So you’ve invested in a good ergonomic office chair with ample back support and an amazingly comfortable seat yet you still find yourself experiencing pain and tightness in your shoulders, neck and back when sitting in front of your computer.

Ask yourself this question:  Do I find myself leaning forward with my shoulders hunched over to use the keyboard and mouse on my desk? If the answer is yes, I have news for you. You may not realize it, but you are not at all taking advantage of that investment (your new chair) and the significant benefits it provides. Straining your back to lean forward towards your desk and hunching your shoulders to type on your keyboard is an unhealthy, awkward posture that, if assumed for more than a couple of hours on a regular basis, can cause chronic pain and discomfort.

One sure way to help prevent this annoying condition and develop a healthier and more comfortable posture is to get yourself a good articulating keyboard system or keyboard tray.

A well-designed keyboard tray allows you to sit back in your chair in a relaxed and comfortable position while working on your computer. It brings the work to you rather than the other way around. Aside from ensuring your back is supported and your neck and shoulders are relaxed, it also protects you from carpal tunnel syndrome and other musculoskeletal issues.                           

In addition, a keyboard tray allows you to maximize limited desk space and ensures that your keyboard is securely positioned. In general, this ergonomic support is placed under your desk to ensure optimal positioning of your arms and shoulders while using the computer keyboard and mouse. Ideally, your forearms must remain parallel to the ground, your shoulders are down, and your elbows are at your sides. Also there must be no torsion or unusual twisting of your wrists while you are typing or mousing.

Under-desk keyboard trays are generally mounted on sliders. This ensures that you can easily pull out the tray when using your computer keyboard and slide it back in neatly when you no longer need it. They should also adjustable so that you can achieve the appropriate angle for typing.  

Though there are some keyboard trays that will accommodate a computer keyboard alone, some keyboard supports also come with space for your mouse. Should you opt for such a keyboard tray, it is advisable to go for a trackball mouse. This type of mouse require less space to work as the mouse remains fixed in its place and the trackball moves while working. There are also keyboard trays that come with a separate mouse platform attached. This is a smart and convenient option.

While purchasing a keyboard tray always opt for one which is adjustable. This will ensure it can address your specific requirements. Also consider the measurements of your workstation and the tray’s dimensions before installing this ergonomic tool. If you are opting for a tray that has space for your mouse and mouse pad, make sure to take into consideration the size of your mouse pad when taking your keyboard’s measurements. For optimal comfort, you must consider placing the mouse and mouse pad at the same level where you have placed your keyboard. Finally, go for a keyboard tray that comes with a padded wrist rest. This padded wrist rest will provide extra support and is a must for people suffering from severe shoulder pain and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Together with an ergonomic chair and a monitor arm, a well-designed keyboard tray is essential in creating a comfortable, safe and healthy workstation.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work conducted a study a few years ago to determine the effects of implementing new health and safety measures by South West Water in the UK. The company was privatized in the year 1989 and, following the privatization, South West Water introduced a new health and safety management system in 1991. The company invested both time and money to improve their operational sites which reduced the number as well as the gravity of on-site accidents. Together with the Health and Safety Agency, South West Water developed a long-term business plan keeping in mind the health and safety of their employees.

It was observed that the employees of South West Water faced a number of health related problems associated with working on a computer for prolonged periods. Some of the health hazards included:

• Work-related upper limb disorders that occur due to use of computer keyboards
• Musculoskeletal problems that were caused by manual weir cleaning
• Hand–arm vibration syndrome caused by working with the vibrating tools in cold conditions.

Once the major problems and their causes were identified, South West Water adopted certain preventive measures. The first task of the company was to assess the risks associated with the above mentioned problems. The company then shifted its focus onto modifications of their existing workstations as well as on their implementation and maintenance. This solved the problem of upper limb disorders to a great extent. The company then installed an automatic weir-cleaning machine to solve the problem of musculoskeletal disorders arising from manual weir cleaning. South West Water also opted for low vibratory tools to help their employees avoid hand–arm vibration syndrome. In addition, the company invested in the maintenance of these tools and educated the employees on how to avoid physical disorders. Other preventive actions taken by the company included using protective gloves, job rotation and health surveillance.

