Ergonomic Basics With Height Adjustable Tables

Copyright (c) 2011 John V

Anyone who has spent a long period of time in one position be it sitting or standing, or worked doing basically the same thing for more than year, understands the discomfort of repetitive stress injury, a type of long term trauma damage that leads to micro fissures in tendons and muscles, and can result in aches, pains, and limited range of motion. With the application of proper ergonomics, support by a height adjustable height chairs and height adjustable tables are a fundamental component of decreasing the risk of this kind of injury.

Some of the most common activities that are likely to cause repetitive stress injuries happen at computer desks, drafting tables, craft tables, and sewing tables. Nearly everyone has spent some time using at least one of these tables in their life. These are common culprits because between work and leisure, they are places where people tend to spend several hours without really moving, doing the exact same thing over and over.

Typing on a keyboard and using a mouse, drawing plans, gluing and painting models, or sewing an elaborate piece of clothing all require the same few, small motions, which add up and after thousands upon thousands of repetitions they create microscopic tears in the muscles and tendons of the hands and wrists. The other risk from these types of activities are related to awkward and incorrect posture, and include lower back and hip pain, strained muscles in the upper back and shoulders, and damage to the neck and spine. These are all similarly a product of making the body do things that differ slightly from what it was meant to do for hours on end, putting small amounts of excessive stress on joints and connective tissue until they get tired and are damaged, sometimes irreparably.

Ergonomic adjustable tables and adjustable chairs are a fundamental part of the most effective strategy to minimize the risk of this type of injury without ceasing the activity. The basic solution to this kind of injury is to change positions frequently and avoid being in the same position for more than an hour or two. This fact has popularized sit-to-stand desks and adjustable tables because they make it possible to comfortably work sitting and then easily switch to comfortably working while standing. Of course, working standing is subject to many of the same injury-causing forces, which result in an entirely different set of risks.

Regardless, the most straightforward value of height adjustable tables and chairs is that they make it possible to easily tailor the exact height of all the components of the workstation to match an individual's size. It is fairly easy to find exhaustive information about the basics of ergonomic workstation design, especially related to a computer desk. The basic approach is to take measures to prevent strain of any sort and stack joints naturally. So the knees should be bent at just more than 90 degrees, with an inch or so between the bottom of the knees/thigh area and the chair, and a similar inch or so above the knee to the desk. The chair should recline slightly while supporting your lower and upper back. Hands should rest comfortably on the surface of the height adjustable table or keyboard with elbows at a 90-or-more degree angle, with shoulders hanging loose and comfortable. The work or monitor should be placed to minimize the angle that the neck has to bend.

These principals remain valid no matter what task height adjustable tables might be used to do, and are attainable when finely adjusting the desk or table and chair with them in mind. However, each individual task also has its own set of motions, in the way that pushing fabric through a sewing machine is very different from clicking a mouse. So after setting up the basic ergonomics of the workstation with a height adjustable table, it is important to be sure that the tools and object of attention are set on the table to minimize twisting or unnatural turning. And no matter how well designed, changing positions or taking a break every hour or two is of absolute importance.


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