ERGONOMIC EVALUATION
Acute and chronic musculoskeletal complaints and work-related injuries are on the rise, but why? One glaring reason is two out of every three Americans sit for all or part of their work day at a computer station.1 This exposes workers to awkward postures, repetitive motions of the upper extremities as well as sustained postures that can create a multitude of spinal and muscular complaints. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, trigger finger, golfer’s or tennis elbow, along with cervical and lumbar disorders are examples of a few conditions that can be alleviated through appropriate ergonomics.
A second issue, according to anthropometric measurements (the comparative study of sizes and proportions of the human body), is that a standard desk is made to fit the height of the 95th percentile of all men! This is absurd, considering this means you have to be 6 feet 3½ inches tall to appropriately fit at a standard desk. We have to consider that 90% of people (male or female) fall between 5 feet 3 inches tall and 6 feet ½ inch tall.