South West Water evaluated their total health and safety management system while taking into consideration a number of factors. This included the number of accidents, the amount of lost working time, the costs of liability claims and the amount the company had to pay due to the ill health of their employees.

The result of implementing this new health and safety management system was dramatic. In 1991–92, South West Water faced 136 accidents per 1000 employees. By 1995–96, the number reduced to 53 accidents per 1000 employees. And the company saved GBP 2,546,000 over the period April 1992 to March 1998 through its accident prevention measures. In addition, the company implemented two proactive health programs. These program helped the company in their cost saving program as well. Over the next ten years, the program that helped to prevent work-related upper limb disorder produced cost savings of 88,500 GBP per annum, and the program designed to prevent hand–arm vibration syndrome provided loss control savings of 19,300 GBP per annum. 

Ergonomic workstations are extremely important for those who spend much of their time in front of a computer on a regular basis. Many are unaware of this, but staying in a conventional sitting position for prolonged periods can have an adverse effect on your health. It causes backaches, muscle stiffness, soreness and fatigue. Therefore you must design your workstation in such a way that it provides optimal comfort and ease of movement. While designing your ergonomic workstation certain factors must be taken into account. These include your seating arrangement, the position of your computer monitor, and the position of your keyboard and mouse.

While creating an ergonomic workstation, your first task is to get a comfortable chair that encourages good posture. The ideal office chair will promote good blood circulation and will also support your back and neck properly. A good office chair will also support neutral positioning of your arm so that you can work on your computer keyboard and mouse comfortably. It is recommended to go for an office chair that provides good lumbar support as this can help you to maintain the natural "S" curve of your spine.  Varier offers the original kneeling chair. Its unique design keeps your body in continuous motion – a state that keeps both your mind and body energized. This “active sitting” improves circulation and keeps your back and abdominal muscles working without causing tension in the back and shoulders. The award-winning Freedom chair by Humanscale offers a self-adjusting recline mechanism and synchronized armrests that ensures even arm positioning. Its position-sensitive headrest moves into place when you recline and out of the way when you sit upright.  There are no cumbersome levers and controls that you need to keep fidgeting with – just straightforward comfort and support.

Next comes setting up your monitor screen at a correct height. Most of us tend to overlook this aspect in the beginning. The result can be painful. It can not only cause severe neck pain, but can also cause eye strain. Dryness, irritation and visibility problems are some of the common problems associated with improper positioning of your display device. The monitor must be placed directly in front of you and it must be around two feet away from you. Leaning towards the display device will put stress on your neck, spine and shoulders.  As most offices are now using flat panel monitors, it is recommended to use ergonomic monitor arms as well for a comfortable viewing position.

The final step in creating an ergonomic workstation is positioning your keyboard and mouse in such a way so that you can lift your arm and wrists comfortably while keeping your shoulders down and in a relaxed position. For this, you will first need to get an ergonomic keyboard and mouse. These accessories work as integral components of your workstation. Ergonomically correct keyboards reduce the pressure put on your wrist and fingers while typing and a vertical mouse or pointing device relieves the strain in your fingers and hands and thus reduces the incidence of discomfort. A keyboard tray attached to your desk encourages the proper positioning of your arms and shoulders when typing. Make sure that the tray is mounted at the correct height. Your elbows must rest at your sides and your forearms must remain parallel to the floor while you are working on your keyboard and mouse.  Keeping these accessories at an improper height or angle will force you to bend your wrists frequently which can lead to injury. Whatever you do,   remember that your main goal is to place these three tools in such a way that it allows your arms, wrists and hands to remain in a neutral position.

Working on a computer for prolonged periods often leads to several musculoskeletal disorders both mild and severe. Our shoulders, wrists, elbows and palms are most vulnerable to such disorders when working on computer keyboards and mice. Though such disorders can be cured, you can easily avoid developing them by using the right ergonomic tools such as ergonomic mouse pads. For one thing, they help to stop that annoying tingling sensation that you sometimes feel in your fingertips when typing and mousing extensively.

