Key Sitting Posture Strategies:
We’ve put together some fundamental principles to remember when you’re sitting at a desk which will help you to reduce strain on your joints and muscles:
Chair Setup
Chair Setup
- Your feet should rest comfortably on the floor. Use a footrest or a small stool to help if this is a challenge.
- Keep your knees level with your hips.
- Scoot your bum to the back of the chair and keep your natural low back curve. Use a cushion or a small towel to help if your seat doesn’t have lumbar support.
- Keep your mouse within easy reach of your keyboard.
- Ensure that your wrists are in a natural and comfortable position. If needed, use a wrist support to give your wrists a break, but remember this support should only be used during a break and not while actively typing.
- When typing, keep your wrists relaxed and avoid bending your wrists out to the side.
- Elbows should stay at a right angle (90°) and can be supported by resting on the desk or on the armrests of your chair.
- Use a monitor arm or mount to adjust the height of the monitor correctly so it is at eye level
- Maintain a slight chin tuck position to help maintain good neck alignment.
- Avoid having your monitor off to the side, but swivel your chair to look at your material.

Telephone Use
Office Supplies:
- Use a headset rather than cradling the phone between your head, neck and shoulder. This cradling can overwork these muscles, resulting in headaches and muscle strain.
Office Supplies:
- Keep the telephone, stapler and other supplies close to your body to limit overreaching or stretching.
- If a file or object is out of reach, stand up to grab them. Standing up will help to avoid unnecessary strain.