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Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues

ergo.human.cornell.edu

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Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues

#61

Post by billswift »

ars wrote: post #7
tluyben2 wrote: post #5

Everyone seems to use a standing desk to stand , I use a standing desk to walk . Standing still will definitely murder my back, while walking feels comfortable and natural. Long term effects might be bad, but sitting down just feels uncomfortable after a while, even on very good ergonomic chairs.

As the article says, it's hard to type while walking.

I don't actually walk, since a treadmill takes up too much space, but I do shallow side squats and similar exercises while working. I'm a bit hyperactive and found this helps me stay focused better. What you need to do to type easily while doing this is have your desk so that it supports your forearms solidly so your body's movement (and there always is some movement of your shoulders and upper arms when you move your legs) is not transmitted to your hands. I am not an especially fast typist though and someone who is may have a bit more trouble, or may be slowed somewhat.

Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues

#62

Post by StavrosK »

AlexC04 wrote: post #52
ramchip wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think he may have been saying this sarcastically.

I too thought he was being sarcastic, but then I noticed there was a complete lack of smilies and rejected the notion as absurd.

Wait, so, is that comment sarcastic? It has no smileys...

Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues

#63

Post by gwern »

zck wrote: post #60
jacobian wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Over the last couple of years I've been having a couple of problems at work: increasing lower back pain and decreasing attention span. I had no reason to assume either had anything to do with my desk: I, too, rock the Aeron and think it's comfy as heck. I've got my keyboard and monitor at the right height. I take breaks every 30-60 minutes and go walk around. Etc. But as the back pain kept getting worse, I finally de…

There have been studies done -- I can't find any on a quick search -- that show that changing a working habit makes them more productive. Then it tails off. Change the habit back, and they get another burst of productivity. So you may be right, and it's just because it's new. Or it may work for you.

Hawthorne effect.

Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues

#64

Post by saturdaysaint »

davedx wrote: post #6

Atkins diets and standing desks aren't going to fix more fundamental issues with a pervasively unhealthy culture.

This is a bit of a broadside against two really positive trends.

-The Atkins diet has some serious flaws (in short: not enough vegetables, not enough warning against harmful fats/oils/processing) but deserves real credit for the ongoing movement away from processed carbohydrates. He exposed the fallacy of associating dietary fat with body fat. He probably had more right than the 80's and 90's health establishment (that food pyramid was an abomination).

-The modern white-collar workplace is an absolutely bizarre environment for a species that's been without anything resembling a "building" for something like %99 of its history, let alone artificial light, computing metaphors or office chairs - experimentation with ergonomics and the whole enterprise of spending our waking hours indoors should be encouraged, not treated dismissively.

Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues

#67

Post by bh42222 »

In our field studies of sit-stand workstations we have found little evidence of widespread benefits and users only stand for very short-periods (15 minutes or less total per day). Other studies have found that the use of sit-stand stations rapidly declines so that after 1 month a majority of people are sitting all the time.

While this contradict my personal experience, I do trust the studies.

every 20 minutes stand for 2 minutes AND MOVE

I also believe this will no more work than sit-stand workstations. Every 20 minutes, walk to the water fountain or somewhere else for 2 minutes, will turn any large office into a non-stop walkathon. And just like people end up sitting all day with sit-stand desks, people will end up sitting all day with this setup.

I suppose employers could hardwire a loud buzzer to go off every 20 minutes, but I just don't see that happening on any large scale.

Personally I already stand for most of the day, two years after I switched to a sit-stand desk. But I could change from sitting to standing and back every 20 minutes without losing flow. I am not sure I could do it if I had to walk away form the keyboard, even just for 2 minutes. After the third or forth break, I'm guessing I would be out of the zone.

Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues

#68

Post by PakG1 »

cbr wrote: post #47
PakG1 wrote: post #30

I dislike it when articles make bizarre statements and take it for granted that the audience should accept it. Like: But, standing to work has long known to be problematic, it is more tiring, it dramatically increases the risks of carotid atherosclerosis (ninefold) because of the additional load on the circulatory system, and it also increases the risks of varicose veins, so standing all day is unhealthy. Where do th…

The slideshow appears to be an extended ad for an automatic foot massager.

Hehe, yeah, I realized that after I read through it. But I found the first couple of slides interesting. Maybe I should edit it out. But I did find the first few slides interesting.

Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues

#69

Post by tluyben2 »

danparsonson wrote: post #24
tluyben2 wrote: post #5

Everyone seems to use a standing desk to stand , I use a standing desk to walk . Standing still will definitely murder my back, while walking feels comfortable and natural. Long term effects might be bad, but sitting down just feels uncomfortable after a while, even on very good ergonomic chairs.

I've been wondering about something similar myself - do you walk the entire time you're working? If so, do you use a combination of a standing desk and a treadmill, or something similar? Do you find it tiring to do for 7-8 hours, and does it give you any other problems, e.g. with your feet?

Yes I walk the entire time and I don't find it tiring; I do tread lightly and walk on bear feet. I don't use a treadmill either; I walk in-place which is much (for me) less tiring than a treadmill which takes starting up and ending. In place walking (even on a WII board which counts what i'm doing) is very comfortable IMHO.

Re: Cornell Ergonomics Web finds standing desks present their own issues

#70

Post by m0th87 »

pointyhat wrote: post #13

I never quite understood the appeal of standing up all day. Having done a couple of jobs in my youth which involved standing up all day and spending 2 hours a day on a train standing up, I couldn't think of anything less appealing. I love my Aeron and so does my arse.

One of the few things I remember from my ergonomics class several years ago is the professor specifically citing Aeron chairs as terrible ergonomics-wise. His argument was that the less comfortable the chair, the better, as it forces you to constantly shift about to remain comfortable.
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