. If you've ever experienced neck pain from spending hours
peering sideways at a monitor, shoulder pain from reaching
repetitively for an effects rack or back-ache from sitting
on a broken-down chair, you'll know the toll that poor ergonomic
design can take. These aches and pains, and more specific
problems such as tendonitis, tenosynovitis and frozen shoulder
are known as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and account
for more working days lost than any other cause.
The principles of ergonomics, which looks at the way we work
within our environment, can be used to design the layout of
your studio, in such a way as to minimise the risks of these
problems occurring.
The Bad News: Causes Of MSDs
There are many ways in which working in a home studio can
increase your risk of developing serious musculoskeletal disorders.
Poor Posture: Poor posture, such as sitting in a slumped
position with your head twisted to one sid
e to look at a monitor, results in straining of joints, overstretching
of some muscles and shortening of others. Unfortunately, you
can often feel entirely comfortable, but still be in a slumped
position. Similarly, correcting to an upright posture can
feel quite unnatural at first.
As well as your spinal posture, it is important to consider
the position of your arms and hands. Sitting at a keyboard
or work-surface that is too high for you (or on a chair that
is too low) results in the wrist being 'cocked' or extended
and the hands deviated towards the little fingers; both postures
that strain the muscles of the forearm.
Overstretching: Working with an outstretched arm, perhaps
reaching for a mouse or effects rack, is likely to cause problems
to the muscles and tendons in the shoulder. Using this posture
whilst slumping in your chair can result in the shoulder blade
sliding round the rib cage and 'winging' away from the body.
In addition, this position stretches the nerves running from
the spinal cord in the neck region to the fingers.
Long Hours: It's common for musicians to work for long hours
in a studio, often in a sitting position in front of a computer
monitor, using a mouse and keyboard. The longer you spend
in one position, the more important it is that you are using
a good posture. However, even with good posture, staying still
for too long results in sluggish circulation and a build-up
of toxins around muscles and nerves. Muscles working statically,
such as the shoulder muscles when reaching out to the side
for a keyboard or mouse, become tired more quickly than those
working to create movement. Sitting for a prolonged duration
means that the back muscles relax, and they are then easily
pulled if reaching for something or standing up quickly.
Repeated Movements: Working with a computer keyboard or mouse
often involves frequently repeated movements, which can present
a real risk of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) in the hands
and arms. However, the problems often arise not just from
repeating one particular action, but from combining this with
having the arm in an unsupported position for too long, which
requires muscles to work statically, and may stretch the nerves.
Stress: In workplaces, high levels of stress and MSDs often
go together. Feeling stressed leads to a physical tightening
of muscles and this may again result in reduced circulation,
a build up of toxins, and damage to nerves. Our posture often
worsens when we feel stressed; in particular we tend to lean
forward, hunch our shoulders and bring our chins down. All
these changes result in strain on muscles, especially those
of the neck and shoulders. Also, it is important to recognise
that even amateur studio musicians can be stressed by battling
with unfamiliar equipment or the pressure of juggling their
leisure time.
The Good News
You might now be thinking that your studio is a veritable
assault course, with every piece of equipment a potential
hazard. The good news is that you will certainly be able to
make it a safer plac
e with little or no outlay, and you can bask in the knowledge
that every little thing you do reduces the risk of MSDs.
The Right Chair: To start with, you need to think about how
you use the studio, which pieces of equipment you use most
often, and which pieces you use in conjunction with others.
If you need to access a mixing desk, an effects rack, a computer
monitor and keyboard, and a musical keyboard, then you are
going to need a chair on castors.
Office-type chairs, with five castors, are designed to comfortably
support people who sit all day long at their computer workstations,
and as such will also be suitable for your studio. Most of
us tend to sit in a slumped posture, with our lower backs
rounded, but if you stand up you'll feel the arch that we
have in our lower backs, and this should be preserved when
you sit.
A good office chair will have a lumbar support to do this
for you, and all you have to do i
s make sure you sit to the back of the chair rather than perching
on the front. The variable height will also be necessary when
getting the right wrist position for using the keyboards or
mixing desk. You are much more likely to use the height adjustment
facility if it can be operated while you sitting on the chair,
rather than having to get up to do it. Consider the height
of any chair arms, which may prevent you from getting close
enough to the work-surface, and the depth of the seat, which
should support your thighs but not dig into the back of your
knees. Most office chairs have back rests which can be adjusted
to different heights and angles, and expensive chairs have
the option of tilting mechanisms which allow movement as you
lean forward and back.
Good office chairs are not cheap, but it is sometimes possible
to get them second-hand or from offices having a refit. Check
that all the adjustment levers work, and that it feels comfortable
for you.
If even a second-hand office chair is beyond your means,
use an older style dining chair and tie a rolled-up towel
to the back of the chair, to support your lower back. Make
sure that instead of over-reaching from your static chair,
you stand up to get to equipment further away -- you can congratulate
yourself for regularly altering your posture at the same time!
Computer Keyboard & Mouse: Ideally, the keyboard and
mouse should both be positioned directly in front of you,
to ensure that your upper arms remain close to the body and
the amount of static muscle work around the shoulders is minimised.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to achieve this, and you should
then consider whether you use the mouse or keyboard most.
Usually, the mouse is used more frequently and therefore its
positioning has to take priority. If you try putting the mouse
far away from you, you'll see that your s
houlder muscles have to work statically to hold your arm out,
and that the mouse is moved purely from your wrist. As well
as risking damage to the shoulder, arm and wrist, it's common
to see people slumping to that side too, so side-flexing the
spine. Bring the mouse closer, and you'll be able to relax
your shoulder, as well as using small movements of the whole
arm to move the mouse.
