Start with your chair and screen
Aim for a comfortable supported position with your screen directly in front of you. HSE guidance places the top of the screen around eye level, roughly an arm’s length away. Adjust the chair so your lower back is supported and your shoulders do not need to shrug.
Bring the equipment to you
Keep the keyboard and mouse within comfortable reach. For prolonged laptop use, a separate keyboard and mouse can allow the screen to be raised without making the typing position awkward. Adjust the arrangement to the task rather than holding one rigid posture all day.
Notice when discomfort appears
Record the tasks involved when symptoms begin: typing, reading, phone calls or long meetings. Note whether the same symptoms happen away from work. This helps an assessment consider your whole routine rather than focusing only on a chair or desk.
Make practical changes you can review
Discuss manageable adjustments with your employer or the person responsible for workstation support. Change what you can explain and assess, rather than buying several new items at once. If a change does not help, that is useful information for your next discussion.
Questions for a physiotherapy assessment
Explain how work affects your movement and what you want to do more comfortably. Ask whether an individual exercise or activity plan is appropriate, how to fit it into your day and when to review it. There is no single perfect posture that resolves every pain problem.
When to seek more help
Arrange appropriate assessment for persistent, worsening or concerning symptoms rather than relying only on desk changes. For a routine clinic enquiry, describe the main task you struggle with and any previous advice you have received.