Armrests: How Low Can You Go?
Helpful Advice for Armrest Users
Don’t chairs just look great with big, luxurious armrests? What king would not want oversized, ornate armrests for his throne? As good as they may look, and as much as your garden variety king may find them imperative to maintaining his rule, they are Kryptonite to computer users.
In my 15+ years of experience in ergonomics and human factors, I have frequently run into the following postural issues and symptoms, most of which were directly related to overuse or inappropriate positioning of armrests:
- Tingling and/or numbness in the ring and pinky fingers caused by compression of the ulnar nerve in the elbow;
- An inability to sit close to the mouse and keyboard due to the chair armrests hitting the front edge of a keyboard tray or work surface;
- The need to repetitively reach awkwardly over an elevated chair armrest to access the mouse, placing the arm in a posture which may invite eventual discomfort;
These are common results of spending long hours on a computer in a chair with armrests that impede the use of low-risk postures. For heavy computer users, it is vital that the chair armrests be adjusted below the user’s seated elbow height. If this cannot occur, the armrests should be removed from the chair entirely. If removing the armrests is not possible, an alternative chair should be procured if an individual uses the computer for a significant percentage of the workday.
Why are chair arms necessary at all? They may give an individual the perception of seated stability, or even really help someone avoid falling out of the chair. Furthermore, chair arms can be used during short periods of non-computer activity, such as talking on the phone or speaking with someone in the office. As long as the use of chair arms is not of extensive duration or frequency throughout the day (as would be the case if someone were leaning on them during heavy periods of computer use), their use should not pose a significant overall risk. But the myriad of risk factors associated with leaning on armrests increase in potential severity over time as the duration of this posture increases. So avoid the royal temptation - be a king on the chessboard, not in the office!
Course by Dan Shafer, Occupational Therapist, Founder, VocSolution
