In response to COVID-19, we are seeing more and more of our clients working from home. At home desk set up is highly important to avoid poor postures that can increase load on the body. Poor desk set up is related to sore joints, muscle tightness and pain. Ensuring your desk is setup is ergonomically correct will help you to avoid poor posture, reduce load on the body and keep you pain free.
Our physiotherapist Stuart recommends these 10 essential tips to ensure your desk setup promotes good posture:
- Optimize the height and position of your monitor: Your monitor should be straight in front of you, with your sight line equal to the top of your computer screen.
- Get the perfect chair: Chairs that allow you to adjust the height, tilt of the seat, back rest are ideal.
- The 90-degree rule: Elbows should sit just above desk height and at a 90 degree bend to the floor and your hips should bend no more than 90 degrees.
- Keyboard and mouse setup: ensure that both the mouse and keyboard are not positioned too far away so that you are not over-reaching. This will allow a neutral wrist position which will in turn reduce the load on your shoulders.
- Be smart with paperwork: a document holder is a great way to minimize both mess around the work area and minimize excessive head movements. Keep documents stored close to the computer screen in your line of vision to reduce the chance of neck strain.
- Use lumbar support: by pushing your bottom right back into the base of your chair, you’ll improve spinal alignment from the base of the spine up.
- Use a footrest: ensuring that your body is properly aligned is extremely important. If your feet aren’t already planted on the ground, a footrest positioned at a comfortable height allows for correct body alignment.
- Watch the phone: if your job calls for a lot of time spent on the phone, a headset may be a worthy investment. It will reduce twisting motions and ease pressure on your neck.
- MOVE: taking regular breaks to get physically moving is key to working from a desk. Keep an eye on your daily step count and get moving every 30-60mins. This can be a walk, stretching or some other form of exercise.
- RELAX: adjusting to new working environments can seem difficult at first, but hopefully with these tips for an optimal desk setup to ensure a more relaxed posture, you’ll be feeling more comfortable than ever in no time!
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