It’s your third crazy day in a row at work, and you’re trying to do a million things at once. As you clutch your phone to your ear with your shoulder, you swivel your chair diagonally to reach your keyboard, which is four feet away from your body because there’s a stack of papers in front of it. Gripping your mouse in anger (how could your boss have given you such an unreasonable deadline?), you feel your entire body crying out in protest—from your forearms to your knuckles, from your neck all the way down your spine. Your back is a road map of knots, your carpal tunnel is raging, and you’d drain your entire 401(k) for a good massage right now.
This scenario isn’t just a work emergency—it’s an ergo-mergency, and it’s happened to most of us. It’s hard not to get caught up in a stressful moment at work—when you have a last-minute presentation to deliver, a pivotal meeting with a prospective client, or five supervisors to accommodate—but the physical pain that results from your multitasking contortions can prove much more debilitating than a temporary business predicament. Establishing an ergonomic workstation is one of the most important steps you can take to protect your body from daily strain and avert long-term ailments. From the type of chair you use to the way your keyboard is positioned, having the right equipment at the proper angles can liberate you from your ten-Advil-a-day habit and all those nights you spend soaking your sore muscles in the bathtub.
Getting Started: The Gear
Chair
The backbone (ahem) of any ergonomic workstation is a good office chair. For as much time as we spend seated, we often take for granted just how much stress our spines withstand on a daily basis. However, anyone who’s forced to spend prolonged periods in an uncomfortable seat at work quickly begins to covet high-quality chairs. The first choice of many companies with larger budgets is the Aeron Chair, by Herman Miller, but there are plenty of other back-friendly options out there. The best office chairs:
