Ergonomic Chair/Desk Combination

Heinrich Pesch wrote:

Before jumping into something expensive you could try my solution. I sit on a normal wooden chair with four legs and a straight back and have my keyboard and mouse (rollermouse pro) under the table on a keyboard tablet from Ikea (19 Euro). A very simple arrangement.

Regards
Heinrich

Claudio Porcellana wrote:

Hi

from my beginning as a translator in 2000 and till to 2005 I bought, used and thrown in the dustbin 5 office chairs, from a very cheap one, 50 EUR or so, to a couple of much more expensive chairs for about 200 EUR but no one of them was able to avoid backaches

in 2006 I bought the Rolls Royce of office chairs, i.e. a Sedus Open Up with elbowrest and headrest, and I cannot remember a backache since then, even after many many hours continuously sitting on it

Pros:
adjustable backrest pressure, dorsokinetic backrest, and a gas lift mechanism with seat-depth springing
Furthermore, you can recline the backrest at 30°, having your head cosily nestled on headrest, and all segments are adjustable: a great piece of hardware and a very sturdy chair (I'm 85 Kg)

Cons:
very expensive (about 1000 EUR in Italy on 2006) but it's worth doing, to me, as we have one spine only ...


http://www.sedus.de/se/en/downloads/files-products/P/P_open_mind_open_up_engl.pdf

Claudio

Emma Goldsmith wrote:

Solution to problems with back pain and chairs: Get rid of the chair.
I'm investigating treadmill desks at the moment, and the idea of walking while working

Renata Forgacs wrote:

I had an ergonomic assessment last July and that explained why I had that terrible backache...

I was sitting at a desk of fixed height of 83 cm - this desk was way too high for me and caused me to adopt a poor hunched upper shoulder posture and an increased bent elbow posture. The seat pan of my chair was too short and did not fully support the length of my thighs. I was told that there was no lumbar support and these factors all increase the load on the structure of the spine.

Since then I have bought a new desk and chair from Online-Ergonomics - both quite expensive but they were worth the money!

Marie-Hélène Hayles wrote:

I'm about to get a new workstation made for me - I'd never even thought about what height it should be! But the description of your posture sounds all too familiar to me...

Renata Forgacs wrote:

Hi Marie-Hélène,

I am 164 cm tall (or should I say, short...) so the old desk was really way too high for me. I have just realized I still use that profile-picture with the old desk in the background so if you look left you can see my poor posture. I guess if you have a chair with adjustable seat height, that can solve the problem of a taller desk but then you might need a foot rest as well...

I was told that the recommended posture for work is: with shoulders relaxed, back fully supported by the backrest, and feet resting comfortably on the foot rest; elbows bent to 90 degrees, with forearms parallel with the floor (resting comfortably on the desktop), maintaining wrists flat, with the middle finger comfortably reaching the QWERTY row of keys.

I guess these things are quite important and we should all think about them when buying a new workstation...

Good luck!

Johanne Benoit-Gallagher wrote:

I have appreciated reading all the suggestions, having had to consider different options for my health needs. Just recently, I added a tablet/stylus to replace my mouse. This has proved to be a valuable option so far.

Since our bodies are made to move and not to stay in the same position for hours, I just thought I would add: do not forget to exercise regularly, to eat well, to sleep enough and to play! This is the health professional in me speaking, but even the best office set up cannot compensate for hours and years of translation. The strain of a sedentary lifestyle should not be underestimated.

Back problems can be due to some muscles being over/under utilized. So in addition to the perfect workspace, a professional such as a kinesiologist could help you assess which exercises would be most beneficial in strengthening your back and body posture.

Santé!

Rob Edwards wrote:

I have recently started getting the odd twinge in my back and think that this is probably caused by a combination of a desk that is too tall for me and a chair that doesn't really offer very good support for my back.

The upshot of this is that I need to have a rethink about my workstation. Does anyone have any recommendations for good quality office chairs and/or desks/workstations?

Many thanks,

Rob

Rob Edwards wrote:

I have recently started getting the odd twinge in my back and think that this is probably caused by a combination of a desk that is too tall for me and a chair that doesn't really offer very good support for my back.

The upshot of this is that I need to have a rethink about my workstation. Does anyone have any recommendations for good quality office chairs and/or desks/workstations?

Many thanks,

Rob