Stiff Neck? 7 Ergonomic Upgrades Your Home Office Needs

1. A better chair

"You sit in that chair for eight hours, so you better make sure it's comfortable with lumbar support and adjustable seat and arms,” says Tonya Dybdahl, designer and space planning manager for Milwaukee-based National Business Furniture. “High adjustability has become really affordable,” she says, with prices ranging from $200 to $400.

Add lumbar support to an existing chair by placing a rolled-up towel or yoga mat at the small of your back. Adjust the seat height so your feet are flat on the ground and thighs parallel to the ground. Set the chair arms at a right angle.

2. Foot support

To get your legs in the correct position, you may need a footrest or put a box or stack of books under your feet to raise your legs so your thighs are at a straight angle to the floor.

3. A sit-to-stand desk

One of the hottest trends is a standing desk or sit-to-stand desk. “It's one of the most ergonomic things you can do for yourself,” Dybdahl says.

Instead of buying a new desk, you can stand at the kitchen counter or island, says Kevin Munhall, owner of Habit Disruption in Hoboken, New Jersey, who specializes in helping people with posture and ergonomics. Sitting or standing, your work surface should be at elbow height with arms at 90 degrees.

While prolonged sitting can lead to health problems like obesity and diabetes, standing too long can cause varicose veins and lower back pain. The current recommendation from experts is to alternate every 30-60 minutes between sitting and standing throughout the day.

4. A properly positioned screen

The top of your screen should be at or slightly below eye level and an arm's length away to avoid straining your eyes, neck and shoulders. If you work on a laptop, “it's difficult to check all of the ergonomic boxes because the screen is connected to the keyboard,” says Chambers, an expert in human movement and injury prevention.

To raise your laptop screen to the proper height, buy a stand or use a stack of books. For a PC, get a computer arm.

5. An ergonomic keyboard (and mouse)

Ergonomic keyboards reduce strain by placing your hands and arms in a more natural position. If you use a laptop, get an external keyboard and mouse so you can raise the screen but don't have to reach up to type. An ergonomic mouse, which is contoured to your hand, can prevent gripping too tightly.

6. A wrist pad

If you type a lot, a cushion that sits in front of the keyboard — called a wrist pad — may help prevent repetitive stress injuries. It's an easy and inexpensive fix.

7. A bigger monitor

If you squint at the computer screen or hunch over to see it better, consider getting a larger monitor to reduce eye and neck strain. If you're using a laptop, you can hook it up to a bigger screen.

You also can enlarge the type, change the font style, lower your device's brightness or use the “night” mode. Follow the 20/20/20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away from the screen at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Editor’s note: This article originally was published on April 19, 2021. A reference to the length of time people worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic has been updated.