Document Holder vs. Keyboard - Ergonomics Expert Explains How to Set Up Your Desk

Many office workers work both with papers documents and with their keyboard... but space is lacking, and they don't know which one should be where. And systematically, I observe neck pain, shoulder pain, tense traps and upper back pain, as well as mid back pain in the rhomboids area due to a slumped posture with round shoulders, your weight on the forearms, neck extension, etc.

To resolve this conflict, you need to think in terms of ergonomic reach space: your preferred reach area is where you can be with your hands when your elbows are alongside your body (i.e. when your shoulders are relaxed). The more your elbow spread forward (shoulder flexion) or to the side (shoulder abduction), the more tension you get in the neck and shoulder region. Therefore, your main tools should be right under your fingers tips, whilst secondary tools can be slightly more forward and to the side.

This video will be an opportunity to show you the use of a document holder, and how to build your own cheap one e.g., when you are working from home.



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Pain in the back, shoulder, arms or any other musculoskeletal pain should not govern your life.

A lot of the pain you feel is caused or aggravated by wrong posture, poor ergonomics and a lack of specific exercises for your muscles and joints. Giving you the tools to resolve these issues is the reason why I created this self care channel.

If you need more, check out these two innovative offers that will truly empower you in the subtle art of posture correction:

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Medical Disclaimer
All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and are not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

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[kiminseoul]

Many thanks for the useful information. I have two questions for you. First, would it be helpful to use 'Backjoy' type of supporting chair to keep the good posture? If it does what would be the way to use it properly. Second, would it be helpful to use titling desk which we can change the angle of desk top. Thank you.

[aakankshabaijal]

Great video! For students studying remotely, this is a huge problem as we have to watch the lectures on our laptop screen and simultaneously write in our notebook. We also have to use the keyboard in between if we want to google something or switch between apps. What would be some of your suggestions for this situation?

[---cttm]

Is it better when you combine a keyboard tray with a higher desk? So you can work with the paper at a more comfortable height. The keyboard needs to be right above the lap, which is too low for paperwork. With a keyboard tray you can have the keyboard at the right height and the paperwork at the right height and right in front of you. I think this will only work if you can type blind, because you need to place the keyboard tray under the desk. Otherwise the paperwork will be too far away.
Am I right or is there any issue?
A video on keyboard trays would be nice.