A good friend of mine needed some help with data entry at her workplace, so she asked if I wanted to pitch in. It’s been a long time since I put on my business clothes and went to work in an office, but I’m happy to help.
As I settled into my borrowed desk and computer at the office, I made sure my arms and wrists were happy with the ergonomic set up. I’ve had problems with RSI (repetitive strain injury) in my wrists in the past, and didn’t want to aggravate any old injuries.
It turns out that I shouldn’t have been worrying about my wrists.
After a few hours at the keyboard, I got up for a potty break and noticed something unusual: my rear end had gone numb! By the time I walked down the hall to the ladies’ room, things were back to normal and I forgot all about it.
We took our lunches out to the nearest park (about a block away) and kicked off our shoes. My friend noticed that my feet were purple — at first, we thought my grey shoes had stained my feet. But when they started to regain color, we realized that the problem wasn’t my shoes. It was my circulation. Something about my borrowed chair was making my butt fall asleep — and messing with blood flow to my legs and feet.
It was a serious reminder that ergonomics isn’t just for your wrists. Proper body alignment is important for people who spend long hours at the computer — or long hours in any one position without moving.
The next time I go help out at the office, I’m going to first look around for a different chair. That might be enough to keep the blood flowing. I’m also going to set the alarm on my cell phone to remind me to get up and stretch every hour or so — that way, even if I’m stuck with the butt-numbing chair, I’ll be reminded to move around and get the blood flowing again.