With Right Moves, Ergonomics Need Not Be a Pain.

LIKE most people, I've heard a lot over the past few years about the subject of ergonomics -- the design of furniture and equipment so that people can use it without developing problems like carpal-tunnel syndrome.

The trouble was that I only halfheartedly did anything about it. Now I'm paying attention.

I recently had to admit that the little aches I would get while working at a desk all day were not quite so little anymore. Since this is already happening to me at the ripe old age of 29, I figured it didn't bode well for the future.

I decided to do something about it. This column offers a look at what has worked and what hasn't.

The most important thing I've figured out so far is that ergonomics is not just a matter of buying the right furniture and equipment, and adjusting it according to a standard formula. You have to pay attention to what your body is telling you and tailor your environment to that.

Before I got religion about ergonomics, I thought I had the basics covered: an adjustable chair and a headset telephone to avoid squeezing my head to one shoulder to hold a regular phone while typing. That actually was just the start, and I even ended up replacing the chair.

To figure out what to aim for in making your work environment safer, consider the following: The top of your computer screen should be at eye level, You need lumbar support for your lower back and shouldn't have your wrists bent upward while typing.

The best thing I started to do was pay close attention to exactly when and why each pain started. I even wrote it all down, which helped me notice the patterns through which little pains in the morning became big pains in the afternoon.

What you experience, of course, might be different. But these descriptions of what I found might give you some idea of what to look for and what to expect if you're new to this.

When I started feeling little twinges of pain in my neck, I figured out the cause was leaning slightly forward from the shoulders to see the computer screen. For me, at least, the strain caused by holding my head at this angle all day was a significant source of neck and back pain. So I tilted my computer screen up a little bit and moved it a few inches closer, which took care of the problem.

You can buy special monitor stands for this purpose, but if all you need is to boost the height of your monitor, you can use old phone books or packages of copy paper. I also went to an art store and bought a small table easel meant to display photos or paintings, but which works well for holding papers, magazines and books up to the same level as my computer screen.

I noticed the awkwardness of reaching for papers on the floor, as well as books on low shelves and folders in a rack behind me. So I cleared off a shelf right next to my chair and put the most important stuff there so I wouldn't have to be a contortionist to reach it.

I set my computer's clock to chime at 15-minute intervals to remind me to stretch out a little bit or at least stand up. First, this was irritating, but then I simply stopped noticing it. Nonetheless, it was a useful exercise.

Now I'm at least a little better at getting up and stretching on my own when I start to feel the need for it.

I have not yet bought a special mouse pad or fancy mouse, even though various trackball options are said to be safer and more comfortable than the standard-issue models. But I did put a 1-inch-thick book under my mouse pad to raise it to a height that made it easier to reach from the armrest of my chair.

I noticed that I couldn't use the keyboard and keep my arms comfortably on the armrests of my chair. That was partly because my original chair didn't have adjustable armrests, but the keyboard was also too narrow. I bought one of those wavy ergonomic keyboards split down the middle into two halves that are angled outward slightly to the right and left.

These take some getting used to and can be downright annoying for "hunt and peck" typists, but I got up to speed with mine in a couple of days. (The only problem now is that regular keyboards feel weird.)

One popular model is the Microsoft Natural Keyboard elite, which runs around $60. Several other models are available as well, including translucent ones to match new Macs. All of these keyboards include their own built-in wrist-rest too, so you can do away with those foam pads.

For back pain, I found that I needed to move the seat's backrest forward to make me sit up straighter. That still didn't completely solve the problem I was having -- pain between the shoulder blades -- but I figured out the rest when I noticed the lingering tension in my back at the end of the day disappeared almost immediately while sitting in a rocking chair with a broad back. I researched new office chairs, and after getting over the sticker shock, I decided on the hyper-adjustable Aeron from HermanMiller.com. Six to eight hundred dollars is a lot to pay for a chair, but it's worth it.

Another chair that gets high marks is the Steelcase Criterion. But to really choose a chair, don't just go on recommendations. Do some thinking first about exactly where you hurt or are starting to feel stiff and go from there.

These measures haven't solved everything. My neck and back still get a little stiff from time to time, but the answer to that may simply be that the human body doesn't like to stay in the same position all day.

The adjustments I've made so far have made a noticeable difference, and I'm going to keep on paying attention.

Christopher Ott is a freelance technology writer and author of "Global Solutions for Multilingual Applications" (Wiley, 1999).