Setting up your workstation for a safe posture is the key to avoiding aches, pains, and repetitive stress injuries.

It’s possible to feel comfortable while working at a computer, from the start of your workday to the end.

What’s more, if a long day at the keyboard gives you a stiff neck, stiff shoulders, or discomfort or weakness in the hand, wrist, arm, or back, then something probably needs to be adjusted—and soon. If you keep doing the same movements over and over while holding the same unsafe posture, you’re at risk of developing a repetitive stress injury (RSI).

And the pain or fatigue of RSI is far more than a minor annoyance.

“In the first stages, you can find relief with rest. But if you keep doing what you’ve been doing week in and week out, over time rest won’t help. By then you’ve developed an injury that may be difficult to treat,” says Emil Pascarelli, M.D., author of Dr. Pascarelli’s Complete Guide to Repetitive Strain Injury: What You Need to Know About RSI and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

There are two main rules for preventing RSI, according to Pascarelli:

1. Proper workstation setup
2. Proper use of your body, including good posture and work technique

Several of his essential safety instructions for adjusting your workstation and posture include:

YOUR CHAIR:
Begin with a comfortable, ergonomically sound chair that’s easy to adjust to your body’s needs. Then build your entire workstation around it.

• Choose a chair with low back support.
• Avoid chairs that are high-backed or have armrests. The idea is to ensure free mobility of the arms and shoulders so your hands and lower arms won’t bear all the strain.
• If possible, choose a chair with a seat pan you can adjust to tilt downward so your knees are lower than your hips for better low back posture. Or place a wedge-shaped cushion on the seat.

YOUR DESK:
The height of most desks is fixed, but be sure your keyboard can be positioned to permit safe posture of the hands and arms. While you’re typing, elbows should be kept close to the body, forearms at about 90 degrees to the upper arms, wrists in a neutral (straight) position, and fingers curved.

• A pull-out drawer for your keyboard can help ensure the right positioning. Ideally, the drawer is adjustable in height and can be tilted.
• Don’t set your wrists on a wrist rest while actively typing.
• Position the telephone where you can reach it easily. Never cradle the phone on your shoulder; use a headset instead.
• Keep the mouse at the same level as the keyboard, if possible.

YOUR MONITOR:
Position it so you’re looking slightly down at the screen and can read it without tilting your head down or back.

• Place the monitor directly in front of you so you don’t twist your head or neck while typing.
• Ensure no glare from lights or windows reflects on the screen.

Good posture and technique can help prevent hand and wrist injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. However, be aware that most injuries from computer work emanate from the neck and shoulder area.

“Posture is critical. Having an ergonomically setup workstation is critical,” Pascarelli warns. “Being in good physical shape is important for preventing injury. Regular rest breaks are especially important in any job where you’re doing long hours of continuous typing.”

The focus, he adds, should always be on prevention.

Polly Turner spoke with Emil Pascarelli, M.D., adjunct associate professor of clinical public health at Cornell University, and author of Dr. Pascarelli’s Complete Guide to Repetitive Strain Injury: What You Need to Know About RSI and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, John Wiley & Sons, 2004, $17.95.

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