ERGONOMIC OFFICE WORKSTATION ADVICE
How to Sit Comfortably at Your Desk
If you spend most of your working day at a computer, it’s easy to find yourself gradually creeping forwards towards the screen, rounding your shoulders or sitting in the same position for hours.
By the end of the day, your neck may feel stiff, your shoulders tense or your lower back uncomfortable.
The answer isn’t to force yourself into one “perfect” posture all day.
A better approach is to set up your workstation so that your body is comfortably supported — and then change position regularly.
A few simple adjustments to your chair, screen, keyboard and working habits can make sitting at your desk considerably more comfortable.
✓ Chair & Desk Setup
✓ Screen Position
✓ Neck & Shoulder Advice
✓ Movement & Breaks
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START WITH YOUR WORKSTATION
Why Does Your Desk Setup Matter?
Most people don’t sit down at work and deliberately choose an uncomfortable position.
It happens gradually.
Your screen may be slightly too low. Your chair may be too far from the desk. Your mouse may be difficult to reach. You might spend hours working from a laptop or gradually slide forwards in your chair as the day goes on.
Individually, these things may seem minor.
But if you stay in the same position for a long time, you may start noticing tension or discomfort around your:
- Neck
- Shoulders
- Upper back
- Lower back
- Forearms
- Wrists and hands
The aim of a good workstation setup isn’t to hold your body rigidly in a supposedly perfect position.
It’s to make comfortable positions easy — and awkward positions less necessary.
Book Your First Session
60-SECOND DESK CHECK
QUICK WORKSTATION CHECK
Check Your Workstation Now
Before carrying on with your day, check these eight things:
1. CHAIR
Are you sitting back and using the backrest?
2. SHOULDERS
Can your shoulders remain relaxed while you type?
3. FEET
Are your feet comfortably supported?
4. SCREEN
Is it directly in front of you and approximately an arm’s length away?
5. SCREEN HEIGHT
Is the top of the screen around eye level?
6. KEYBOARD
Can you reach it without stretching forwards?
7. MOUSE
Is it close enough that your arm can remain relaxed?
8. MOVEMENT
When did you last get out of your chair?
How to correct your workstation
Step 1: Adjust Your Chair Before Anything Else
Don’t start by moving your computer. Start with yourself.
Sit back in your chair rather than perching on the front edge.
Your back should feel comfortably supported by the backrest, particularly around your lower back.
Then adjust the chair height so that your shoulders can remain relaxed while your forearms are approximately horizontal when you’re using your keyboard.
Check your feet.
Can you comfortably place them on the floor?
If raising your chair to the correct desk height leaves your feet dangling, a footrest may be useful.
Check your knees.
Your legs should feel comfortable rather than compressed against the underside of the desk.
Check your backrest.
Use it.
A surprisingly common habit is having a perfectly good supportive office chair and then spending the entire day leaning forwards away from it.
QUICK CHECK
Sit back → Relax your shoulders → Support your back → Feet comfortably supported.
Step 2: Put Your Screen in Front of You
Your monitor should normally be positioned directly in front of you, rather than permanently off to one side.
That reduces the need to spend long periods with your neck or trunk rotated.
As a useful starting point, position the screen approximately an arm’s length away.
The top of the display should be around eye level.
Then adjust it according to your eyesight, screen size and what feels comfortable.
Watch what your head does.
If you repeatedly find yourself moving your head forwards towards the screen, ask why.
Is the text too small?
Is the screen too far away?
Is glare making it difficult to read?
Do you need your eyesight checked?
Simply reminding yourself to “sit straight” won’t necessarily solve a workstation problem.
Step 3: Don’t Let the Laptop Dictate Your Posture
A laptop creates a compromise.
If the keyboard is in a comfortable position for your hands, the screen is usually relatively low.
If you raise the laptop so that the screen is more comfortable to view, its keyboard becomes too high to use comfortably.
For occasional short periods, that may not matter.
If you’re using a laptop as your main computer for prolonged office work, consider:
- Raising the laptop/screen
- Using a separate keyboard
- Using a separate mouse
That allows you to position the screen and your hands independently.
