The Ups and Downs of Armrests
Thanks for the feedback about the blog entry “Sitting ‘Just Right’ at your Desk.” You’ve had questions about ARMRESTS. Do armrests take the strain off your shoulders and upper back muscles or do they cause other problems?
Arm rests are not a permanent part of the chair – they can be unscrewed. Should you remove your armrests?
If you’re working at a computer and your armrests don’t fit – take them OFF. Armrests are either too high so you can’t pull the chair under the desk – your arms have to stretch too far forward to reach your keyboard or mouse or phone.
Or the armrests are too low and you lean to one side so you rest your elbow on the chair. Too high or too low, the crooked posture puts strain on your back, neck and shoulders.
No matter how expensive and “ergonomically friendly” – your chair and your accessories can only do so much – you have to aware of how you sit. Re-read the Sitting “Just Right” at your Desk blog.