A Clinton computer store is hosting ERGO Day today, which will include a lecture and day-long market of ergonomic furniture and other computer accessories.

Computers have revolutionized business, whether home-based or not. One unwanted side-effect is bad posture. Dr. Craig Weinston, who runs a Freeland chiropractic office, decided to do something about the declining health of people due to poor posture. So he started ERGO Day.

“For me, the vision came out of providing an opportunity for people to really change how they work out of their home and office, to make it a healthier place,” Weinston said.

“There was no one place existing that provided both the education and all the supplies and equipment. So I worked with Lincoln Computers, who’ve expanded into their new space,” he added

But the Clinton computer store didn’t have office furniture or chairs that were good for ergonomics, Weinston said. He then called OfficeMax in Oak Harbor for assistance.

“They were willing to bring a truckload of chairs and furniture pieces. We figured we would do it before the holidays so that people could shop without having to go off the island and support the local economy,” he said.

ERGO Day isn’t devoted to just making people comfortable as they sit down in front of their computers. Weinston said training was needed to help keep people’s wrists and backs healthy. He plans to talk for an hour about the topic, starting at 11 a.m. today.

“I will be giving a free ergonomics lecture, talking about how to make your home business workspace safer, because I get to see the results of people not having good ergonomics,” Weinston said.

The problem, Weinston said, is that people usually just put their computer on whatever desk they have.

“Or they will take their laptop and set it on their bed,” he said.

Desks and chairs are not the only ergonomically unfriendly items either, Weinston said.

“They may have gotten the package when they first got their mouse and keyboard and it has been years that people have been using them and they don’t really fit,” he said.

“They haven’t had the impetus to actually look at there are split keyboards that fit their bodies better. I find that people form their bodies to their equipment rather than make their equipment work for their bodies.”

Weinston said the body can relearn proper posture.

“Your body is absolutely retrainable,” Weinston explained.

“What I always tell people is that habits aren’t bad. Only bad habits are bad,” he said. “So when you retrain your body to use good habits using concepts of what we call joint neutrality.”

For people who continue to make poor ergonomic choices, injury tends to follow sooner or later, Weinston said.

“Most of the injuries we see come from repetitive strain injuries and include tendonitis, carpal tunnel and tennis elbow,” he said. “You see the chronic effects of ergonomics on eye strain, headaches, back pain from not using a chair well, or having one that doesn’t have arm rests or the arm rests are too high or too low.”

Weinston compared the amount of time people lay on a mattress to the time they spend sitting in a chair.

“People spend a quarter to a third of their lives on their mattress. And many spend a quarter to a third of their life in a particular chair,” he said.

“It’s worthwhile to spend a little extra money for something you’re going to spend so much time with and get something that fits your body — rather than use the hand-me-down that somebody else gave you.”

Weinston will also show how to correctly use furniture that people already own.

“Some people have a good chair but don’t know how to use it, to set it up correctly,” Weinston said. “Obviously this applies to the computer station at work, but more and more people have home businesses.”

ERGO Day will be held at Lincoln Computer at 9257 Highway 525 in Clinton.

For more information, call Weinston at 331-5565 or Lincoln Computer at 341-2526.

Spencer Webster can be reached at 221-5300 or swebster@south

whidbeyrecord.com.