Desk Posture Injuries

An ergonomic workstation is one that allows you to keep your head and neck level, your upper arms close at your sides rather than extended, and your feet flat on the floor. Your chair should have adequate back support, and your thighs should be parallel to the floor to maintain a balanced posture. Arranging your desk so that your body is positioned properly will prevent the chronic injuries from which many office workers suffer.

Muscle-Force Injuries

Muscles produce the force that drives the body in daily activities, including lifting, bending, holding and carrying objects. That force is also required to hold a posture. Even standing in one place requires muscle activity. In athletics, muscle-force injuries often result from irregular or unfamiliar muscle activity.
Similarly, when a workstation is poorly designed, the body is forced to hold an unnatural posture, sometimes for hours at a time. If your computer mouse is too far away---causing your arms to extend rather than rest naturally---or if you lean forward in your chair rather than relying on the back support, it could result in a muscle-force injury to the associated muscle group. The injury can cause soreness and a reduction of muscle function.

Repetitive-Motion Injuries

Athletes are prone to repetitive-motion injuries, often from hours of practice rather than actual competition. Similarly, desk workers often perform the same motions frequently in their daily routine, leading to two common repetitive motion injuries: bursitis and tendonitis. Bursae are small sacks that lessen the friction between tendons and bones, while the tendons are the tissue links that hold the bones together. Repetitive motion can cause microscopic tears in either one of these tissues. When the activity is repeated day after day, the body's repair processes cannot keep up with the rate of new tissue damage.

Eye Strain

Eye strain can lead to headaches, blurred vision and nausea. Computer screens are the main culprit, particularly if they are too small, positioned too far away or give off a glare in unforgiving light. An ideal computer screen should measure at least 15 to 20 inches diagonally and be positioned with the top edge at eye level. Screens or filters placed over the monitor can help cut glare, and the monitor tilt should be fully adjustable to help prevent harsh overhead light from bouncing off the reflective surface.

Pinched Nerve

Carpal tunnel syndrome affects roughly 3 percent of men and 2 percent of women in their lifetimes, according to a 2006 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. While it is linked to repetitive motion like typing or operating a computer mouse, the injury itself results from compression of the median nerve in the wrist. Tissues around the nerve are inflamed by the repeated motion or by improper wrist positioning that would cause a worker to hold it in an unnatural posture. The same type of nerve compression can occur in the lower back or the neck if the workstation is not ergonomically designed.