Adjustable desks help productivity, muscle pain

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Working at electrically adjustable desks that enable people to stand for a while at a computer appears to reduce muscle pain and boost productivity, new research shows.

Moreover, approximately four out of five workers said they preferred the adjustable desks.

Study author Dr. Alan Hedge explained that standing for part of the day may help workers because changing posture helps circulation, and forces people to use different muscle groups, reducing fatigue.

People likely prefer the desks because they enable them to seamlessly adjust their positions, Hedge added.

The desks provide them with the “ability to change their work posture without having to stop doing their computer work,” said the researcher, based at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

This is not the first study to show that regular movement helps people at work. Previous research has shown that people who take regular standing breaks throughout their workdays are less likely to experience foot swelling, shrinking of the spine, or back problems.

Other research has suggested that people who intermittently stand tend to take fewer, shorter breaks and are more productive.

To investigate how people respond to a desk that enables them to stand for part of their workday, Hedge and his colleagues asked 33 people to work either at a regular or adjustable desk for 4 to 6 weeks.

The adjustable desk has a chain mechanism to lengthen or shorten legs, and workers control table height using a small on/off button, Hedge explained. “The whole movement is quick and quiet,” he said.

When placed at these stations, workers chose to stand for approximately 20 percent of their day, and reported nearly 20 percent less overall body discomfort.

Specifically, they said they felt less discomfort in their upper body, including their neck, upper and lower back, shoulders and wrists.

Moreover, most people said they believed their productivity increased while at the adjustable desk, and they were more comfortable using their keyboard, mouse, chair and workstation.

The great majority said they preferred the adjustable desk, and only one person said he or she would rather work at a non-adjustable desk.

Hedge and his colleagues presented their findings last month during the 48th annual meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society in New Orleans, and the full report is available at

The study was partly funded by LINAK, WorkRite Ergonomics and Humanscale, which sell office equipment.

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