Case Study
Ergonomic Assessment for a Software Engineer
Meet Mike...
Mike is a computer software engineer who had been experiencing persistent neck and shoulder pain which radiated down his right arm into his hand. He’d been struggling with this discomfort for a while but recently the pain had worsened and nothing he tried eased it. Mike found it difficult to concentrate and be comfortable at his desk, and his pain was impacting his ability to sleep.
assessment
When Mike and I talked and we looked at his workstation, several issues became apparent:
- Monitor height: His 2 computer monitors were too low, causing him to constantly bend his neck.
- Keyboard and mouse placement: Both were too far away leading to over extension of his forearm and wrist and increasing strain on muscles and tendons.
- Chair support: Mike’s chair was too low and provided poor lumbar support forcing him into a hunched posture and increasing the strain on his back, neck and shoulders.
- Breaks and movement: Mike took few breaks and sat for long periods, assuming that some discomfort was normal as a result. Pain killers had provided temporary relief, but as his symptoms worsened he’d become more concerned about the cause and the impact on his life.
Our Solution
We made simple, yet effective adjustments:
- Raising the monitors: This ensure his neck and upper limb were in a neutral position.
- Re-arranging his desk set up: We moved his keyboard and mouse closer to reduce the strain on his wrist and forearms. We also added a wrist support to sit in front of his keyboard.
- Adjusting his chair height and support: Mike’s had a good quality chair already; it was just not set up to provide the correct support for Mike’s spine. We adjusted the height and the lumbar support to help him adapt a better posture when sitting.
- Education and Advice: Together, we came up with personalised strategies to ensure he knew how to maintain and adjust his workstation to reduce the risk of future issues. We discussed correct desk set up, the benefits of taking regular movement breaks and managing his symptoms.
Results...
Within days Mike noticed a significant reduction in his pain. He reported to feel more comfortable, able to focus better on his work and had started to enjoy his job again.
Mike’s case shows how transformative proper ergonomics can be to an individual’s health and work performance. By making a few vital, yet simple adjustments, we were able to reduce Mike’s pain and discomfort, ultimately improving his work performance and restoring his job satisfaction.
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