KEEP THINGS WITHIN REACH
Step 4: Bring Your Keyboard and Mouse to You
Your keyboard and mouse shouldn’t require you to spend the day reaching forwards.
Bring your chair reasonably close to the desk.
Keep your keyboard somewhere that allows your elbows to remain comfortably near your sides and your forearms approximately horizontal.
Place your mouse close to the keyboard rather than far away to one side.
Your wrists should feel comfortable rather than being continually bent upwards or sideways.
Think about everything else you repeatedly reach for.
Your phone.
Notebook.
Water.
Documents.
Anything you use frequently should generally be within comfortable reach.
If something isn’t, move your body rather than repeatedly stretching awkwardly from your chair.
THERE IS NO PERFECT POSTURE
Step 5: Stop Trying to Sit Perfectly for Eight Hours
This may be the most useful workstation advice on this page.
Your next posture is often more important than your “perfect” posture.
Even a comfortable sitting position can become uncomfortable if you stay there long enough. Ideally you will have a sit-stand desk.
Instead of trying to hold yourself upright and rigidly still all day:
- Sit back sometimes
- Change the position of your legs
- Stand up
- Walk to speak to a colleague
- Get some water
- Change tasks
- Take your hands away from the keyboard
- Move your shoulders
- Look away from your screen
The human body is designed to move.
Your workstation should support you while you’re sitting — but your working day should still contain movement.
BREAK UP STATIC SITTING
How Often Should You Move?
There isn’t a magic sitting position that makes movement unnecessary.
If you’ve been concentrating for a long period, it’s very easy to realise that you haven’t changed position for an hour or more.
Try to build movement naturally into your working day.
Rather than thinking only about formal “exercise breaks”, use ordinary opportunities:
Taking a phone call?
Stand up.
Need some water?
Walk to get it.
Speaking to somebody nearby?
Consider walking over rather than messaging.
Finished a task?
Use it as a reminder to change position.
Been staring at the screen for a while?
Take your hands away from the keyboard, look away and move.
Small, frequent changes can be easier to maintain than waiting until your neck or back is already uncomfortable.
1
Osteopathy
Osteopathy uses hands-on treatment alongside movement and exercise advice. Treatment may focus on improving comfortable movement through the neck, upper back and shoulders and reducing muscular and joint-related restrictions.
2
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy can combine treatment with specific exercises designed to improve movement, strength and confidence. Rehabilitation can be particularly useful for recurring neck problems or returning to work, exercise and sport.
3
Sports Massage
Sports massage may help when muscular tension and soft tissue discomfort around the neck, shoulders and upper back are contributing to symptoms.
4
Clinical Pilates
Clinical Pilates can help develop strength, movement control and body awareness.
Exercises can be adapted to your current symptoms and gradually progressed as movement becomes more comfortable.
5
Shiatsu
Shiatsu offers a broader hands-on approach that some people find relaxing and helpful when neck discomfort occurs alongside muscular tension and stress.
6
Tui Na
Tui Na uses traditional Chinese manual therapy techniques and may be used to work with muscular tension, stiffness and restricted movement around the neck and upper back.
What About Lower-Back Pain When Sitting?
If your lower back becomes uncomfortable at work, first look at how you’re using your chair.
Are you sitting back against the backrest?
Is your chair close enough to the desk?
Are your feet supported?
Do you gradually slide forwards and slump as the day goes on?
And importantly:
How long have you been sitting without moving?
A supportive chair can help, but buying an expensive “ergonomic” chair doesn’t remove the need to change position and move regularly.
The best chair in the office can’t move your body for you.
NECK & SHOULDER TENSION
Why Do My Neck and Shoulders Hurt at My Desk?
Desk work doesn’t automatically cause neck pain.
But spending long periods in a fixed or awkward position can contribute to discomfort in some people.
For example, you may notice that you:
- Gradually move your head towards the screen
- Lift your shoulders while typing
- Hold your mouse arm away from your body
- Work with your screen to one side
- Look down at a laptop for prolonged periods
- Hold your phone between your shoulder and ear
- Stay in one position for too long
- Become physically tense when concentrating or stressed
If your neck and shoulders start feeling tense during the working day, don’t just ask:
“Am I sitting straight?”
