Chronic pain affects 1.5 billion people worldwide or one in five of the global population. Of these, 50 to 100 million are in the United States.
Many of those individuals are employees, and their jobs contribute to their condition. Chronic pain, in turn, is a leading cause of workplace absences.
The good news is that ergonomic office environments can help combat such conditions. We rounded up some of the top benefits of effective office ergonomics, so be sure to read on.
Helps Foster Better Posture
Posture is the position in which you hold your body while standing, sitting, or lying down. It’s also how you position your body as you perform muscular activities. These tasks include bending, reaching out, stretching, or twisting.
Good posture is crucial as it keeps the body aligned and provides adequate support to all body parts. It helps evenly spread force, stress, tension, and weight throughout the body.
An ergonomic office helps encourage proper posture with the use of ergonomic furniture. These include active chairs, raisable keyboard trays, and height-adjustable desks for the office. Users can lift or lower them based on their physique so that they don’t have to spend hours stooped or hunched over.
Helps Prevent Poor Posture Complications
Poor posture can cause back pain, abnormal spinal curvature, and joint degeneration. Some people even develop rounded shoulders and even a potbelly due to this problem.
Despite these complications, half of US adults don’t feel concerned about posture. Many others don’t have much of a choice since they can only use the furniture provided by their employers.
Either way, poor posture can result in health problems that can then lead to loss of productivity. For example, a study found that back pain in employees aged 40 to 65 costs employers about $7.4 billion a year.
Since one of the key benefits of ergonomics is better posture, it can help keep the effects of poor posture at bay. Instead, workers can stay comfy, focused, and productive throughout the workday.
Helps Cut Sedentary Time
Researchers found evidence that prolonged sitting can raise people’s risk of diabetes. Sitting for too many hours may also put you at a higher risk of obesity, heart conditions, or vein disease.
Scientists aren’t 100% sure yet why sitting can do all that, but it’s likely due to being sedentary. When you don’t move a lot, your muscles relax too much, so they don’t use glucose for energy. Over time, the blood can store excess unused blood sugar.
Some types of ergonomic office furniture aim to cut sitting time by letting you work as you stand. These include the adjustable standing desks and standing keyboard stands. Many of these also work as regular desks, allowing you to set them to a sitting or standing height.
An Ergonomic Office Is a Healthy and Productive Workplace
As you can see, an ergonomic office encourages workers to develop proper posture. It can also benefit employees by helping them trim the time they spend seated. All these can assist in reducing job-caused pain, and instead, promote improved productivity.
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