Having worked in an office for more years than I care to remember, I have passed from the manual office system of writing information and filing into the computer lifestyle of typing everything and saving to computer storage.
Computers were supposed to cut down on paper and I suppose they do, although there is still a great need for keeping documents in huge files, just in case …. . Now computers follow us where ever we go…
So I suppose you could say that I have spent a lot of my life sitting down and not very well, it seems. I would have argued that my sitting with a straight back all these years has been worth its while but, with the arrival of the computer, the keyboard and let us not forget the mouse, I seemed to spend a lot of time turning this way and that.
It started with pain in my wrists. Tenosynovitis, or RSI (repetitive strain injury) as it is now called, is painful and any repetitive movement can cause it but I suppose it also had something to do with the fact that my chair wasn’t high enough. Sitting on a cushion helped but I had already developed the pain, so prevention would have been better than cure.
Today, I see my younger colleagues using computer workstations, ergonomic office chairs with arm supports and some also have ergonomic wrist rests. Needless to say, these have been supplied by a savvy employer who realises the benefits of creating an ergonomic office.
If you’re more comfortable, you’re happier and, if you’re happy, it shows in your work. It’s like they used to say, ‘a bad workman always blames his tools’. That old office chair that I used all those years ago didn’t promote good posture. The chair I have now does, as it is adjustable to my height and my workstation. My forearms run horizontally to the keyboard and my feet fully touch the floor. That can’t be bad, can it?