The success of the standing desk has boomed in recent years. As more people prefer to stand in the office, conventional chair-and-desk combinations are starting to take a back seat. But does this mean that the only way to operate is actually to have standing desks?
Let’s find out about the standing desk vs. chair controversy and bring an end to it. A recent study has found that tech workers prefer to sit on a stretch for 2 hours, thus raising their risk of work-related spinal injury. However, posture is still important here and improvement takes some time.
Research indicates a strong link between ergonomics for workstations and the elimination of different health conditions.
Three Office Ergonomics advantages
Ergonomics Minimize Trips to Hospitals | The use of an ergonomic chair decreases the chances of debilitating pain and disability.
Ergonomics Boost Productivity| These chairs are designed to support a healthier stance by holding your back straight, making you more alert and efficient.
Good for Business | Workplace ergonomic chairs encourage workers to realize that their health and safety are critical. This attention to detail will raise the productivity of workers and decrease the cost of accidents in the workplace.
Ergonomic office chair
Pressure and stress can be caused by sitting in the same place. Usually, working in an office means spending a lot of time seated in an office chair – a position that brings tension to the spine structures. Therefore, to prevent developing or compounding back issues, it is important to provide an ergonomic office chair that protects the lower back and encourages proper posture.
Sitting for a longer amount of time in an ergonomic office chair may result in spine damage. In order to prevent spinal injuries, it is important to adapt the chair in the right position. The smartest thing you can do is to find an ergonomic office chair that has been approved. Hold your neck against your backrest while seated in an ergonomic office chair. This is the ideal pose for sitting in an office chair that prevents back pain. The spinal orientation that you should recognise would be impaired by crossing the leg while seated.
In the long term, the expenditure in time and effort will pay off, both in minimal risk of back pain, and the capacity to work and improve your tolerance of activity.
You will intuitively stimulate your core muscles in an ergonomic office chair, stabilise your spine and improve your blood supply. Sitting with your feet balanced on the base places the body in a pose similar to that of riding a bicycle or horse. The active seating role is supported by the dome-shaped floor, while the height of the chair gives the advantage of an increased hip angle.
Standing desk
While a standing desk is better than an ergonomic office chair, there are certain drawbacks. Standing and working for a longer period of time can lead to vascular issues because it will place a lot of weight on the legs to stand for a long time. It can also escalate to health conditions such as hemorrhoids and varicose veins in some of the worse cases. When using a standing desk in your office, make sure you regularly sit down. If you’re using an ergonomic office chair or a standing desk to preserve your fitness, get your body going during the day.
Some people prefer creating their own diy standing desk while others prefer buying a ready-made one. Others prefer ergonomic chairs. It’s all down to preference.
Don’t Try To Stand All Day | If you’re at your workstation, take breaks every 20 minutes.
- Distribute the weight evenly; both feet should be securely flat on the floor
- If you’re seated in a chair that is too wide and your feet dangle, your stance can be corrected by having a footstool.
- Using a standing mat or blanket will shield your feet from exhaustion while you’re standing on a hard surface.
- Slow Motion Is Better Than No Motion | Turning just a little during the day at your workstation will prevent the body from feeling tired and rigid.
- Standing for too long is not that great for your posture, and if your upper body slouches forward, take a seat.
Position Your Computer Monitor At Eye Level | Standing or seated, it is important for your computer monitor to match your eye level with the top of your monitor.
If a standing desk works for you, that’s great. But if it doesn’t, don’t force it, particularly if it affects your job negatively. Perhaps standing when working isn’t for you. It isn’t any easier to stand for long stretches of time than to rest either.
But the fact is, it’s not bad to sit in general. It’s sitting without action for long stretches of time that is not ideal. It’s simply not healthy to remain inactive for too long.
In all of the findings on the detrimental consequences of sitting, the issue is that researchers point towards daily physical inactivity. Our chance of cardiovascular disease increases when we remain sedentary, and our blood circulation declines, along with the production of fat-burning enzymes in our bodies.
A standing desk can fix the problem of sitting, but it does not solve the problem of inactivity. If you do so for an extended amount of time, standing is not easier than sitting. You can probably burn a few extra calories, but it can lead to problems such as inadequate valve working in the veins in the legs (i.e. varicose veins) and pressure on the knees, minimizing lubrication that can cause tearing.
A study done in the United States tracked the walking behavior of 300 participants over a 13 year period. Those that walked the most decreased their chance of future issues with memory by half. The researchers concluded that the ideal distance for neurological exercise was 9 miles a week.
There are valid reasons to choose either setup; the most important factor is whether the activities you will do are easier to do standing or sitting?
