How Should I Sit?

Dr Scott Bevz

Over the past 50 years there has been a shift in the way we use our bodies. We're working smarter, not harder - especially as adults. Our children are encouraged to pursue a healthy and active lifestyle while going through school but for most of us, when high school ends, so too do our sporting pursuits.

​By the time we've sat down to eat, driven to work, sat down at work all day and sat down some more to watch Netflix, we can be sitting down for just about every waking moment of our adult life! This shift in the way we use our bodies has led to an increase in sitting-related musculo-skeletal conditions. Furthermore, studies have suggested that prolonged sitting is a risk factor for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, even if we exercise. So what can we do?

​This is a question that pops up almost everyday - how should I be sitting at work? What is the ideal work posture? After reviewing the literature, and having our lovely receptionist Catherine snap some photos, I can safely say that I am not leading by example.

Looking at the photos above, we can see that either my stool is too high or my desk is too low. So I pinched the receptionists chair for a much more comfortable set-up, which can be seen in the photo below.

Even with the ideal desk/chair set-up, no posture, no matter how good can be maintained for more than 15-20 minutes before small adjustments will be required. For this reason, mixed tasks involving sitting, standing and moving around are required to maximise comfort and minimise the risk of musculo-skeletal injuries and decrease the risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Give yourself a postural break, grab a colleague and snap a photo to see how your work posture really looks.

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Work Desk Posture:

• ​Elbows and forearms should be level with the desk
• Head should be able to be held erect
• Upper arms hanging freely
• Head, neck, scapula and thorax should be free to move
• The space available to sit in under the desk should allow the legs to be stretched out
• The space available to sit in should allow enough room so that the knees fit underneath the table
• The backs of the knees should be free from the front of the chair to reduce pressure on the soft tissues behind the knee
• Feet should be able to be placed on the floor to reduce pressure on soft tissues at the back of the thigh

Further reading:

1. Huysmans, M. A., et al. (2015). "Is Sitting Too Much Bad for Your Health?" Ergonomics in Design 23(3): 4-8.
2. van der Ploeg, H. P., Chey, T., Korda, R. J., Banks, E., & Bauman, A. (2012). Sitting time and all-cause mortality risk in 222 497 Australian adults. Archives of Internal Medicine, 172, 494– 500.
3. Hennfng, R. A., et al. (1989). "Microbreak length, performance, and stress in a data entry task." Ergonomics 32(7): 855-864.
4. McLean, L., et al. (2001). "Computer terminal work and the benefit of microbreaks." Applied Ergonomics 32(3): 225-237.
5. McPhee, B. (2005). Practical Ergonomics, Coal Services Health and Safety Trust.
6. O'Reilly, M., Finder, B., Werrell, MK. (2007). An Ergonomics Guide to Computer Workstations, AIHA Press. 
7. Department of Education Training and Employment (2013). Office Ergonomics - Guideline. Queensland Government: 1-15.​​