Ergonomic office design

I am redesigning both my office in my shop and home. I have had back problems and my current office setup isn't helping. I have a Herman Miller Aeron chair that I really like but my glass desk is about 32" tall so my arms have to reach up to the desk. I am thinking either a Herman Miller Envelop desk or an electric adjustable sit stand desk that is adjustable down to 26" tall. What are other members using?

How much time are you spending in the office? I've got a Steelcase desk circa 1960. It's heavier and better built than most home shop machine tools. Came complete with the ugliest chair you can imagine. Fine for my needs.

For years I used the corner of a steel work bench and a salvaged folding chair...

couple of hay bales and barn boards or milk creates and barn boards, sorry wisconsin humor.
lets call it retro

Cedarburg born and raised, GO PACK GO!

IKEA has some good stuff or check Craigslist.

I know alot of people that use the electric riser desk and love them.

office panel systems have work surfaces and free standing pedestals of drawers. Work surfaces attach whatever height you want ( to whatever you want, don't have to have the panels ) and then fill under/ over around how you want.

A lot of people like stand up desks and taller stools..... but I have either a HON or Allsteel chair right now... mixed bag of work surface parts to make a corner desk..... as I like having surface both sides ( although it is easy to fill it and leave a BIG mess).

Sounds like you need to figure out what is best for your back and build it.

If it's good enough for Frank Stephenson...

Forget the furniture, what are you doing for exercises to strengthen your back? What assistance devices do you have for moving anything over ten pounds? What movements do you make that exacerbate the injury, and what can you do to stop them? Furniture would be way down my list unless I had a strictly deskbound job.

Also: Proper shoes and support orthotics if needed, diet, sleep (including mattress and pillow analysis), heat pads, therapeutic massage, and on and on.

What specific symptoms are you dealing with (if you don't mind putting them on the webs)?

Milland said:

Forget the furniture, what are you doing for exercises to strengthen your back? What assistance devices do you have for moving anything over ten pounds? What movements do you make that exacerbate the injury, and what can you do to stop them? Furniture would be way down my list unless I had a strictly deskbound job.

Also: Proper shoes and support orthotics if needed, diet, sleep (including mattress and pillow analysis), heat pads, therapeutic massage, and on and on.

What specific symptoms are you dealing with (if you don't mind putting them on the webs)?

Click to expand...

In 1970 when I was 15 years old I had surgery on my knee. They patched a hole in my kneecap, did some repair to the bones and moved some tendons to the other side of my knee. I never had any physical therapy. I never bent my knees when I picked things up (sometimes 200+ pounds). I was pain free all of my life until last October. I woke up with pain in my lower back. It kept getting worse, by November I couldn't do anything. I had a MRI that showed the worse part was where the spine meets the pelvis. Even with the pain meds I could only sleep for 1/2 hour sitting in a chair. It hurt worse when I laid down. The doctors wanted to operate. My son told me about a chiropractor in Lake Geneva that had helped some of his friends. After 6 visits I was at 90%. I had an epidural and had 26 visits with a doctor of physical therapy. She advised me on better ways to do things and what not to do. I exercise about 1/2 hour a day, see the chiropractor every month and I'm almost pain free. I have 2 forklifts and a 2 wheel and a 4 wheel Wesco pedalift. I have 3 tall office chairs in the shop and sit down whenever I can. I have bad posture when I program as my desk is 4" taller than the arms of my Herman Miller Aeron chair. I am going to look at an electric height adjustable desk today. I also bought an electric start lawnmower for trimming around the yard and an electric string trimmer which is much lighter than the Stihl gas trimmer I used before.( my wife cuts the lawn with a tractor) I am doing anything I can to prevent back pain.

BEKANT Desk sit/stand - black-brown/black - IKEA

I have got an IKEA Bekant adjustable desk, lots of range. I have gotten used to standing for 10 hours while at work and use this desk to look through my microscope and get the height just right.

Would be lost without it now.

Glad you made it for so many years without pain. Have you been diagnosed with a stenosis, or other intrusion of the spinal column at the base of your spine? Was there any change to your sleeping habits so that now you can sleep in a bed?

If the base of the spine isn't stable, and exercises are not helping, a spinal fusion may be something to discuss with your doctor (if you haven't already).

My mom had polio during the last years before the Salk vaccine, and it was pretty bad. To help deal with the partial paralysis, some of her vertebrae were fused, and it made a huge difference in allowing her to walk (with crutches) for much of her adult life, rather than being stuck in a wheelchair.

I have had an L5-S1 fusion, both my knees are boogered (but functional enough).

I have tried all manner of ergo chairs and assorted other things, like sitting on a rubber ball etc.

Best I can offer up on the desk and chair is to find out what works for you.

Having the so-called "best" out there, doesn't help at all if it was designed around the so-called perfect body shape and size, if yours isn't.

For now, I am using a solid oak desk bought at a surplus office supplies and furniture place, the pull out draw on the side works well as a mouse pad holder, and a cushy but not very expensive office chair from Costco.

The electric height adjust sounds pretty nice if it works in the long term. I suspect that raising the chair higher is cheaper.

Cheers
Trev

Hi 2 guys at work just got adjustable tables, i was playing with the one after i put it together. I think it had about 12 inches of UP/DOWN range, i thought that work be nice to have at my home shop!

Powered Adjustable-Height 42 Corner Workstation - 6935 and more Lifetime Guarantee

I bought one of these yesterday on craigslist for $50. It seems to help.

converterking said:

I am redesigning both my office in my shop and home. I have had back problems and my current office setup isn't helping. I have a Herman Miller Aeron chair that I really like but my glass desk is about 32" tall so my arms have to reach up to the desk. I am thinking either a Herman Miller Envelop desk or an electric adjustable sit stand desk that is adjustable down to 26" tall. What are other members using?

Click to expand...

Don't neglect your workstation. Ergotron makes some nice solutions.

Lista desk @ 42", Aeron stool for when I want to sit at it..

Easier than changing desk height to swap between sit/stand, seems to be working well, except for one guy who is simply too tall to stand at a 42" desk.