Ergonomics: Keeping Comfortable in Your Home Office

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Big companies spend big bucks studying ergonomics and how to avoid repetitive-motion injuries. Ergonomics is a subfield of biotechnology ”those studies relating biological and engineering data to the relationship between people and machines.

What are repetitive-motion injuries? Carpal tunnel syndrome, relatively unknown until a few years ago, has not only burst into the news and lawsuits, but has spawned new equipment to help ease this injury or avoid it in the first place. If you are fortunate enough to not have this injury , you may not know that it can literally incapacitate your arm and hand in the affected side ”or both right and left, though that is less common ”by irritating the carpal tunnel nerve. This is most often caused by keyboarding eight hours a day or any other type of job in which someone repeats a motion all day long, or much of the day, and the nerve gets inflamed. This is just one of many repetitive motion injuries possible, depending on your job (though it is one of the most common and gets a great deal of media attention).

Are split keyboards, gel pads, and wrist braces ”equipment available to try to ease strain ”worth it to fend off carpal tunnel? It depends on whether you've been struck with an aching case of tendonitis or not. However, one thing no home office should be without is an ergonomic chair if you plan on spending eight hours a day or more sitting in it. Even the simplest of products can be a disaster to use if poorly designed ”and nowhere is this more apparent than in chairs.

"Oh my aching back!" If this is your complaint, join the club. Estimates run as high as 80 percent of all Americans seek help for back- related injuries and aches and pains at some time or another. Persistent sitting ”and in an uncomfortable chair no less ”can be to blame.

Ergonomic chairs often offer lumbar support and height controls so your feet rest comfortably on the ground ”or on a small stool. In the long run, if you spend a lot of time at your desk, don't neglect your back.

As for carpal tunnel and other injuries often related to word processing, such as eye strain, remember that being at home does afford you the luxury of taking a walk outside, taking an exercise break in the middle of the day, doing some yoga poses, or otherwise pampering what ails you. Remember, if you're in the middle of "Downward Facing Dog" (a yoga pose), no boss is going to wander in and wonder if you've lost your mind. Your spouse and kids may wonder, but they probably do already.

So when designing your home office, don't forget the most important worker ”you. Try to design with your comfort in mind. Here are some quick tips about ergonomics:

• Buy chairs with armrests.

• Change positions frequently. Try to get up and walk around every half hour or hour .

• Frequently rotate your neck. If you keyboard for a large portion of the day, do the same with your wrists. Ask your physician for exercises that focus on "range of motion" so you can do stretching and other exercises specifically for those joints that take a repetitive beating day after day.

• Don't forget your eyes! Though you may not think of your eyes and ergonomics, remember to look out the window or at another view from time to time rather than at a screen for eight hours straight to reduce eye strain. Also, keep your screen no farther than 30 inches away from you. Don't have your screen configured in any way that requires you to look UP at it. And finally, cut glare with smart light choices as well as shades or blinds that let you block sun rays.

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