Ergonomic Monitor Arms
Monitor arms are one of the most effective ways to improve the overall ergonomics of your workstation. We rate the importance of monitor arms so highly that we don't classify them as an ergonomic accessory, instead classifying them as an ergonomic essential. Along with an ergonomic chair and a standing desk, monitor arms make up what we call the "ergonomic triangle" for desk-bound office workers.
The ways in which monitor arms can help to improve the ergonomics of your workstation include:
The one caveat to the above information is that for your monitor arm to be effective, it must have the ability to adjust to suit your specific requirements. An issue with this is that there are so many different monitor arms available on the market, making it difficult to know what will meet your requirements. We have performed ergonomic assessments in hundreds of offices around Australia and in our experience, the monitor arms available below are the pick of the bunch.
If you would like any assistance choosing the correct monitor arms to suit your requirements, please email us at info@theergonomicphysio.com.au. There is also a table below which will help you to match your requirements with the appropriate model. Alternatively, please feel free to make an appointment to come in and view our demo office to get a better feel for the monitor arms that we recommend (highly recommended if you are looking to invest in new monitor arms for your office).
The ways in which monitor arms can help to improve the ergonomics of your workstation include:
- Monitor arms allow you to adjust the height of your monitor or laptop to the appropriate height for you, helping to prevent excessive neck flexion or extension if your monitor is too low or too high.
- If you use dual monitors, or a monitor and a laptop, monitor arms allow you to position and angle each screen so that you are sitting in the preferred position relative to the amount of time you spend using each screen. This is a crucial point, because it is preferable to be able to move the positions of your screens to suit your body position, rather than move your body to suit the screens, because most office spaces are quite restricted in sitting space.
- Monitor arms allow you to bring your monitor closer to you, helping to relieve stress on the eyes, as well as preventing a forward leaning posture to look at the screen.
- Having the monitor set the correct height and horizontal position encourages you to sit back into the backrest of the chair, thereby providing you with great back and neck support.
- Monitor arms are great for cable management and space management, helping to keep a neat and organised desk space, which is in turn great for efficiency and productivity.
The one caveat to the above information is that for your monitor arm to be effective, it must have the ability to adjust to suit your specific requirements. An issue with this is that there are so many different monitor arms available on the market, making it difficult to know what will meet your requirements. We have performed ergonomic assessments in hundreds of offices around Australia and in our experience, the monitor arms available below are the pick of the bunch.
If you would like any assistance choosing the correct monitor arms to suit your requirements, please email us at info@theergonomicphysio.com.au. There is also a table below which will help you to match your requirements with the appropriate model. Alternatively, please feel free to make an appointment to come in and view our demo office to get a better feel for the monitor arms that we recommend (highly recommended if you are looking to invest in new monitor arms for your office).
Choosing the correct monitor arms for your needs
Why do we suggest two single monitor arms instead of dual monitor arms or dual monitor mounts?
As a general rule, we do not recommend dual monitor arms or dual monitor mounts to our clients who use dual monitors. Instead, we recommend using two single monitor arms.
The reason for this is that dual monitor arms or dual monitor mounts limit the extent to which you can adjust and angle each individual screen. Dual monitor mounting bars do not allow any individual adjustment, because both screen move together. Dual monitor arms are somewhat better than dual monitor mounting bars, however they still limit individual screen adjustment because the screens are likely to hit each other when angled inwards.
The importance of individual screen adjustment can be understood better with a practical example. Most people who use dual monitors have a primary screen where the majority of the actual work is done. The secondary screen is generally used as a reference screen. Say that you spend 75% on one screen and 25% on the other. You don't want to be sitting in the middle of these screens, because you will spend 75% of your time in prolonged rotation. Instead, you want the ability to angle each screen appropriately so that you are biased towards the primary screen. Only two single monitor arms will allow this.
With that said, we understand that some people will still want to use dual monitor arms or dual monitor mounts. If this is you, please refer to the table above to find which monitor arm models are suitable for your needs.
The reason for this is that dual monitor arms or dual monitor mounts limit the extent to which you can adjust and angle each individual screen. Dual monitor mounting bars do not allow any individual adjustment, because both screen move together. Dual monitor arms are somewhat better than dual monitor mounting bars, however they still limit individual screen adjustment because the screens are likely to hit each other when angled inwards.
The importance of individual screen adjustment can be understood better with a practical example. Most people who use dual monitors have a primary screen where the majority of the actual work is done. The secondary screen is generally used as a reference screen. Say that you spend 75% on one screen and 25% on the other. You don't want to be sitting in the middle of these screens, because you will spend 75% of your time in prolonged rotation. Instead, you want the ability to angle each screen appropriately so that you are biased towards the primary screen. Only two single monitor arms will allow this.
With that said, we understand that some people will still want to use dual monitor arms or dual monitor mounts. If this is you, please refer to the table above to find which monitor arm models are suitable for your needs.
