main things to
remember when driving are
• Sit in the correct sitting posture and then set your rear view mirrors.
• Use the lever for changing inclination for giving you breaks on long drives.
• Ensure that your back is supported and the neck is relaxed.
• Steering wheel should not be too far from you
These are the simplest every day activities that all of us do. And monitoring
our habits in this activities will go a long way in keeping us healthy.