71–80 of 88 posts
Older people who move around have half the mortality rate of their peers. Well that proves something. No chance of mixing up causation there.
I assume that's sarcasm?
If you have assorted health issues you may also not be inclined to move around much. The "not moving much" may be the result of other health issues, not the cause of them.
I use a big inflated ball that sits on a base with coasters. I've seen some with back support, but mine doesn't. It forces you to keep some weight on your legs, like the perching mentioned in the article. But it has an additional benefit: you can't help but bounce a little bit. You're body's not designed to remain static for long. Overall, I feel less lethargic and less prone to neck and shoulder pain. Most people ha…
That's my problem with all these chair discussions. I don't have a problem buying a chair that works great, or a chair that doesn't "look like a chair" (as the article mentions), but I do have a problem dropping $800 on a chair sight unseen.
I'd have that problem no matter what, but being 6 foot 4 inches (aka "99th percentile height", or at least I've seen one source place that as the 99th percentile cutoff) really doesn't help. The probability of spending $800 on a chair that simply doesn't go high enough is too large. But I have no idea how to try a wide variety of chairs out for any reasonable period of time.
After so many articles and discussions like this one here and reading about iclubby and emperor workstation, I took the task to my hands. Couple of days back, I hacked together a good reclining chair that is a lot comfortable then sitting. I wrote a quick mail with images here. http://anil-bkdsb.posterous.com/my-work-station-1
One's head and neck are pushed slightly more forward than normal and don't have their normal degrees of freedom; this causes some stiffness over time.
One can sometimes "flip up" one's elbows to rest on the armrests, as when reading, or resting. Over time, this tends to "bang" them against the armrests, which can really hurt the ulnar nerve, which is unprotected on the "backside" (upper portion) of the elbow.
If the chair has a fixed angle at the knees, you'll need to get up from time to time and walk around--or at least, I did. The fixed angle prevents the lower back from moving around much and doesn't allow one to "stretch" out.
It's tough to keyboard comfortably in a reclining chair. One ends up disproportionally compensating for poor ergonomics with one's chest muscles. In addition, your shoulders tend to roll forward. Either of these can cause thoracic outlet syndrome over time, which is like carpal tunnel syndrome, only it affects your entire arm.
It is for these reasons that I switched to a standing desk, where my body can move the way it was designed to. Keyboarding is still an issue, but if you buy a split keyboard Datahand you can mount each half near your hips and keep your shoulders back.
I don't know why every chair has wheels. I hate chairs with wheels. Every office I've been to, I end up sitting on one leg, the other stretched out. And I can't push my feet against the wall and lean back because of the blasted wheels! But when I go home to my beloved $20 chair with no wheels, no armrests, and only lower back support, I feel great.
Sit in any any regular chair, and don't lean back. Simple, similar to the "stool perch" recommendation, free and universally available.
Get a treadmill desk: http://frog.posterous.com/the-treadmill-desk-returns
I've been thinking of setting up a standing work environment. Anyone have articles or recommendations for setting one up?
After estimating the height I needed to raise my desk, I bought some cinder blocks and pavers from Home Depot for about $10 and just put them under my desk legs. I used some old books to prop up my monitors, but blocks of printer paper work well too. An anti-fatigue mat is an excellent investment, but even with that be prepared for a few weeks of achy feet/legs. You get used to it eventually, but man, it feels nice t…
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00115992
This can be setup with the desk surface at standing height. The smaller shelves become under-desk storage or monitor stands.
There is also a wider model of the same desk that currently goes for $159.
I am going to share my experience, hopefully this will help someone: about 3 1/2 years ago, I went through a brief period of long hours at my desk (I had just previously had a hiking accident, dislocated shoulder, broke bones, and found that a period of long-hours and hard work took my mind off of recovering from shoulder surgery). During this brief period I developed blood clots in one leg from sitting too long, and…
I also recommend a timer. I use water for my timer - drink lots and keeps you going to the bathroom often. Unfortunately, this isn't good for solving hard problems that involve much concentration, but my back often needs a break.