HEALTH SPECIAL..ARE YOU A "CHAIR" PERSON?

Considering that an average office worker spends 6-7 hours sitting, your office chair and the way you sit is the key determiner of your health

Sitting on a chair is probably the simplest thing to do. Sitting right, quite another. The modern office chair, it is believed, was Charles Darwin’s invention who put wheels on it for easy mobility. And today the work chair has metamorphosed into this super complicated being that comes with its own manual and even CDs. But we are talking about the species spawned from the stables of Herman Miller or Humanscale.

The office chair was strategically designed to increase the productivity of clerical employees by facilitating long hours of comfortable sitting. And it is this which has made sitting ducks of white-collar executives. Unless your office is ergonomically designed, that is, it takes care of each individual’s needs and customises chair support according to their body type, chances are your office chair is not right for you. According to studies, sitting leads to increased blood pressure and blood sugar along with causing repetitive stress injury.
While sitting the back muscles, are constantly engaged to maintain the body in an upright position. If the back is not supported at correct angles, it will lead to overuse of certain muscle groups gradually leading to fatigue, discomfort, nagging pain and susceptibility to injury and medical complications. “The ideal chair is an S-shaped one, duplicating the contours of your spine. The chair should adequately support the lower and the upper part of the spine that has a convexity to the front and the middle part which protrudes backwards,” says Dr Pushpinder Bajaj, sports medicine specialist.
“But if the chair is not right, there are a number of ergonomic products or accessories that can make existing chair more user friendly and comfortable,” says Dr Bharati Jajoo, co-founder of Bangalore-based ErgoWorks, corporate health, wellness and ergonomic consulting company. Here’s all you need to know about your seating arrangement.
1
The Eyes
What Can Go Wrong: Strain on the vision, dry eyes and heightened sensitivity to light What’s Right: Minimum 18 inches distance from the screen. The range could be 20-40 inches as long as you are able to see and read comfortably. Keep the screen at or slightly below eye level You Must: Close your eyes occasionally (every couple of hours), look up at the ceiling, down at the floor and from side to side
2
Neck & Shoulder
What Can Go Wrong: Neck is the biggest victim of bad sitting. Wrong posture can cause dizziness, pain in the arm and cervical spondylitis What’s Right: Neck should be straight and the shoulders relaxed when using the keyboard or mouse. Angle between the arm and the arm rest should be 95-100 degrees You Must: Support your neck by attaching an extension if the back of the chair isn’t long enough. Gently massage every couple of hours to relax neck and shoulder muscles
3
Upper Back
What Can Go Wrong: Leaning forward (at an angle of 30 degrees) puts 3-4 times more strain on the back, causing advanced wear and tear on joint surfaces, discs and ligaments of the spine What’s Right: The back and thighs should form the 4’o clock angle. Keep the back straight and against the back rest. Don’t slouch forward or backwards for long You Must: Get up every 20-30 minutes to straighten the back and to ensure proper blood circulation
4 Lower Back
What Can Go Wrong: If the lumbar (lower back) isn’t curved in the right direction you’ll end up weakening your muscles and developing a backache What’s Right: Lumbar curvature should be rested against the back rest to keep its neutral posture. Hips shouldn’t be pushed forward else the curvature won’t get the required support You Must: Place a cushion for support at the lower back area, that is if the chair doesn’t support the back curve or if there’s a gap between the back rest and the base. There are ergonomic products available like lumbar supports or H-shaped low back support
5 The Base
What Can Go Wrong: If the seat is too hard, your tail bone might start hurting in the long run What’s Right: The base shouldn’t be too soft or too hard. The length should be just short of touching the back of your knee. Thighs should have a gentle downward slope towards the knees mirroring the 4’o clock angle You Must: Place a cushion if the base is too hard or too low
6 The Feet
What Can Go Wrong: If the angle is wrong, you might experience stiffness of the knees. If your feet are dangling, blood circulation would be affected What’s Right: Feet shouldn’t be dangling and must be flat on the floor. Thighs and feet should form a right angle You Must: Use a foot stool if your feet don’t touch the floor. Make sure the stool is not too high and get the angle right

(:: Sunanda PoduwalET8JAN12)