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Friday, February 26th, 2010 | Author: admin

We have all lived this story.  It’s been a long day at work, and we are tired.  Our back, neck, and feet hurt.  We come home and immediately slump down in our favorite chair in front of the television – and are surprised to find that our backs and necks hurt even more when we are ready to go to bed.

Why?  Because habitual slumped sitting creates more stress on the body, even though we think we are relaxing!  This is because our joints are compressed, which weakens the back muscles and causes chronic pain over time.

Sitting properly means sitting with our weight evenly distributed across our pelvic bones, with our spines lifted upwards.  With proper alignment, our joints are no longer in compression which creates chronic back pain over time.  And poor spinal health can cause vital nerves to become compressed, which can result in a whole host of physical illnesses that can manifest in seemingly unrelated ways.

An ergonomic seat and back support can help with this relearning process, by making it easier to sit properly AND making you more aware of your posture while sitting at work, at home, and in a car.  Having proper back support can strengthen your back muscles, relieve chronic neck and back pain, and give you an overall youthful and energetic appearance through better posture.

Frequent travelers are even more in need of being reeducated, as airline seats are small and flights are long.  Your back support can easily be taken along on that 15 hour flight to Europe – whereas you used to arrive exhausted, sitting properly can mean arriving in a much better state of comfort and health.

Sitting properly also means giving your muscles a break from time to time by getting up and moving around.  If you perform office work or sit at a desk all day, it is important to get up from time to time to stretch the muscles, and prevent sitting fatigue.  Getting up to get a glass of water will improve your health in other ways as well.  And yes, your seat support is a wonderful office companion, as it can be a measurable productivity booster.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.trucomfort.com as the original source).

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Category: General  | Leave a Comment
Thursday, February 18th, 2010 | Author: admin

While ergonomic desk chairs have consistently been one of the best posture and back support apparatuses on the market for the last 20 years, how do you know which type of ergonomic chair is best for your specific back care needs?  Ergonomic chairs have been used widely for years, to enhance productivity in the work place by accommodating to the specific health care needs that are evident when dealing with employees that sit at their desks for long periods of time.  To avoid work related back injuries, the ergonomic chair was created to not only support your back and spine, but improve your overall posture as well.  But what are the different types of ergonomic chairs, and how can you find the right one for you?

Studies have shown that the human body was not created to sit in one position for extended periods of time, and this can even be very dangerous to your overall back health in the short term, as well as down the line.  This is why, if you’re an individual who may have a job where you may find yourself sitting for extended periods of time, you may want to consider buying an ergonomic chair, or at least an ergonomic seat, for yourself.

Since ergonomic chairs are specifically designed to coincide with the body and the spine as it performs certain tasks, workers naturally undergo less stress on the body, while enjoying better posture as well.  On a managerial side, supplying ergonomic desk chairs can also increase employee productivity, increase employee healthiness and happiness, and even cut down on worker’s compensation cases down the line.  But what are the different types of ergonomic chairs, and can you really find one to suit your individual needs?

There are many different types of ergonomic desk chairs on the market today, but the three most popular are the Ergonomic Task Chair, the Ergonomic Kneeling Chair, and the High Back Ergonomic Office Chair.  Each one serves different specific functions and is suited to handle different individual needs.

The Ergonomic Task Chair is an ergonomic chair that helps individuals in repetitive movement oriented jobs, such as computer, or drafting and design work.  This chair is specifically designed to foster the best posture and back support, while being able to be adjusted to fit any size person.

The Ergonomic Kneeling Chair is specifically designed to reduce pressure from the seated area of the body, and transfer it to the lower part of the body.  This chair allows the user to sit upright while aligning the spine and reducing pressure on the neck, shoulders, and lumbar region.  The kneeling chair is specifically designed to allow movement while working, so as to relieve lumbar related stress caused by extensive desk related work.

The High Back Ergonomic Office Chair on the other hand is designed with more luxury in mind, while doing the same job as any standard ergonomic chair.  Many of these units may be made of leather and provide a larger seating area than normal ergonomic units.  They provide ample arm and head rests, great lumbar support, and are sometimes made with massaging and heating units already built in.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.trucomfort.com as the original source).

