When you sit at work for hours, the height of the desk matters, as does placing the monitor correctly, straight ahead and at eye level, while your feet should rest flat on the floor with your knees at 90 degrees, advises the physical therapist.
I spend at least eight hours a day sitting at work. My back hurts, and so do my legs, even though I get up every hour and walk around a little. What else can I do so that sitting affects my spine as little as possible? Perhaps sitting on a Pilates ball, although I have heard that it can be quite hard on the spine.
In a job that requires sitting for hours, the height of the desk matters, and so does the height of the monitor, which should be at eye level and directly in front of you, without having to look to one side or the other. People often have their monitor set at a slight angle, and combined with a phone receiver held between the shoulder and the head, the spine ends up in a very poor position and, of course, over time it gives us more and more problems.
So: the monitor directly in front of you and at eye level, a keyboard with a forearm rest, a headset with a microphone for the phone, a suitable chair that supports both the lumbar and the cervical spine (135 degrees), and a footrest under the desk. Keep your legs at a 90-degree angle; if you cannot reach the floor, rest them on a footrest or on the chair base, and strictly avoid crossing your legs, because that is not good for the spine.
Although Pilates balls and using them as a computer chair have already gone out of fashion, consider bringing back this useful and cheerful seat. Besides being good for your spine, a Pilates ball also burns calories. It has been shown that by sitting and balancing on a ball in front of the computer during a working day you burn at least 360 calories, because your body keeps changing position, which is good for strengthening the muscles and improving balance and circulation. During a break you can very easily stretch and loosen up.
It should be stressed that at first the periods of sitting on the ball are somewhat shorter, and they get longer over time as your fitness improves. Since the postural (deep) muscles work quite hard when you sit on a ball, you should increase the time you spend on it gradually. At first an hour, then two hours… Over time you will be able to sit on it for the whole working day without any unwanted effects.
This versatile piece of exercise equipment is also used for stress relief. Research has shown that the ball has a positive effect on mood, because the constant wriggling and bouncing around the office, accompanied by unusual sounds, is reminiscent of play and fun and relieves people of stress.