Ergonomic Links Roundup: August 15, 2012

We are fortunate enough to truly love what we do. Part of that passion means following what people are talking about around the web in terms of ergonomics, adjustable-height desks, and other healthy working topics. Below are links to some of the things we're thinking about this week:Freud's office chair looks a bit like the HAG Capisco

• The most widely circulated link this week was the Chicago Tribune's piece on the switch one Groupon employee has made to a standing desk. The link includes a video that shows how the employee works and how it's changed the way he feels at the end of the day.

• Julie Deardorff, the author of the article linked above, followed up her piece with a reflection on the difficulties of writing while sitting down. She now feels compelled to stand whenever possible after noticing how uncomfortable it can be to sit all day.

• A thoughtful client sent us this link to a BBC article that highlights Sigmund Freud's office chair. The email suggested it looked a bit like one of our favorite chair options. 

• Standing isn't just for office workers anymore. Kirk Hamilton talks about a new way to play video games over at Kotaku. He explains:

It's not every day you discover a whole new way to play video games. Yet over the past month, I've done just that—I've found a way to play games that makes me feel better, more alert, healthier, and more involved. How have I accomplished this? I've started playing video games while standing up.

• Our intention is never to scare you into healthy working, but this article caught our attention: 7 Signs your Home Office is Slowly Killing You. The article looks at some of the common problems people face working from a home office, and more importantly links to ways to combat some of these issues.

Standing Desk User Review

Dave Hamilton of incredibly popular Mac Observer's Mac Geek Gab podcast decided to give a sit-stand desk a try. He had rigged his own version, but wanted something that would allow him to move from sitting to standing with ease. Here's what he started with:

From TMO blog:

Dave decided late last year to switch to a standing desk setup. He was unsure about wanting to stand full time so he purchased the Ergo Depot Medium Duty Adjustable Height Desk, which is motorized to allow the user to change from standing to sitting-level heights. Although it took him a few days to get used to it, Dave now loves standing while he works and has only lowered the desk to sit four times since he received it.

Despite not sitting very often, Dave still recommends an adjustable height desk for users interested in this method of working. With a regular desk, a user can simply adjust the height of their chair to reach a comfortable and ergonomic position. That’s not possible with a standing desk so if you are particularly short or tall, you’ll want to make sure the desk can be adjusted to the proper height.

Dave's desk, formerly known as the Medium Duty desk, is our AD117 frame paired with the large cutout top:

This combination offers plenty of space for all of the things you need close at hand and stable enough that you trust the desk to lift valuables like a couple of iMacs and an iPad.

We love seeing our desks in use. If you have some photos of your setup, please send them over for us to feature here on the blog. And of course, if you are a fan of Apple check out Dave's podcast.

Selecting a Sit-Stand Desk: Standing Elbow Height

There are many things people take into consideration when switching to an adjustable-height desk. How does it adjust? What’s the lifting capacity? How high does it go?

The last question might not seem as important as the first two, but a desk that isn’t tall enough can make the difference between ergonomic and not.

Luckily, it’s pretty straightforward to determine how high you need your desk to raise. We call this measurement: Standing Elbow Height. Nothing fancy, just a clear measurement to make sure your decision is the right one.

As we discussed last week, one of the key components to an ergonomic workstation is the neutral reach zone. If your work surface is too low you’ll likely spend time reaching and straining at the shoulders, rather than resting comfortably with your arms parallel to the ground.

Our desks are in the 45” - 53” height range which works for the vast majority of clients. People over 6’2” would want to take a look at something like the Adjustable Desk 129 model, as it raises to an industry-leading 53”. That probably wouldn’t be necessary for many of you, but but if you are planning to use the desk with something like a treadmill (more on this idea coming soon—hint, we’re not convinced it contributes to healthy working) you’ll need something that moves taller than some of the other options out there.

If the desk you are interested in is right on the edge of not being tall enough for you, think about adding casters (if available) to get another 2 - 3” of height.

Click here for a very quick video on how our desks adjust to standing elbow height.