Maintaining Posture While Working

    Whether you are working from home or working from the office, posture is something that almost all of us can improve upon. It is easy to catch yourself slowly slouching over towards your chair and computer throughout the day. Setting up your workspace correctly can help to prevent some overuse injuries, and can also be helpful in preventing poor posture. 
In an ideal workspace:

• Elbows are bent to 90* with your forearms resting on the desk
• Computer screen is at eye level or just below eye level
• Your eyes are approximately 18-24 inches away from the screen 
• Chair height is adjusted to have hips and knees bent to 90*  with feet resting flat on the floor

It can sometimes be impossible to have the workspace set up this exact way, but usually with some creative thinking you can get pretty close. 
Here are some examples: 

• If your desk isn't adjustable, and having your elbows in line with your desk requires your feet to be off the floor, try placing a book or small stool under your feet to maintain the correct hip and knee alignment. 
• If your monitor sits below eye level, causing you to lean your head forward to look at the screen, try placing some books or a box under the monitor to bring the screen to eye level. 

These are just a few simple examples, but there are many ways to adjust your workspace to help yourself maintain posture and good, body-friendly ergonomics throughout your day. 
    Along with posture and an ergonomic work setting, it is important to get up every once in a while to make sure you aren't sitting for too long. Many people benefit from setting an alarm for once each hour. When your alarm goes off, stand up and walk around the office. If that isn't possible, stand up and sit down 5-10 times. Then, squeeze your shoulder blades back and together 10 times. When you sit back down, check in that you are sitting upright and not slouching!
I hope these suggestions help you to make sure that your workspace is set up correctly and that you are doing a check-in with your posture throughout the day!
From all of us at High Desert Physical Therapy, Stay safe, healthy, and active! 
Kimberly  Taylor PT, DPT

References:
1. http://ergonomictrends.com/creating-perfect-ergonomic-workspace-ultimate-guide/