The term ergonomic office is no longer just a catchphrase on the lips of the trendy. Ergonomic office standards have even been implemented in some US Governement offices. Ergonomic office products are now being sold both to individuals for home offices as well as to companies for their offices. But what is it that makes ergonomic office products so special?
Ergonomics is basically the science of design that is tailored to fit the requirements of a human and the task they need to perform. If, for example, the human worker must sit for many hours a day, it is important that the design of the chair supports the body properly. As many doctors and chiropractors have stated, most of the pain experienced by office workers was due to badly designed products and misalignment of good posture.
Perhaps the most vivid example of an ailment caused directly by office work is Carpal Tunnel syndrome. Carpal Tunnel is one of the most common ailments reported by people who spend most of their day working with a keyboard and monitor. The repetitive motion of typing while the hands are not properly aligned and positioned causes the tendons in the wrists to become inflamed and painful. Carpal Tunnel can become a chronic condition if not dealt with, and a slew of cases from the 90’s nearly overwhelmed the medical community.
Carpal Tunnel was a new ailment, brought in by the rise in computer related jobs. Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, Carpal Tunnel was most commonly found among secretaries and programmers, as well as other computer-heavy job descriptions. The ergonomic keyboard first appeared on the market in the mid 90’s and was popularized by Microsoft. A new, revolutionary design tilted the keyboard body in a V shaped angle, thus enabling fingers to reach keys more easily and with less stress to the wrists. Relief, or at least the first wave of it, had arrived.
Like in all things in the technology age, a new generation of ergonomic keyboards was born from better design and technology. Adjustable keyboards became the rage, allowing the user to adjust the keyboard at exactly the right angle for them. Other ergonomic keyboards included a built-in trackball, fully separated keyboards, and other gadgets and designs.
Soon after the ergnomic keyboard appeared, so did the first ergonomic mouse. The normal, everyday mouse is as hard on the wrist as is the normal keyboard. Ergonomic mice shift the angle in which they’re held to provide maximum support for the wrist and hand, thus reducing the possibility of Carpal Tunnel. The ergonomic mouse can look a tad whacky in its design, but it delivers ongoing comfort that cannot be found in the traditional mouse design. Design ranges from mouse boxes to upright mice.
There are other ailments that are directly related to computer use. As computers became more commonplace everywhere, these ailments rose dramatically. Neck and shoulder pain was especially bothersome to many people who spent hours in front of a computer monitor. Their desk wasn’t adjustable, nor was the monitor positioned in the correct angle. The basic adjustment of a monitor for an individual was usually overlooked by office managers and administrators, causing a great deal of suffering to many people.
Adjustable computer monitors with ergonomic design solved some of the problem. Monitor risers replaced telephone books when people wished to adjust the angle in which they viewed their monitors. Since many of them had a down-slope, they were much more effective than the telephone books. Laptop stands of all kinds helped people all over the world avoid the stress inflicted on the body by leaning into a laptop. Several implements such as monitor stakers and flat screen arms appeared on the market, supplying the demand for products that can help monitors be adjusted perfectly for each individual user.
Perhaps one of the least thought about ailment is the headache produced by monitor glare. Human eyes are drastically affected by the constant high-speed flickering of monitors. Our eyes work much harder reading from a monitor than they do reading from paper, due to this flickering and glare, which makes for tired eyes and headaches.
Glare monitors were developed in the early 90’s to reduce these headaches and have come a long way since then. A good anti-glare product should obviously reduce the glare from the screen. It should also sharpen the monitor image by reducing visible flickering, thus reducing eye fatigue and headaches.
There are, however, ways to avoid the ailments that are inflicted upon the computer generation, even though our lives revolve around these machines nowadays. Using ergonomic chairs, adjustable desks, as well as the multitude of other products that employ computer ergonomics can literally be a life-saver for all those cursed with the aches and pains associated with any computer job. Whether you work in an office or have a home office, make it an ergonomic office. Your entire body will thank you, and may even give you a standing ovation!
