Health-Hack.com

Ergonomics Don’t Come In a Box

October 26th, 2005

Washington Post reporter Robin Wright got herself a fancy ergonomic chair for her office. It seemed to be causing arm pain.

The company nurse suggested adjusting the chair’s arm rest. Unfortunately, Ms. Wright is not an Occupational Therapist or an ergonomic specialist.

Whatever change she made did not rectify the problem (which actually turned out to be an aggravation of a pre-existing calcium deposit in her arm).

Wright now suffers a permanent injury to her shoulder as a result.

According to ErgoWeb,
Before denouncing her medical treatment at length, she blamed the chair. “Ergonomics pays little attention to office chair armrests, but they can trigger serious problems - and complications,” she concluded.

This idea demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of ergonomics.

Ergonomic chairs are ergonomic because they are designed to be adjustable to the fit the needs of the individual. If one is not able or qualified to make such an adjustment on her own, there are professionals out there who are glad to come and do it for you. It is unreasonable to expect that any chair is going to be set up correctly for any specific person by default.

Once again, I repeat our ergonomic mantra: “Ergonomics are not Universal“.

Read More:

Reporter’s Pain Makes a Case for Early Ergonomic Intervention [ErgoWeb]

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Entry Filed under: Ergonomics, General Health, Pain + Injury