For many people, their work environment is increasingly limited to working at a computer for the majority of their professional lives. While this has reduced manual labour, it has increased postural strain, resulting in a distinct group of symptoms including back and neck pain, shoulder tightness, and repetitive strain through the wrists and forearms.
Fine-tuning the design of a computer workstation, along with advice regarding the best way to use computer workstations through a working day, can have a huge impact on an employee’s musculoskeletal health. This can vary from changes in variables such as screen position and chair height, to the provision of specific equipment matched to an employee’s body, to the adoption of sit-stand workstations.
Our physiotherapists have been reviewing and modifying computer workstations for decades, and work with several office furniture suppliers to optimise workstation design. This ranges from brief, informal reviews of an entire group of employees in a given department, to individual assessments as part of an injury management strategy.