Ask HN: What have you done to improve your desk ergonomics?

Installed 5 screens.

I have high desk setup, to the point my elbows don't float and don't force my shoulders go up. The position is really confortable and I also have the monitors positioned at the leve of my face. Very confortable.

Got rid of the desk. Laptop in lap. Lap in Ikea Poang with footstool. Caveat: “as a professional” isn’t in the spec because I can write my own spec. Good fortune no doubt.

It’s been nearly four years since the change. I still get into ergonomic ruts. But climbing out of local ergonomics minima is easier because there’s no changing configuration. Adjusting happens as quick as recognizing an issue.

It’s shifting my weight. Moving my feet. Scrolling with another finger. Repositioning the laptop. Tilting the screen.

There’s no proper typing position that includes a mouse. Tracpoints are ok. Touchpads kind of aren’t too bad. But keyboard shortcuts are the only way to maintain a typing position.

Asymmetric setup. I keep more room on my dominant hand so I can write. It also adds as a way for people to drop by my desk and use the spare room for shoulder surfing.

Replaced mouse with trackball and got an ergonomic keyboard. Using pads for both of them.

This really is an under appreciated post. If you spend your career hunched over our your wrists bent, you will be in pain.

Get everything aligned properly and you give your body a fighting chance.

This is a pretty solid info graphic https://www.startstanding.org/proper-workplace-ergonomics/

+1 on a split keyboard. I really like mine.

I like having a large, flat surface, without a bunch of clutter on the desk. It's important to make sure the desk and chair fit well together, such that your elbows and arms can rest on the table without stress. I use the Apple Magic keyboard and trackpad which lay flat on the desk, making it easy to get a comfortable position with minimal stress. Having limited clutter means I can easily move the mouse/keyboard around, switch between sitting and standing positions, and stay in a comfortable position. Additionally, I use an adjustable arm for my iMac which does not occupy desk space.

My standing desk: https://www.fully.com/jarvis-adjustable-height-desk-bamboo.h...

My adjustable chair: https://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/office-chairs/...

My adjustable monitor arm: https://www.fully.com/accessories/monitor-arms/esi-edge-max....

I have a motorized sit/stand desk from uplift, an aeron chair, a monitor arm, the Microsoft 4000 ergonomic keyboard, and an anker standing mouse. Before this setup I would run into a lot of RSI problems but this combination has fixed everything.

I am considering getting a standing desk. Can anyone who has tried both standing and sitting desks share their perspective on their pros and cons?

I use a split keyboard[1], with a trackball[2] in between the keyboards. I like to spend a few hours in the morning standing, and when I finally get tired, I adjust the desk all the way down. All fixed desks are way too tall for me (1.67cm). Remove the armrests - your hands should be floating over the keyboard. I use xwrits with 1minute pause every 25 minutes: enough time to focus your eyeballs out of the screen and move the hands a little bit to prevent RSI.

[1] Matias Ergo Pro [2] Kensington Expert

I went down this road towards the beginning of my career. I tried split keyboards, ergo mice, keyboard tray, new chair, etc. There are a couple things that matter in ergonomics, mainly that your chair is at a height where you can set your feet flat on the floor comfortably, and that your forearms are the same height as the desk.

All the products made around ergonomics are total BS, full stop. Your body is not built to sit at a desk all day, and you can't fix that with an overpriced keyboard. Take breaks from time to time and go walk around a bit.

Get yourself setup so there's no pressure on your arms and legs and call it good. Don't waste your money on ergo BS.

I use keyboards with an 84 key layout so that my mouse can be closer to my keyboard than a standard tenkeyless keyboard allows.

I went all in with an ergodoz ez split keyboard at one point but it ended up being too much effort to learn how to use.

Also tried a vertical mouse and hated that too.

Monitor risers of some kind are a must. At home I’ve got a dual monitor stand but at work I just used textbooks that we had lying around.

I switched to a desktop so my keyboard and screen are independently adjustable. Beyond that, I’m pretty close to Jormundir: no matter what you do, if it’s still being sedentary it’ll catch up with you - bodies didn’t evolve sitting in the exact same position for hours at a stretch. Taking breaks is important even if it just means you get coffee in smaller serving sizes.

I’ve found success with the following:

- Proper desk height for standing and sitting to ensure arms are at 90* angle.

- Extended height monitor arms to ensure screens are up at eye level. This has been great for my posture.

- Split keyboard (kinesis) to ensure my shoulders are in a neutral, not rolled inwards position and my wrist angle is also neutral. I broke my collarbone when younger, and it’s very easy for me to not keep my shoulders neutral.

- Extended palm pad for keyboard to keep my wrists neutral. With larger hands my palms are pretty far from the keyboard, which makes it easy to have my wrists lower than my hands. I have the V3 attachment to the kinesis keyboard.

- Regular exercise and strength training.

- Avoiding working on my laptop as much as possible. The angle and ergonomics are just not nearly as good as my desktop setup.

