The term ergonomic office is no longer just a catchphrase on the lips of the trendy. Ergonomic office standards have even been implemented in some US Governement offices. Ergonomic office products are now being sold both to individuals for home offices as well as to companies for their offices. But what is it that makes ergonomic office products so special?

Ergonomics is basically the science of design that is tailored to fit the requirements of a human and the task they need to perform. For example, many people have to sit for many hours a day, which can cause pain when sitting in a bad posture. Therefore, it is important to design the chair so that it supports the body well. As many doctors and chiropractors have stated, most of the pain experienced by office workers was due to badly designed products and misalignment of good posture.

Perhaps the most vivid example of an ailment caused directly by office work is Carpal Tunnel syndrome. Carpal Tunnel is one of the most common ailments reported by people who spend most of their day working with a keyboard and monitor. The repetitive motion of typing while the hands are not properly aligned and positioned causes the tendons in the wrists to become inflamed and painful. Carpal Tunnel can become a chronic condition if not dealt with, and a slew of cases from the 90’s nearly overwhelmed the medical community.

Carpal Tunnel was a new ailment, brought in by the rise in computer related jobs. It was mostly common among secretaries and programmers all through the 80’s and 90’s. The ergonomic keyboard first appeared on the market in the mid 90’s and was popularized by Microsoft. A new, revolutionary design tilted the keyboard body in a V shaped angle, thus enabling fingers to reach keys more easily and with less stress to the wrists. Relief, or at least the first wave of it, had arrived.

As technology and design advanced, a new generation of ergonomic keyboards appeared, improving the original model. Adjustable keyboards became the rage, allowing the user to adjust the keyboard at exactly the right angle for them. Other ergonomic keyboards included a built-in trackball, fully separated keyboards, and other gadgets and designs.

The ergonomic mouse was introduced soon after the keyboard. The normal, everyday mouse is as hard on the wrist as is the normal keyboard. The ergonomic mouse shfits the angle they are held in, providing the maximum possible support for the wrist and hand. This can dramatically lower the possibility of having Carpal Tunnel. Although the ergonomic mouse can look somewhat absurdly designed, it does deliver one great benefit: it is much more comfortable once you get used to it. Design ranges from mouse boxes to upright mice.

However, other ailments were directly related to computer use, and as computers become more prevalent in offices and at home, they began to rise. Neck and shoulder pain was especially bothersome to many people who spent hours in front of a computer monitor. Their desk wasn’t adjustable, nor was the monitor positioned in the correct angle. Office administrators overlooked the basic adjustment of the computer monitor and many people suffered.

Adjustable computer monitors with ergonomic design solved some of the problem. Monitor risers replaced telephone books when people wished to adjust the angle in which they viewed their monitors. Since many of them had a down-slope, they were much more effective than the telephone books. Laptop stands of all kinds helped people all over the world avoid the stress inflicted on the body by leaning into a laptop. Monitor stackers lifted monitors above the desk to gain a better angle, and once flat screen monitors appeared on the market, so did Flat Screen arms that could be adjusted perfectly for each individual.

The monitor glare headache is possibly the most wide-spread and least talked about ailment. Human eyes are drastically affected by the constant high-speed flickering of monitors. The glare and flickering are much harder on the eyes than paper, making reading from a monitor doubly fatiguing for the eyes. This, of course, can cause headaches and migranes.

Glare monitors were developed in the early 90’s to reduce these headaches and have come a long way since then. A good anti-glare product should obviously reduce the glare from the screen. It should also sharpen the monitor image by reducing visible flickering, thus reducing eye fatigue and headaches.

There are, however, ways to avoid the ailments that are inflicted upon the computer generation, even though our lives revolve around these machines nowadays. Using ergonomic chairs, adjustable desks, as well as the multitude of other products that employ computer ergonomics can literally be a life-saver for all those cursed with the aches and pains associated with any computer job. Whether you work in an office or have a home office, make it an ergonomic office. Your entire body will thank you, and may even give you a standing ovation!