While working we often neglect our comfort until it becomes unbearable to do so. Worse still, only a few offices provide the appropriate ergonomic equipment. Many companies believe that getting such equipment for their employees will only increase their financial burden. What many of them failed to realize until recently was that ergonomic work tools can actually make one work more productively. For a relatively low cost (as opposed to costly long term disability payments), it is quite possible to make your workstation more    user-friendly. In fact, you can actually increase your comfort and ease of work by simply getting an ergonomic keyboard tray  and an ergonomic mouse pad  for your workstation.

There are many people who fail to realize the true cause of musculoskeletal disorders and continue to work in inadequate office environments, without ever thinking of making it more user-friendly. As a result, their physical condition continues to deteriorate to the point of becoming intolerable. On the other hand, by making simple adjustments and by acquiring useful ergonomic tools like mouse pads, much pain and drain can be avoided.

Taking into consideration the increasing complaints of musculoskeletal disorders  particularly with regards to wrists and palms, ergonomic accessory designers have developed some helpful ergonomic aids.  Goldtouch, for example, has introduced gel filled and organically-shaped mouse pads to keep your arm and hand in a more natural position while working. The stress-dispersing gel of the mousing platform helps to relieve strain.

Ergonomic mousing platforms are much better than the conventional flat mouse pads and provide more comfortable lifting of your wrist even if you are holding the mouse for prolonged periods. Some of these ergonomic mousing platforms include memory foam to comfortably support your wrists. They relieve stress on pressure points and improve blood pressure. With the gripless design of the ergonomic mouse pads there is no need to feel the stress of gripping your mouse while working for longer periods.

In case you need to work on your computer for the majority of your workday, it is recommended to opt for an arm support in addition to the ergonomic mouse pad. This ergonomic accessory provides great support to your arm and shoulder and can take off the strain on your spine as well as help in the alignment of your wrists. Together, these two products help to prevent repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) first published the Ergonomics Program Management guidelines in 1993. It was this program that helped to reduce the injuries related to workplace musculoskeletal disorders (WMDs). In fact, in the past 15 years the rate of WMDs was reduced by 30 - 40% nationally thanks to the efforts of OSHA. OSHA has developed   voluntary, industry-specific guiding principles to help employers recognize and take measures to eradicate ergonomic hazards.

The industries first covered by OSHA ergonomic guidelines were:

• Meatpacking plants
• Poultry processing plants
• Nursing homes
• Shipyards
• Retail groceries

These different industry-specific guidelines are created to solve ergonomic workplace challenges and are also applicable to various other industries.

The OSHA's ergonomic plan includes:

1. Support provided by the management: Management sets objectives for the ergonomic process and provides resources to implement the same.

2. Involvement of the employees: Employees can share their suggestions and also participate in   ergonomic task groups. The participation of employees helps employers improve the system by hearing out and integrating employee feedback into the ergonomic development process.

3. Ergonomic training: Employees receive sufficient training to recognize and prevent ergonomic hazards.  .

4. Identified problems: Employee survey, injury and illness data review, and job analysis all help to identify potential ergonomic risk factors. It was observed that there are five general factors which may lead to musculoskeletal disorders:

• Force: Exerting extreme physical effort (such as pushing, pulling heavy lifting etc) to perform a task.
• Repetition: Performing the same motion repeatedly and extensively.
• Awkward postures: Any unnatural position that puts stress on the body when done excessively such as bending to the side or forward, kneeling or twisting etc. In fact, maintaining any position (lack of movement) for a period of time may put extensive stress on one’s body, whether or not the position is awkward.
• Contact stress: Pressing a part of the body against any sharp or hard end. For instance, leaning your forearm against the edge of a table or similar item or using the hand as a hammer causes pain, amplified sensitivity to cold and reduced sensitivity to touch in hands, fingers and arms.
• Vibration: Vibrating tools like grills, grinders, sanders, chippers or reciprocating saws may cause injury to joints.

5. Injuries observed: Quick response towards symptoms or concerns reports and proper medical management whenever required.

6. The ultimate solution: Using different types of equipment, improving work practices and procedures.

Though OSHA cannot force any company to implement ergonomic standards, all employers have a common accountability to save their workers from any kind of work-related hazards that may cause severe injury. This is why OSHA expects each workplace or job site that is vulnerable to ergonomic hazards take necessary action in order to reduce the hazards and protect their workers.  