Fixed my shoulder issue on my desktop PC by adding a second Mouse, so I have one on both sides of my keyboard.

I just use an Ikea Poäng with laptop in lap. I've found that regular desk chairs and desks just don't work for me. Poäng-style chair or a recliner is what suits me.

Standing desk is a must, IMO. Also, something that will remind you to switch from sitting to standing and/or vice versa. For me, switching more regularly is more beneficial than just standing or just sitting all the time.

I also started using an Ergodox at my desk and that's helped a lot. Wrist pronation was really killing me, and now that's just not a problem anymore. I liked that so much that I got a second one for travel.

Also, make sure that your monitors are elevated to the right height so that you're not looking down. It'll help a lot with any neck pain you might be experiencing.

Get up to walk around a lot, often outside.

First I identified ideal heights for my display and input devices. I used the piano posture for guidelines because professional pianists have it perfected. I then added an ergonomic keyboard to further relax my hands.

3M ergonomic mouse, Microsoft natural keyboard, monitor sits on a separate, lower desk behind my main work desk. I can sit up straight with my neck long and stretched and look down on the screen.

In 2008 I had very severe carpal tunnel syndrome for over a year. Then I found a clinic that had specialized in pain patients. They found out that the muscles my neck where shortened and weak. Neck is connected to shoulder is connected to arm is connect to wrists leading to my symptoms. Got a lot of exercises to lengthen and strengthen my neck. That fixed the wrist pains. Whenever they rise again I start do these exercises and it goes away.

My current construction site are the muscles that connect the legs to your hips/lower abdomen. They shorten too, due to the constant sitting position plus going by bike to work. This leads to back pains/slipped disks. Need to lengthen them as well.

I had horrible back pain when sitting at a desk. Raising the desk helped a bit but it was still uncomfortable. Now I just sit on my couch with a laptop most of the time, no more pain.

I've used a Microsoft split keyboard for 20 years.

I try to keep my mouse over the numpad on the keyboard so I don't have to swing the shoulder as much, and try to use keyboard shortcuts.

I have an adjustable height chair with a footrest under the desk so that my eyes line up with the top 10th of the monitor.

I also use a stand/sit desk when I can get one. At home I have a monitor arm that lets me stand, but it's a pain to move the keyboard and such so I don't do it much.

At a previous job, I had a great setup: I had a drafting table but I set it up where the front was higher than the back - not dramatic, maybe only a couple of inches. That way my elbows could be on the desk but they weren’t forced at 90 degrees or pitch my wrists up. Basically my arms were slightly open more than 90 degrees and my wrists were always relaxed. I loved it. My new place just has a regular sit-stand desk and it’s been bothering me. I’m thinking of asking for a drafting table. I’ve never found a more comfortable arrangement. When I need to sit and think, I use a stool rather than lower the table. It works for me since I come from chemistry and we always had stools at the lab benches, so it just feels natural for me.

- I've been using the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 for however long its been since it replaced the 3000 or whatever predecessors. Probably close to 20 years now. I use this same keyboard at work and at home.

- I keep a small stack of napkins(between 10 napkins to about 3/4" of napkin) under my left elbow. For some reason the elbow hitting the hard desk hurts, and having a stack of napkings is both useful to use napkins from (and occasionally replace to re-up the stack). It helps a lot on the left elbow.

- I use a Razer Deathadder mouse both at home and at work.

- I use a foot rest both at home and at work (they are quite a bit different, due to different desks/chairs).

- I use monitor arms at home and at work. Also I keep my monitor up higher than most people do. Most people keep them WAYYY to low(at minimum, enough for my keyboard and typing to be able to go under them). It really makes a big difference when you can look straight on most of the time.

- I primarily only use 2 monitors. I've had up to 3 and 4 at one point, but noticed slight neck strain. But 2 does well enough for me. I use 2x 27" 1440 resolution 144hz monitors at home. And 2x 27" 4k monitors at work.

- I am super picky about chairs. When I last replaced my home one, I sat in probably 150 different chairs in 10 different stores. Ended up ordered some high end chair($1000) and it didn't feel quite right. So I returned it and ordered another a different make/model(About $600) that works for me. Extra wide, proper butt cushion(no cross bar if pushed on hard) and works for my back and neck. I don't mention name/brands here, because everyone's body is different and you just need to find something that fit/works for both your body and price ranges.

- I am also super picky about the settings on the chair. Again, personal preference.

- Lastly, at home I have a large mousepad (approximately 20"x18") and at work, I have slightly larger.

I am on either my work or home desk/computer probably 14+ hours every day of the week. And haven't had any back, neck, or joint pains since about 20+ years ago, when I first started customizing setup, finding what worked, and switched to split keyboard and stuff. If something even feels SLIGHTLY off. I make sure to change it, a lot of people can get used to things 'slightly off' but don't really quite notice how much it can wear on you after a long time.