I’m sitting here python swashbuckling, and once in a while I’ll stand up to relieve the cricks in my back. But you can tell when I’m truly in the zone by how hunched I am:
Ken-ichi sports a shirt bearing an image like this, titled “Something, somewhere went terribly wrong”:
When someone (read: my mom) yells at me to get into good working posture, generally I shoot straight up to 90 degrees.
But recently, researchers in Alberta and Aberdeen have suggested that we want a spinal angle that is more than 90 degrees.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6187080.stm
You want to be the guy with the giant checkmark in front of his face.
It’s funny, leaning back has traditionally been the lazy person’s posture, and hunched forward is a sign of diligence. Just think about the word “slacker.” As we spend more and more time in front of computers, we’d be foolish not to think about ergonomics, or our physical health in general.
Good luck on final projects, papers and exams, my fellow students!
For me, it only takes one word: scoliosis. Don’t try to remember what it is, don’t look it up. Just say it. Out loud. Scoliosis. *shudder*
Respek to vladidadi, who got me to stop keeping my wallet in my back pocket. My back feels better already, on account of my butt being balanced on the chair
Anywhoooooo, don’t you guys think that the incidence of bad necks is pretty high too? I’ve found most pillows to be way too soft. I like mines firm
my neck its pretty messed up. i was using one of those memory pillows for about a year, and it got worse. i think the issue might be that i sleep with one arm under the pillow. i am back to down pillows.
k7: good to hear you ditched the wallet.
I spend all day in ergonomic chairs, helps that I work for a company that manufactures them, but I still sit in a ergonomic chair all day. The 125 degree trunk angle is not a new find, however it is very true. A couple other things that help with stress related pain at work are having the hips above the knees, full back support (helps shoulders and neck), arm rests that allow you to keep your arms in a natural position (hunching or dropping the shoulders will lead to pain in the shoulder and neck area). Finding a chair that offers this is one of the keys to being productive for longer hours.
JonHood: can you suggest specific chair models that give good ergonomic bang for the buck? some of us are looking to upgrade a student lounge/work area.
I saw a report on Netflix on 60 Minutes this weekend. Apparently, most of their envelope stuffing is done by hand in their distribution centers, and workers are required to take breaks to relax their hands and bodies.
“While 60 Minutes was at the warehouse, one of the employees was stuffing envelopes, at a rate of 1,000 per hour. And so she and all the other workers - associates they call them – break every 90 minutes for mandatory exercises to ward off carpel tunnel syndrome. ”
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/01/60minutes/main2222059.shtml
The video crashed my browser, but that’s because I use Opera.
more on the netflix stuffers: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/060828ta_talk_sheehan