Accessories
Choose from our range of arm and wrist supports, from gel wrist rests to gel mouse rests, forearm supports, and gel arm supports that go over you chair's armrests. Whilst gel wrist supports should be avoided for many people with carpal tunnel syndrome, they can befneit users who find that they are resting their wrists on the edge of the desk, or they are flexing their wrists to use the keboard. It is very important to set your chair at the correct height in relation to your keyboard to place your shoulders in a relaxed posture - if you can acheive this, you may not need wrist supports at all. Consult your occupational health advisor, or contact us for more information if you have any concerns.
Our large range of lumbar supports and full back supports are ideal for travel and/or meetings. Be careful not to choose a support that pushes you too far off the edge of your seat. Ideally the back support should simply fill any gaps in your lumbar spine and support you spine in a natural S-curve. The Obusforme range is our favourite for full back support, along with the new Therapeutica range. However, for car seats or office chairs, try the large or small Magic lumbar supports from Putnams - small, lightweight and compact, these self-inflating lumbar supports support you lower back without pushing your thoracic spine/upper back away from the backrest.
One of the more common causes of back pain, aside from sitting in the wrong chair, is refering to paperwork directly on a desk top. This forces the user to lean forwards over the desk, placing the body into an unatural posture and placing strain on the whole body, particularly the lumbar, thoracic and cervical areas. It is better to have the paperwork higher on the desk, and at a more beneficial angle of view, to help keeo the head naturally supported over the spine and the back more upright or reclined if possible. A writing slope or document holder can have a massive impact on posture and prove to be one of the most cost effective ways of combatting back pain. Our fabourite is the combined writing slope and document holder, the Flexdesk, only £99 + vat - a stylish, funtional and ergonomic addition to any desk.
Footrests can be an essential part of acheiving a good posture at your desk. There are various factors that are key to getting your posture just right, and part of this is making sure feet are firmly supported on either the floor or a foot support. The height of your desk and the length of your arms will all make a difference to whether you will need a footrest, so please seek advice before ordering one. For example, if you are of small stature and working at a standard height desk - usually 72cm - the chances are that in order to sit at a height where you can relax your shoulders when typing, your feet will need to be supported on some sort of footrest. But not always! Variations in people's workstations, leg lengths and tasks can all have an impact. Our favourite is the adaptable Footform Footrest, which has a good height variation and legs that do not impede the base of your chair.
Whilst we are not specialists in headset technology, we recognise the postural need for headsets. For users who spend a good deal of time on the phone, who make notes whilst on the phone, who type whilst on the phone, or who suffer form neck/shouler pain, headsets are a valuable tool for relieving tension/strain in the thoracic and cervical area. Choose from a range of Plantronics headsets below. Our favoruite is the CS60 headset with Handset Lifter, preventing the need for leaning over to raise the handset whilst answering a call.
There are a wide variety of mice and keyboards on the market today. What makes them ergonomic? The idea is simply to put your body into the most neutral position, relieving the maximum amount of strain possible. From compact keyboards that allow the mouse to be used closer to the body, to split keyboards that allow a neautral wrist angle, to vertical mice that place the forearm into a neutral position, the range of ergonomic input devices below are designed to fit to your needs. Our favourites are the Evoluent Vertical Mouse and the Goldtouch Split Keyboard. Look out for the new DXT Precision Mouse too!
Laptop bags can help reduce the strain of carrying your files and IT equipment from place to place. Laptops are incredible heavy objects and can place an enormous amount of strain on the neck/shoulders and hips. Having a laptop bag that can be wheeled along behing you, or even used as a rucksack can relieve a large amount of strain.
Laptop stands are a very cost effective way of improving posture. Placing a laptop directly on a desk top/table place the monitor too low and force the head/chin to drop forwards. This places strain on the neck and shoulder mucles and can create a very round shouldered posture. Our selection of lightweight to heavy duty laptop stands cater for all types of environment, whether you need something comact to take around with you, or whether you need a permanent fixture to your desk with a port for your docking station. Our favourites are the Standivarious Aero , a lightweight aluminium folding latop stand that does not take up space in you bag; and the Smart Sleeve Laptop Stand and Carry Case, an all in one bag, laptop stand and document holder with protective case.
Our range of leg rests provide high a level of comfort and support, giving you the choice of support for one leg or two. These leg supports are adjustable in height and angle, and come with a choice of castors or glides. Where space is a premium the SCORE range has a compact base making it easy to locate under your desk. Or choose the Ergochair leg supports for a softer feel.
Our range of monitor arms is vast, and we have only included a small selection here. If you need advice on selecting the right monitor arm please let us know. The Ergotron LX monitor arms offer the best value for money, and are rapidly becoming the most popular monitor arm on the market. The Viewmaster M5 from Dataflex is also very popular, with the option of wall mounted arms, and a wide selection of single, double or tripple articulating arms for greater adjustment. These monitor arms allow the user to adjust the screen to the correct height for the best angle of view and are ideal for multiuser environments or for users who need to view small details on a regular basis. We can accomodate most requests from single orders to large contract - including fitting. Please do ask for a quotation for large quantities.
Monitor stands are an ideal solution for permanent workstations where the user can work with a fixed height screen. They allow the screen to be set at the optimum viewing angle, and come in a varity of sizes to adjustability should people move around the office infrequently. Our favourites are the Ergoblocs that come in 1" or 2" heights and can be stacked together to achieve the best height.
For busy desks and workstations where a laptop/notebook is used in conjunction with a desktop PC, notebook arms offer an ergonomic solution. When using a laptop or notebook it is beneficial to have it raised so that the screen is at an optimum viewing angle. When placed on the desk the screen is too low and forces the head to drop forwards, placing strain on the neck and shoulders.
