Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546135
C I N E M A A U D I O S O C I E T Y. O R G 33 "A chair doesn't make you sit properly," Carroll observes. "It doesn't matter how expensive the chair is. If you don't have the musculature to support your joints being in proper alignment, it doesn't matter. Get whatever chair helps you to sit properly, even if it's just a cheap office chair. It doesn't really matter what chair you're sitting in, as long as you're in proper alignment." She also stresses the importance of taking breaks. "You can be in proper alignment for hours and hours, but that's still going to cause strain on your body. That's why ergonomists don't recommend a particular chair. So, make sure you're still strengthening and conditioning your muscles. Anything that just sits stagnant for that long is going to atrophy. Making sure you're taking the movement breaks and doing some stretches will always help." Russ Berger, FASA, founder of Russ Berger Design Group, whose projects include NPR Headquarters, NFL Films, World Wrestling Entertainment, and Steve Miller's Studio, remarks, "People will go out and buy one of the old Aeron chairs and not realize that for many, that particular design tends to cut into the back of your legs." Berger, who has designed and consulted on more than 3,000 studios, agrees that no one chair is right for AND YOU! everyone. "Your back's in a chair eight hours a day, maybe more. And it's really important that it's comfortable. I mean, you start with the person. Are they tall, are they short, are they skinny, fat … everything from the chair to the room has to start from there." It's here that I think Russ gets to the heart of it. The chair AND the room should be designed to a particular reference for the work you do, but also around the physical structure of the person using it. Peter Grueneisen, FAIA, of nonzero\architecture (+studio bauton), Greeniron Constructs, whose projects include the Newman Scoring Stage at Fox and Levels in Hollywood, agrees. "Certainly, much has to do with the chair, but it's also the actual workstation. A lot of people build their keyboards into the desk, which is great because then you can fit more things in that are actually at the ergonomic height they should be. You have a center channel, you have computer monitors, and you have a TV or a big display for the picture; all these things really want to be in the same place. Basically, you want them to be in front of you. If you're sitting at a computer doing office work with just a computer monitor, that's very easy. But when you also need to somehow accommodate speakers and an additional larger display, you have to kind of stack it so they're almost vertically layered, which means at least one of those things is probably very high up. And that's where back and neck pain begin." Monitor Optimal monitor height and position is the top of your computer screen being even with your horizontal line of sight at a distance equal to your extended arms. Chair A good chair should have the following adjustable features: height, seat tilt, and back rest. Elbows Your elbows should rest just above desk height and parallel to the floor at roughly a 90-degree bend. Back Use a lumbar support to improve spinal alignment from the base of the spine upward. Keyboard and mouse Position the mouse and keyboard close so that you don't over-reach, allowing you to maintain neutral wrist positions and reducing the load on your shoulders. Feet Use a footrest if your feet aren't positioned comfortably flat on the floor.