Standing Workstation

You’ve probably heard that sitting is the new smoking. Prolonged sitting without enough movement can lead to heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, and back pain.

To mitigate the effects of working all day at a PC, you need to move as much as you can throughout your day. Start doing micropauses, which are frequent, brief stretch breaks at your workstation. Use your lunch break to exercise. Take every opportunity to move: walk to someone to have a conversation rather than sending an email or calling out across the office; get up regularly to refill your water glass, use the stairs instead of the elevator. 

If most of your day is working on a PC you should consider using a height adjustable standing work station. There is a lot of research that shows it can improve lower back pain, blood glucose levels, mood, energy levels, and workplace productivity. 

They’re great for your spine because they vary the stresses that affect it. That’s not to say that you should be standing all day as that can be just as bad for you or worse. Varying between standing, sitting and some form of movement is usually the best formula for keeping your spine and whole body healthy. 

There are lots of good quality height adjustable workstations out there. Make sure you think through the appropriate surface area required for your activities. 

It takes a while to get used to the standing so ease into it with 15-minutes in the morning and 15-minutes in the afternoon. Gradually increase the number of times you stand and then the duration of standing. The ideal ratio of sitting:standing varies from 1:3 to 3:1. If you introduce standing too quickly, you can develop foot, leg or back pain.

Whether you are sitting or standing you need to ensure that your screen is an arms length away, the top of the screen is at eye level and the keyboard is at elbow level.

Other advice I give to my patients when they get a standing workstation:

Anti-fatigue mat - great for hard floors, make sure it’s not a tripping hazard.

Foot rest - take short rests for each foot by placing it up on a foot rest 

Shoes - ensure you have comfy footwear, avoid high heels.

Move - walk around regularly, especially if you start getting tired or sore. Listen to your body!

By Dave Kelly