by June Campbell
You spend your day at a computer workstation or executive desk. The furniture
item fills up the corner of the room, holds your computer, fax/phone/copier, scanner,
filing basket and a year's worth of office supplies. There's enough space left
over to spread out a picnic lunch if you are so inclined. You settle comfortably
into a big executive type chair on casters and get ready to call a few colleagues
in for a meeting. As you wait, you talk into a telephone receiver that you're
squeezing in place by crunching your shoulder up towards your ear.
That scene is SO nineties, workplace experts tell us. The trend of the new century
is towards office furnishings and office equipment that encourage mobility. Get
rid of all that big, expensive office furniture before it kills you, they say.
Replace it with a smaller "just big enough" desk and equipment that encourages
you to move around as you do your job.
In other words, get rid of all that "convenience." Force yourself into healthy
action by making your environment inconvenient.
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In the first years of this new century, the health hazards associated with a desk
job have moved beyond conditions like repetitive strain disorder and carpal tunnel
syndrome. Not that we can forget about those conditions, but there's more to worry
about now.
e-thrombosis is a newly-recognized condition that afflicts people who sit still
for extended lengths of time. And, sitting still for extended periods of time
in the workplace is usually associated with computer use.
E-thrombosis (medical terminology is Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT) is similar to
the condition suffered by long distance air travelers. It's no laughing matter.
E-thrombosis can be life threatening. A blood clot forms in the legs due to long
hours of inactivity. The clot can break off and move into the lungs with sometimes
fatal results.
Although only one case has been diagnosed at this time, researchers believe that
e-thrombosis may have contributed to many cases of pulmonary embolisms, but gone
unnoticed.
Sitting still for hours on end leaves us vulnerable to this and possibly other
health hazards. And, according to physiotherapists, working out at the end of
the day isn't the solution. By that time, the damage has been done and the workout
could do more damage.
Prevention is not difficult. All that is required is that you move about regularly
throughout the day.
Get a desk that's just-big-enough, or an e-work station with movable modules.
Put that fax machine in one corner of the room and the copier in another. Provide
yourself with articulated arm rests for computer use. Get both an adjustable chair
and a fitness stool. Switch back and forth between the two, and at intervals throughout
the day, sit on a fitness ball instead of the chair or stool. Sitting on the ball
forces good posture and strengthens core muscles.
Have room so you can pace about as you think. Get a phone with a wireless headset
that allows you to pace during phone conversations. Have standup work surfaces
so you can sort papers, read reports or talk to colleagues while standing. Look
into foot switches that allow you to transfer some of the computer tasks to your
feet instead of your hands.
Walking around only five to ten minutes each hour is all that it takes. In short,
get moving! It's good for you.
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