A great many employers today have slowly come to realize that the layout of the modern workplace may cause an unusual type of stress on the human body. Even if we continue doing a simple task comfortably for more than a decade, an unsuitable work environment can lead to various muscle strain and injuries causing costly, long-term disability. After conducting numerous research and studies, researchers have discovered a perfect balance between our body and our work environment through the assistance of ergonomics.

According to the US Department of Labor - Occupational Safety & Health Administration, ergonomics must be learned and applied by all those individuals whose day to day tasks in their place of work involve: 

• Extreme vibration or excessive temperatures in the place of work
• Lifting heavy objects
• Performing the same movement constantly for an extensive period
• Remaining in an uncomfortable or inactive posture for a prolonged period
• Using extreme effort to execute a particular task

The Six Body Parts Involved in the Science of Ergonomics 

1. Neck: Keeping a certain posture for a period of time can put stress on your neck. For instance, during long phone conversations, it is recommended to use a speakerphone, or switch the handset from one hand to the other to prevent neck soreness. If you are using a laptop, make sure to use a   well-designed laptop stand as well so as not to put strain on the back of your neck.

2. Back: You should ensure that your lower back is always supported. This is one of the major reasons why having an office chair with effective lumbar support chair is absolutely necessary. Sitting for long periods without any support will definitely cause stress on your backbone.

3. Fingers, Hands and Wrists: You should always use ergonomically sound movements to avoid any excessive strain or injury on your fingers, hands and wrists. In fact, it is advisable to use shortcut keys on the keyboard rather than using the mouse in the same motion for a prolonged period. A compact ergonomic keyboard with a good layout and multimedia keys will keep you from excessive keying and its small footprint will prevent you from having to extend your arm to the side unnecessarily.

4. Shoulders: To prevent shoulder strain, make sure to keep your shoulders relaxed when working.  Use an ergonomically designed keyboard tray to ensure you are not hunched over when typing or mousing and are also maximizing use of the support your chair provides for your lower back. Fitness gurus also suggest simple stretching exercises to relax the muscles of your shoulder during recommended in-between stretch breaks.

5. Feet and Ankles:  Standing on your feet for too long, or placing too much stress on one foot especially if you are overweight may strain the muscles of your feet and ankles. This is why you must as much as possible keep your weight under control. In addition, you must learn to spread your body weight equally on both legs. Even when seated, make sure that your weight is balanced on both legs to prevent stress. A good footrest provides great support for the legs and feet and eases pressure on the lower back when sitting. The rocking motion it provides also promotes good blood circulation in the legs.

6. Pelvis and Hips: If your task requires you to stand for the most part of the day, a strain to your pelvis and hips may occur. In such cases, you need to shift your weight alternating between your right and left leg. This will temporarily relieve the stress. Also try to take short breaks at regular intervals and sit down to relax your muscles. Certain chairs offer flexible standing support and those with a saddle shaped seat not only promote comfort and good posture, but also prevent you from sliding off.    

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a physical disorder that occurs when the median nerve in your wrist is repeatedly strained. The symptoms include numbness, shooting pains in the hands and wrist and eventually weakness. Some may even feel pain upon gripping, or a tingling sensation when the wrist is tapped. Such pains often increase at night, especially if the wrists get bent during sleep.

This type of repetitive strain injury or RSI is most commonly associated with people who need to work on a computer for most of their workday. These people need to use the computer keyboard and mouse for prolonged periods and have to repeat certain awkward hand movements numerous times throughout the day. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome though can also be caused by overdoing other activities that require unnatural and awkward repetitive motions of the hand and wrist such as assembly line work, sewing, meatpacking, etc.

Nutritional imbalances too such as a deficiency in vitamin B6, calcium and magnesium can worsen the effects of carpal tunnel syndrome. Fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables must be taken on a regular basis. In addition, consuming foods that are too sugary or salty must be avoided. Foods containing refined carbohydrates are also harmful for people suffering from such disorders.

Nutritional supplements are also recommended to be taken on a regular basis. Apart from helping you to stay in great shape, these mineral and vitamin supplements help you to treat muscle pains. Vitamin B6 and Omega 3 fatty acids/ DHA fish oil are a couple of nutritional supplements that must be taken regularly.

