The Concept of Armrests
***Please read the following sentences in an old lady voice***
Gather 'round millennials and let me tell you the age-old story of the armrest debate. Long ago before I was born, there was a great rift between ergonomists. One side said that armrests were terrible and they needed to be destroyed on all office chairs! The other side said that armrests provide support and peace in office. The two sides never agreed on which one was better, so the armrest war rages on today. Legend has it: everytime an ergonomist recommends that a client gets rid of their armrests, an ergonomist on the other side gets carpal tunnel syndrome (JK that was a bit extreme).
*normal voice* Okay, so there actually is a beef between ergonomists on armrests. If you ask an ergonomist " are armrests good or bad?" you will get a different response depending on who you get for your ergonomic evaluation. So here are the #facts.
Pro- Armrests are needed to provide support for your upper body. If you do not have support, then you will have neck and shoulder discomfort because you are overworking them.
Con- Armrests are not needed because they cause contact stress. People tend to only put their elbow on them, and this may cause compression of the ulnar nerve that goes through the elbow. Compression of this nerve can cause tingling and numbness in the pinky and ring finger.
My Opinion ( because i’m an ergonomist and I have major #FOMO in the debate)- You're going to hate me but, I agree with both sides. I know. I suck. But here are my reasons as to why I'm on the fence in the great debate
- Depending on your size you may need some extra support, OR you may just like having the support. However, some people do not need armrests, and the armrests will get in their way.
- You can use the table to support your arms instead of armrests as long as it is at the correct height.
- If you use armrests, it may not allow you to be close enough to the desk which makes you have to reach forward.
So here is the final take away - everyone is special ( just like how our parents told us we were !!) LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE. If you need armrests, then use them, if they get in your way get rid of them. #Micdrop