The chair height should be adjusted so that when your hands
are on the mouse or keys, your forearms are horizontal, so
that the wrists are in a neutral position. If this chair height
means that your feet are unsupported, use a footrest (again,
a deep book or solid box may do). If you are very tall, adjusting
your chair height for optimum wrist posture might result in
your knees pressing against the underneath of the work-surface;
if this is the case, raise the work-surf
ace.
Watch your keying technique: if you tend to rest your wrists
in front of the keyboard, use a wrist rest to avoid a 'cocked'
wrist posture. It is a good idea to have space between the
keyboard and the edge of the work surface to allow you to
rest your arms when possible. Most keyboards have a mechanism
that allows you to tilt them; consider using this to bring
the keys to a more comfortable angle.
Your Monitor Screen: It is important that the monitor is
directly ahead of you when you need to look at it, and not
off to one side. Once you've adjusted your chair height to
ensure your forearms and wrists are horizontal when your fingers
are on the keyboard, check the height of the monitor. The
top of the monitor casing should be about level with your
eyes. Too low and you'll be looking down, which strains the
muscles in the neck, too high and your chin will be poking
out. However, if you're having to look down at the keyboard
a lot, the monitor can be a little lower to reduce the amount
of head movement required. The level of the monitor can be
adjusted by mounting it on a stand or simply by using a selection
of books...
To avoid visual strain, the monitor needs to be about an
arm's length away from you, and you'll need to check that
there's no reflection from windows or lights. As the icing
on the cake, you should try to provi
de some opportunity to look up from your work and gaze off
into the distance, to allow your eyes to focus at a different
focal length.
The Mixing Desk: The main hazards from using a mixing desk
are from it being too high or low, and from reaching to the
controls furthest away. When adjusting the height of your
chair, again ensure your forearms are horizontal with your
hands on the faders, as working with your wrists 'cocked'
upwards (if your chair is too low) or with your wrists unsupported
(if your chair is too high) are both risky.
Make sure there is enough space underneath the desk for your
legs, so that you can get as close as possible. When using
the control furthest away, don't keep your hand there, but
bring it back down quickly, to avoid a prolonged reaching
position.
Check that other units you'll be using in conjunction, such
as the effects rack, are as close as possible, and remind
yourself to move to them with the chair rather than twisting
and stretching. Consider standing at the mixing desk in order
to reduce the amount of time spent sitting, but beware of
stooping forward for a prolonged time to reach the furthest
controls.
Synths & Master Keyboards: In order to avoid twisting,
try to position musical keyboards so that you can sit directly
facing them. Usually, it is comfortable to have the chair
a little higher than you would have it to use the computer
keyboard. Make sure that there is space underneath for your
legs, again to avoid over-reaching.
Remember that you may well need to see your computer monitor
while using the music keyboard. This can be difficult if you're
moving between a musical and computer keyboard positioned
side by side, so you need to think about which you use most
with the monitor. Consider putting the monitor on a swing
arm so that it can move with you, or position one keyboard
above the other, with the monitor in line.
Update Your Working Methods
A poor studio setup is unlikely to cause problems to a musician
who uses it infrequently, for short periods of time. However,
the likelihood of poor design resulting in physical problems
will significantly increase if the musician uses the studio
more often, and for longer periods. In addition to rearranging
the physical layout, there are methods of working that help
to reduce the risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders.
It is important to take regular breaks from specific activities,
not necessarily to rest, but to vary your posture and the
way you are using your body. In particular, it is important
that the time spent in sitting is
broken up, to include periods of standing, as even sitting
in a good posture becomes stressful for the spine after a
time. Positioning the mixing desk at a height to enable it
to be used standing would be helpful, and having a high 'perching'-type
stool available would offer more postural variety.
Spending a lot of time sitting encourages a round-shouldered,
poking-chin posture; eventually, as muscles and joints adapt,
it can become difficult to correct. Ensure this doesn't happen
to you, by stretching regularly.
The following stretches are a good starting point, though
you shouldn't do any of them without medical advice if you
have any relevant health problems or if they cause pain:
Sit against the back of your chair, looking straight ahead.
Draw your chin back (not up or down), so that your neck lengthens
and the neck muscles relax. Repeat slowly.
Sit against the back of your chair, allow your arms to hang
by your sides. Think about the muscles between your shoulder
blades and your spine, and tighten them, drawing the shoulder
blades back and down, while your collar-bones widen. Your
shoulders should not move much.
Sit against the back of your chair, clasp your hands together
at chest height. Turn your hands so your palms are facing
away from you, and slowly stretch your arms above your head.
Remember that our bodies are designed to move, so make sure
that you counteract hours spent sitting by exercising regularly.
If you already have problems it is advisable to try slow,
controlled exercises such as Pilates, the Alexander technique
or Yoga, all of which aim to improve posture, muscle balance
and suppleness.
Gain Without Pain
It's worth taking the time to improve ergonomics in your
studio. If you already have aches and pains, you have even
more reason to ensure your studio isn't making your problems
worse. Try it and see!
Elizabeth Hallows is a chartered physiotherapist with an
additional qualification in ergonomics. She works with companies,
organisations and individuals to prevent the musculoskeletal
problems that are associated with poor working environments.
Published in SOS January 2002
Author Elizebeth Hallows
Office
Chair Posture Information 