There are some herbs like boswellia, turmeric and ginkgo biloba that are also good for treating carpal tunnel syndrome. In addition, it would be beneficial to detoxify your body. Drink lots of water regularly. Water helps to remove the toxins from your body which often causes tissue irritation. Another home based remedy for detoxifying your body is to drink lukewarm water mixed with lemon and honey every morning.

Regular exercise will also help in detoxifying your body. Exercises like swimming, cycling, and stretching are advisable. Yoga and breathing exercises are also recommended. Also remember to take short breaks in between your work and stretch your hands, neck, wrists and legs.

If you are suffering from muscle injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome, it may also mean that your workstation requires some serious adjustments. You need to make yourself feel more comfortable while working. If you work long hours in front of the computer, make use of an ergonomic keyboard and an ergonomic mouse as these accessories focus on the natural positioning of your wrist and arms and prevent awkward movements. It is also advisable to opt for chairs that come with proper back, neck and forearm support. 

Notebooks are quickly replacing desktops. They are portable, easy to carry, and can be stored conveniently. Working on notebooks for prolonged periods though can affect your health adversely. You may feel numbness or severe pain in your arms, wrists, hands, shoulders, neck or upper back. Worse than that, it may even cause chronic physical disorders like repetitive strain injury or carpal tunnel syndrome.

In general, your notebook must be placed in such a way that the top of the screen is at eye height or just below. You must also avoid the habit of leaning your head forward while working. This usually puts strain on your neck as well as on your eyes. Proper positioning of your notebook is thus extremely necessary for avoiding neck pain and possible injury.

Ergonomic notebook stands are specially designed to meet your basic requirements of comfort and ease while working.  Apart from reducing tension in your neck, a notebook stand can provide an easy, effective and secure way to use laptops or notebooks even with limited desk space. It enables you to adjust the height of your notebook monitor to make your work comfortable. Being lightweight and portable, you can carry these ergonomic notebook stands wherever you go. Together with an external keyboard and a mouse, you can create an ergonomic workstation anytime, anywhere. 

Aside from the health and comfort benefits, ergonomic notebook stands also help to protect your notebook or laptop. Many people have the habit of using their laptops in bed, on the sofa, or on a carpeted floor. Such habits not only lead to neck and other muscle injuries, but can also affect the health of your computer. The cooling fans of laptops are quite small and using them on such surfaces can overwork these cooling fans. This can burn out the CPU of the notebook over time. Ergonomic notebook stands improve the air circulation of your notebook and also prevent overheating. 

There are many companies out there offering notebook stands at very low prices.  You pay good money for a high quality notebook. What you need is a high quality ergonomic notebook stand that protects not only your health but also your notebook.  Getting a durable and well-designed ergonomic notebook stand will ensure that it will not collapse or fall apart and damage your computer after a few uses.  Some high quality notebook stands come with added features to further ensure your comfort and effectivity. The award-winning BakkerElkhuizen Ergo-Q 260 Notebook Stand, for example, comes with a patented in-line document holder that keeps you from having to twist your neck constantly to view documents. It is made of aircraft aluminum which makes it extremely lightweight yet very durable. The Goldtouch Go! Travel Notebook Stand, on the other hand, is designed for use by both adults and children.  Its neoprene cover also converts into a mouse pad.  The BakkerElkhuizen FlexTop Notebook Stand can actually be attached to your notebook and weighs only 380 grams.

So get your ergonomic notebook stand today to keep you healthy and productive at work and say goodbye to painful neck, shoulder and eye strain.

StretchPro 1.0, a fitness application introduced by the woman-owned business enterprise Fountainhead International Group LLC, is specially designed to ease the work associated pains from head to toe with stretches. This application for video-guided stretching is designed for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. StretchPro is developed by Appiction and includes 20 video demonstrations that show the proper way to exercise the shoulder, wrists, chest, eyes, fingers, neck, back, and legs. With this application, you can either focus on one particular area of your body or play the complete video in shuffle mode. It is a great way to avoid the strain of sitting for the whole day in an office chair.

The fitness gurus from all the across the world prescribe stretching as an important part of your daily exercise routine. It not only increases flexibility and blood circulation, but also helps to reduce stress and promote better concentration power. And StretchPro 1.0 also includes breathing exercises to improve your lifestyle. In addition, this iPhone application provides fitness tips throughout the day to help you to stay healthy.

