Here’s the hard truth. Learning how to stand at a standing desk correctly is crucial to get the best from them. Otherwise, you might as well not bother. If you’re experiencing nagging back pain from your standing desk, the home office desk experts at Slouch are here to help.
Standing desks have become a popular choice for many office workers trying to work on their health and increase productivity.
Sounds good, right?
However, use them wrong and the experience might leave you wondering are standing desks worth it at all? So let’s find out how to avoid back pain and keep a healthy posture so you can work at a standing desk pain free.
Ensure your standing desk height is right
With this type of desk, it’s important to get the height exactly right for you. Have your desk too high or too low and you’ll find yourself with short ‘T-rex arms’ and a hunched over and sore back.
The ideal standing desk height should allow your elbows to rest comfortably at a 90-degree angle when typing. Your screen should be at eye level, preventing neck strain.
What’s the right standing desk posture?
Let’s focus on exactly how to stand at a standing desk. Maintaining proper standing desk posture is the key to preventing back ache.
Keep your head up, shoulders back, and your weight evenly distributed on both feet. Avoid locking your knees and keep a slight bend in them to prevent fatigue.
Tips for maintaining correct standing desk posture
These tips should help you to keep your standing desk posture tip top. That way you’ll likely see a reduction in any niggling aches and back pains. Let’s take a look.
Switch between sitting and standing
It’s important to alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day. Start with short standing periods and gradually increase as your body adjusts. This variation can really help to prevent fatigue.
For a comfortable sit with ultimate lumbar support, Slouch’s home office chairs are the perfect choice to keep back pain at bay.
Take regular breaks
Remember to take regular breaks, regardless of whether you’re sitting or standing. These vital breaks can help refresh your mind and body. Understanding the psychology behind your motivation cycle can help you plan these breaks more effectively, keeping your productivity high.
Consider an anti-fatigue mat
While they might look a little strange with their lumps and bumps, an anti-fatigue mat is designed to provide extra comfort and support for your feet. The people who like them swear by their ability to improve circulation and alleviate standing fatigue, especially if you’re standing for extended periods.
Try desk exercises
Incorporating simple leg and back exercises into your routine can help prevent stiffness and improve circulation. Stretch your arms, legs, and back regularly.
More ergonomic desk tips to up your comfort
Now you know exactly how to stand at a standing desk correctly, let’s level up the rest of your set-up. Here are some bonus standing desk ergonomics tips to ace it:
Desk depth: The right desk depth is crucial for maintaining proper distance from your screen and having enough space for your desk essentials without being cluttered.
A deep desk will allow you to place your monitor at the correct distance from screen to eyes as well as giving your arms enough room to stretch out and be supported by the desktop. At Slouch, all of our desks are a generous 75cm deep, so you can reap all of the ergonomic benefits.
Desk positioning: You might have your desk set up perfectly for your height, but there are other ways your desk positioning might be letting you down.
While it won’t help with back pain, ensuring your desk takes advantage of natural light will help no end with fatigue. Try positioning your desk in front of a window. While you’re at it, check our advice on feng shui desk principles to see if you can incorporate them.
Keyboard positioning: Try using a keyboard tray. A keyboard tray slots under the edge of your standing desk’s desktop. This can help you to achieve the ideal standing desk height for both your screen and your typing surface, encouraging comfortable wrist posture.
Shop Slouch’s standing desk selection
Ready to make the switch to a standing desk? Slouch offers a variety of fully height-adjustable options to suit your office style preferences. Our scratch-resistant ergonomic desktops come in Oak and Walnut colourways if you want to incorporate some warmth into your office.
For a more modern aesthetic, consider our white standing desk, to brighten up your workspace. Or, if you need a desk that will fit in with a dark office aesthetic, a black standing desk could be the perfect choice.
For a standing desk that looks as good as it feels to use, Slouch is your go-to. Still not sure? Here’s what Osteopath Sabrina Chow had to say on Trustpilot:
‘We love that the standing desk can be preset to the perfect sitting and standing heights to quickly switch between the two, this makes it more likely that you will use it! We are happy to have finally found high quality and affordable desks and chairs that we will definitely be recommending to our patients.’
- Sabrina Chow, 15 February 2024
For answers to any question simply let us know by completing a contact form or emailing us at [email protected]. Our experts will be in touch to assist.