Also ask:
“How long have I been sitting like this?”
Book Your Assessment
COMMON WORKSTATION PROBLEMS
Are You Doing Any of These?
Laptop flat on the desk all day
This often encourages you to spend prolonged periods looking down.
Screen positioned to one side
Your neck and body may spend hours repeatedly turning towards it.
Mouse too far away
This can leave your arm continually reaching forwards or sideways.
Chair too far from the desk
You may compensate by leaning forwards.
Never using the backrest
Your chair can’t support you if you’re sitting several inches in front of it.
Feet dangling
If your chair needs to be raised for the desk, consider supporting your feet.
Working without breaks
A beautifully arranged workstation doesn’t compensate for spending hours without changing position.
Trying to maintain “perfect posture”
Sitting rigidly upright can become uncomfortable too.
Comfortable support + regular movement is a more useful goal.
Common Questions
Office Workstation FAQs
What is the correct sitting posture at a desk?
There isn’t one position you need to hold all day.
As a starting point, sit back so your chair supports you, keep your feet comfortably supported, relax your shoulders and arrange your keyboard so your forearms can be approximately horizontal.
How high should my computer screen be?
Sitting itself is not necessarily harmful, but remaining in one position for long periods can aggravate symptoms in some people. Changing position regularly and taking movement breaks throughout the day can often be useful.
Should I keep moving when I have neck pain?
A useful starting point is to have the top of your screen around eye level and the screen approximately an arm’s length away.
You may need to adjust this depending on your eyesight, screen size and individual needs.
Should my feet be flat on the floor?
Your feet should be comfortably supported.
If adjusting your chair to the appropriate desk height means your feet no longer reach the floor comfortably, a footrest may help.
Is sitting up completely straight best for my back?
You don’t need to force yourself into a rigid upright position.
Use the support provided by your chair and allow yourself to change position throughout the day.
Is a standing desk better?
Standing all day isn’t necessarily the solution to sitting all day.
The useful part of an adjustable sit–stand setup is that it can make it easier to vary your working position.
How often should I get up?
Rather than waiting for pain to remind you, build frequent changes of posture and activity into your working day.
Stand, walk or change task periodically rather than remaining in one static position for prolonged periods.
Can poor posture cause neck pain?
Desk posture can contribute to neck discomfort in some people, particularly when someone remains in an awkward or fixed position for prolonged periods.
But neck pain can have many causes, so persistent symptoms shouldn’t automatically be blamed on posture.
Do I need an expensive ergonomic chair?
Not necessarily.
Adjustability, support and whether the chair suits you and your workstation are more important than an “ergonomic” label.
And no chair removes the need to move.
Hot Desking?
Reset the Desk Every Time
If several people use the same workstation, don’t assume yesterday’s settings are suitable for you.
When you sit down:
- Adjust the chair height.
- Check the backrest.
- Move the screen.
- Bring the keyboard and mouse towards you.
- Make sure your feet are supported.
- Clear enough space for your legs.
It takes less than a minute once you’re used to doing it.
PERSISTENT PAIN
What If Changing My Desk Doesn’t Solve the Problem?
Not every episode of neck, shoulder or back pain is caused by your workstation.
And changing your chair or monitor won’t necessarily resolve an underlying musculoskeletal problem.
Consider seeking an appropriate assessment if your pain:
- Persists despite changing your working habits
- Is getting progressively worse
- Regularly interferes with work, sleep or normal activities
- Started following an injury
- Is accompanied by persistent numbness, tingling or weakness
- Concerns you for any other reason
Depending on your symptoms, physiotherapy, osteopathy or medical assessment may be appropriate.
STILL UNCOMFORTABLE AT YOUR DESK?
Is Neck or Back Pain Getting in the Way of Work?
Sometimes changing your workstation and moving more regularly is enough to make sitting at work considerably more comfortable.
Sometimes the problem persists.
If neck, shoulder or back pain is continuing to interfere with your working day, an assessment can help establish what may be contributing to your symptoms and what you can do next.
At London Osteopathy, our osteopaths and physiotherapists can assess musculoskeletal pain and provide advice appropriate to your individual situation.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
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