Fountainhead is well known for providing quality ergonomic solutions to improve the office-work condition. In fact, they are considered as the industry leader for providing ergonomic furniture and other office equipment. StretchPro, like all the other ergonomic furniture provided by Fountainhead, will hold your attention with its highest technical quality. The studio produced videos are shot with a gorgeous female model. An elegant white background has been used so as to enhance your ability to comply with these instructions. In addition, side views are available for certain exercises in order to ensure their proper execution.

Better yet, you don’t have to feel frustrated while navigating through its menus. The task has been made easier with its simple touch screen interface. Whenever you touch the graphic of the female model, it produces animated waves that invite you to watch the videos related to the particular part of the body. Instructions are given in voiceover by a female and are very easy to understand. Apart from video demonstration, you can avail all these instruction in text form. 

The animated corporate logo of StretchPro 1.0 comes with the tag “style meets ergonomics”. And this tagline truly justifies the iPhone application. It will not only support the iPhone OS 4, you can even schedule push reminders in your new gadget in order to take a stretch break. In fact, this is considered as one of the top features of this application.

While summing up, the StretchPro 1.0 of Fountainhead comes with a number of advantages. As already mentioned, it provides balanced stretching programs for all the major areas of your body. These programs are specially designed so as to benefit people of all ages and are helpful enough to prevent injuries and relieve your stress. Since the instructions are available in both video and text format, you can use them anywhere without interrupting others. So if you are one of those who spend most of the part of their time seated, get the StretchPro 1.0 and take your stretch break for staying healthy. 

Fountainhead International Group LLC, the industry leader for providing ergonomic solutions, offers ergonomic laptop station that can reduce the strain on the neck and increase productivity. An ergonomic laptop station is a notebook stand that allows you to use external keyboard/ mouse. A study was conducted in 2002 to determine the benefits of using ergonomic products. Karin Hendriksson-Larsén, Anna Lindblad Berkhout, and Paulien Bongers, Umeå University, Sweden, 2002, and TNO Work and Employment, The Netherlands, conducted the study to confirm whether or not using laptop station can help to reduce the mechanical load on the neck. This study also helped to assess how laptop station can increases productivity of an individual. The effect of using ergonomic laptop station was compared to the effects of using a simple laptop PC to verify the differences between these two test conditions.

This study was conducted on 10 healthy male students at the Umeå University, Sweden. Each one of them had worked on PC for around 10 years and had laptop PC work experience of 18 months on an average. The research was divided into two parts. They had to work at the ErgoQ laptop station for 4 hours as well as at a conventional laptop PC for another 4 hours. This research was scheduled on two consecutive days. The subjects used same sitting position for both the tests and were allowed to tilt the monitor according to their preference. With a standard laptop PC the average laptop screen tilt was 27­ degree while it was only 11 degree with a laptop station. This proved that people can work more comfortably while using a laptop station.

Photographs were taken for some biomechanical analysis in order to calculate the mechanical pressure at neck. This mechanical pressure helped to examine the strain on the neck in both the test condition. And it was observed the strain was much lesser with a laptop station.

During this study difference in productivity was also measured. The subjects were asked to enter some text and numbers in Microsoft Word in both their test situations. This test was to be completed within 10 minutes and the entries must be as accurate as possible within the given timeframe. And here too, it was observed that both the speed and the rate of accuracy were higher with a laptop station.

Overall, the result of the study confirmed that by using laptop station 32% of the mechanical pressure at the neck level can be decreased. It was also proved that using a laptop holder provides 21% higher comfort score and 17% greater productivity score, which can indeed create a significant difference in a company’s overall performance. Thus, the study concluded that it is possible to improve productivity by reducing the strain on the neck with the help of a laptop station.

Fountainhead International LLC, a certified woman-owned business enterprise offers ErgoQ laptop station and other ergonomic and adjustable work tools to help to meet an individual’s need during continuous VDT work at special promotional prices. The company also offers advices from in-house certified ergonomist. This Austin, Texas based company offers ergonomic solutions in a smart way to improve your productivity. In terms of design and functionality, Fountainhead International offers the highest standards available in the market.