Should my feet be flat on the ground?

13 Oct Should my feet be flat on the ground?

Should my feet be flat on the ground when I’m sitting at my desk?

A great question that creates a lot of confusion when our clients are looking at how they’re using their chairs.

The short answer is yes, your feet would ideally be flat on the ground when you’re working to give you the proper support.  However, this isn’t practical because the desk may not be the right height for you.

Tips to get this right:

• set your arms to the desk height.  We’re looking for a 90 degree angle through your elbows
• move yourself into position so that they keyboard and monitor are at the right height and distance from you
• take a look at your feet now – can you reach the floor comfortably?

If your feet are resting comfortably flat on the floor you’ve done well, your desk is the perfect height.

If you can’t reach the floor, look for a foot rest to provide you with proper support for your feet.  If you don’t, your feet will be left swinging, providing you with inadequate support.

What can happen if you don’t get this right?

• we see chair users sit forward to allow their feet to rest on the wheel base (have a look around, anybody in the office sitting with their feet over the wheels on their chair?) and they have to change their posture to allow this.
• you may adjust the height of your chair downwards after a while because it’s uncomfortable, and then make allowances in your posture, placing strain on your body.
• we’re good at making allowances when we’re not able to sit with good posture.  You may see a range of compensations that people try – leaning forward to rest on their forearms, lifting their wrists up to access the keyboard, sitting at the front of their chair to let them lean back on a 45degree angle and many more, all of which can cause long term harm to your body.

A great little excercise for you to try out:

Sit on your chair, away from your desk, with your feet flat on the ground.

With a 90 degree angle through your elbows, hold your arms out as though you’re typing, with your forearms lined up with your thighs.

Have a look at the gap between your arms and the top of your thighs – this is the gap that we want to create when you’re at your desk.  If you sit at your desk and that gap is more than this, then chances are your chair is set too low.

The ideal scenario

• consider height adjustable desks for your team, allowing each team member the chance to set their desk to the perfect height.  This also allows them the flexibility to stand while they’re working for periods of the day.

We hope this helps, it’s an important area to get right to allow you to sit comfortably for long periods during the day.

We’re always here to help with any advice if you need it.