• Shop
    • UpDown Desk Pro Series
    • All Electric Desks
    • Electric Standing Desks >
      • Two-leg desks
      • Three-leg corner desks
      • Frame Only
      • By Brand >
        • UpDown Desk
        • Elevar
        • Fellowes
        • Strata
    • Electric Sit Stand Desk Converters
    • Manual Standing Desks
    • Manual Sit Stand Desk Converters
    • Ergonomic Chairs
    • Ergonomic Accessories
  • Office Fitouts
  • Standing Desk Resources
    • Standing Desk Height >
      • What sort of stance is best?
    • How Long Should I Stand?
    • Standing Desk Benefits
    • Blog
  • Ergonomic Assessments
  • Support
    • PRO Series Assembly, Installation & Operations Manual
    • Support & Troubleshooting
    • Delivery
    • FAQs
    • Warranty, Terms & T&C's
  • About
    • About
    • Standing Desk Comparison
    • Reviews
    • Media
    • Best Price Guarantee
  • Contact
  • Shop
    • UpDown Desk Pro Series
    • All Electric Desks
    • Electric Standing Desks >
      • Two-leg desks
      • Three-leg corner desks
      • Frame Only
      • By Brand >
        • UpDown Desk
        • Elevar
        • Fellowes
        • Strata
    • Electric Sit Stand Desk Converters
    • Manual Standing Desks
    • Manual Sit Stand Desk Converters
    • Ergonomic Chairs
    • Ergonomic Accessories
  • Office Fitouts
  • Standing Desk Resources
    • Standing Desk Height >
      • What sort of stance is best?
    • How Long Should I Stand?
    • Standing Desk Benefits
    • Blog
  • Ergonomic Assessments
  • Support
    • PRO Series Assembly, Installation & Operations Manual
    • Support & Troubleshooting
    • Delivery
    • FAQs
    • Warranty, Terms & T&C's
  • About
    • About
    • Standing Desk Comparison
    • Reviews
    • Media
    • Best Price Guarantee
  • Contact

The Two Most Important Factors To Get The Most From Your Sit-Stand Desk

3/11/2018

0 Comments

 
So, you've gone and purchased a sit-stand desk to improve your health and wellbeing in the office. There are now a two key points to address to help make sure you get the most out of your standing desk. These are:

  1. How high should your standing desk be?
  2. How long should you stand and sit for?

This 3-minute article will provide you with a succinct answer to these two questions, enabling you to get the most from your standing desk.

How High Should Your Standing Desk Be?

There is not an exact science to how high your desk should be when you sit or stand, and you should always consider any current injuries you have, or anatomical variances that are particular to you.

​However, a safe guideline is to have the desk at a height that sees your elbows being just above (i.e. 0 - 1cm) the top of the desktop when you are typing on the keyboard. This is typically 90-100 degrees at the elbow. 

This height works for most people. At this height, you reduce the chances of the forearms and wrists digging into the desk if the elbows are too low. However, it is not too high that it results in increased strain on the shoulders due to the forearms not being adequately supported on the desk.
​

How Long Should You Sit & Stand For?

The majority of injuries and discomforts that people experience at their desk are accumulative in nature, and typically arise as a result of prolonged postures. 

Those progressing from a standard desk to a sit-stand desk may be inclined to try and stand all day. However, this is not necessary.

Standing in the one spot all day is harder than you might think. Indeed, walking for two hours is easier on the body than just standing still for two hours. Further, prolonged standing is a prolonged posture in itself. Therefore, the possibility of accumulative-based injuries and discomforts developing is very real if you try and stand all day.

Moreover, when you stand, you rely on your postural muscles to keep you upright. These are deep muscles that lay close to your spine and are likely to be somewhat deconditioned if you've been sitting at your desk for 8-10 hours per day for who knows how long. 

With this in mind, the best tip for using your sit-stand desk is to switch between sitting and standing regularly throughout the working day. This might look like 10-15 minutes standing every 2 hours for some, or 20-30 minutes standing every 1 hour for others. The important thing is that by changing postures, you are changing where the physical stresses accumulate. 

A good idea is to work out your sitting and standing thresholds. This is the length of time that you can comfortably sit or stand for at your desk before you feel the need to change position. Once you know this time, never allow yourself to sit or stand for more than 75% of your threshold.

By sticking to this rule you will significantly reduce the likelihood of ever spending enough time in the one position to develop an accumulative-based injury or discomfort. 
0 Comments

    Archives

    October 2020
    September 2020
    March 2020
    March 2019
    November 2018
    March 2018
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016

    Category

    All
    Back-pain
    Ergonomic Assessments
    Government Rebate
    Headache
    How Long Should I Stand For?
    Neck Pain
    Office Fitouts
    Physiotherapy
    Productivity
    Progress To A Standing Desk
    Standing Desk Height
    Stand Up For Your Health
    Weight Loss

    RSS Feed

UpDown Desks Australia Pty Ltd
ACN: 638 217 777

1300 650 773
contact@updowndesk.com.au


Company & Support

About
Contact
Best Price Guarantee
Delivery
Support
Warranty
FAQ
Reviews
Ergonomic Assessments

Standing Desks

Electric Standing Desks
Manual Standing Desks
Electric Sit Stand Workstations
Manual Sit Stand Workstations
Two Leg Desks
Three Leg Corner Desks
​Frame Only

Resources

How long should I stand?
Standing desk benefits?
Standing desk height?
​Standing desk posture
Blog

    Join the UpDown Desk community to receive healthy work tips and special offers on ergonomic equipment.

Join
© Copyright 2020 UpDown Desks Australia Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.