Whether working at a desk, reception area, laboratory bench, or work bench, long hours spent sitting in a chair puts unnecessary strain and pressure on the spine and can result in back ache, stiff neck and shoulders, leg pains, and pins and needles. Poor circulation, blood clots and varicose veins are also commonly reported problems.
Most people don’t even realise how they slouch when sitting!
The height should be set so as to enable you to achieve a comfortable position in relation to the task to be carried out, your chair should always be adjusted to suit you.
The ideal sitting position is to keep your hips slightly higher than your knees and with your feet firmly on the floor. However if you cannot rest your feet flat on the floor when a suitable chair height has been selected, it is important that a footrest is used in order that a comfortable posture can be obtained.
The foot ring of a high level laboratory chair or draughtsman chair should not be used to rest your feet on. Doing this will restrict the flow of blood to the lower leg.
You may consider using a foot rest if:
- Your feet cannot be flat on the ground because you need to raise your chair to work effectively
- You are having lower back discomfort
- It is more comfortable for you to raise your feet a bit during the working day
- Experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above
So what will a foot rest do for you:
- Change your hip angle and put your back closer to the chair backrest
- Allow you to change your feet position during the day
- Provide support for your feet when you are sitting in your chair
- Improve blood circulation to the legs
Variations in posture allow muscular relaxation to occur and can be achieved by altering the distance of the footrest from the user by adjusting the height of the footrest surface. If you have to maintain a fixed position for a period of time, it is important that the footrest height can be changed easily whilst working.
Remember !!
A comfortable work area, is a happy work area
and a happy work area, is a productive work area