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Category: General  | One Comment
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 | Author: admin

As we all know, maintaining proper lumbar health is very important to the short term, and long term health of our back and spine.  Maintaining good spine health requires a maximum effort on your part, to not only be aware of your posture at all times, but be aware of your sitting positions as well.  And one of the best things you can do to correct your poor sitting posture is to buy an ergonomic seat.  Ergonomic seats have been used for decades to improve back and spine health, making a person more comfortable when sitting for long periods of time, and improving posture in the process.  But are all ergonomic seats equal, and what should you look for when deciding to buy one for yourself?

Ergonomic seats work by helping the body to naturally maintain a proper sitting position, without having to constantly be thinking of your posture, while extending comfort in the process.  A good ergonomic seat creates an almost effortless sitting environment, where you can sit for hours in one position, and not feel any stiffness or back pain.  A good ergonomic seat can boost individual morale in many circumstances, and may improve employee productivity as well.  But what exactly should you be looking for in an ergonomic seat, and how can you tell a good one from one that is poorly made?

First off, any good ergonomic seat should be adjustable.  The tilt tension of the chair, or the part of the chair that makes the chair move, should be always be adjustable to find the correct comfort level for you.  An ergonomic seat that is not adjustable could even cause more back pain to the individual if it is not properly adjusted.  Some chairs automatically adjust to the height and weight of the person, while others need to be adjusted manually.

The height of the seat, as well as the chair itself, should also be adjustable.  The height of the seat is usually adjusted by a pneumatic lift or a gas lift.  The height of the seat will be adjusted depending upon the exact height and weight of the person.  To adjust the height of the seat correctly, upon sitting down, your feet should be exactly flat on the floor.  The height of the arms of the chair should be adjustable as well.  The arms of the chair should always be level with the height of the desk or table your sitting at.  This helps to relieve stress while working at the computer, or doing other kinds of desk work.

Ergonomic desk chairs are great for back support, as well as proper lumbar health, but if the chair is not made to the right specifications, it can do more harm than good.  A good ergonomic chair should be effective in naturally fixing proper sitting positions, preventing lower back pain, and providing proper lumbar support at all times.  If you’re looking for an ergonomic seat for yourself, but it is not adjustable, and is in a one size fits all format, do not even think about buying it.  Everybody’s back support needs are different, and the one size fits all theory does not work when associated with lumbar theory.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.trucomfort.com as the original source).

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Category: General  | Leave a Comment
Thursday, January 28th, 2010 | Author: admin

Ergonomics deals with the design of jobs, tools, equipment, and environments to complement the abilities and limitations of the human body.  It has mainly focused on the workplace, however, school staff and students can also benefit from learning how to appropriately set up a computer workstation, the best backpack design and use, and how to adjust their posture during after school tasks.

Tips for students

-    At home and at school, adjust the computer workstation to a comfortable position

-    Take breaks every thirty minutes, move around and stretch

-    Do not overload your backpack; it should weigh up to 10 to 15% more than your weight

-    Establish a schedule to play computer games, and switch between games that allow you to use different controls so that your thumbs don’t get numb

-    If you have an after school job, avoid lifting, carrying, and working with your hands overhead, bending your back, and repeating movements

-    Ask your employer about the ergonomics principles they recommend

Tips for school staff

Teachers

-    Adjust the computer workstation to a comfortable position
-    Do not bend your back for a long time when working with the students, sit down or squat for short whiles

Custodians

-    Do not lift heavy mop buckets to pour into sinks, look for a floor drain and tip the bucket over, or get a bucket with a bottom emptier

Kitchen staff

-    Store heavy supplies on lower shelves
-    Open heavy boxes and put items away individually
-    Use carts to move pots, supplies, and other heavy objects

Librarians

-    Adjust the computer workstation to a comfortable position
-    Put books that are frequently requested on a cart near the front
-    Use the appropriate ladder or step to reach books on high shelves without straining your body

Administrators

-    Before buying furniture and equipment, determine the product’s use and research the available options to find the ones with the best ergonomic principles
-    Purchase appropriate back supports for the members of the staff who spends long hours sitting in front of a computer due to the demands of their jobs

There is no question about it; appropriate ergonomics will enhance school staff and students’ performance while at school, and even during after school activities, without mentioning the positive attitude it will bring into their work and lives due to the feeling of wellness that comes with improving ones general posture.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.trucomfort.com as the original source).

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