Iron Physical Therapy

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The Benefits of a Standing Desk: A Physical Therapist's Perspective

You can end up in physical therapy with neck and shoulder pain if you stay seated hunched over a laptop all day. As a physical therapist, I have been using a standing desk for years and can personally recommend its benefits for your mobility. Standing during the work day is a great option for many reasons, as I discuss in the video below:

3 Benefits of a Standing Desk:

  1. It gets us out of the rounded shoulder posture that produces neck pain, lower back pain, and shoulder pain while working at a desk.

  2. It increases blood flow!

  3. It gives you the chance to use muscles in your lower body that you normally wouldn’t be using while sitting at a desk all day long.

When you’re using your standing desk, you want to make sure that you’re getting the most benefit out of it. Here are a few ways you can make the most out of your stand-up desk:

  1. Make sure that your eyes are in line with the top of the screen so that you can see the entire screen without bringing your head down which causes neck neck , whether sitting or standing.

  2. Keep elbows are in a 90 degree position, pulled in so that they are close to your side to avoid shoulder discomfort.

  3. Position your desk so that your wrists are in a neutral position, so that they’re not angled up or down.

  4. If your lower back gets tired from the stand-up position, prop your foot up on a stool to put your pelvis in a more relaxing position.