Every year Safe Work Australia counts the injuries serious enough to keep someone off the job. In 2022 to 2023 there were 139,000 serious workers compensation claims, and the largest single cause was not falls, not machinery, not heavy lifting. It was body stressing, at 32.7 percent of all serious claims. That is close to one in every three.
Body stressing is the injury category most people never connect to a desk. It is time we did.
What body stressing actually means
Body stressing covers the strain that builds up on muscles, joints, tendons and discs from repetitive movement, from sustained or awkward postures, and from manual tasks. In a warehouse that might look like lifting. At a desk it looks like sitting in one position for hours, reaching for a mouse that sits too far away, or leaning toward a screen set too low. The mechanism is the same. The body is asked to hold or repeat something it was never designed to hold or repeat all day, and the load quietly accumulates.
That is why an office is not exempt. The injuries are slower to appear than a single bad lift, but they still end up as neck pain, low back pain, and the wrist and shoulder complaints that send desk workers to the physio.
The four zones where desk strain builds
You do not need to overhaul everything at once. Most desk-related body stressing traces back to four zones, and each has a low-cost fix.
1. The seat
If your chair does not support the natural curve of your lower back, your spine spends the day compensating. Aim for feet flat, hips level with or slightly above the knees, and lower-back contact with the chair. A well set chair or a lumbar support does more for a sore back than most people expect.
2. The screen
A screen set too low is the most common cause of the forward head lean that loads the neck and upper back. The top of your monitor should sit near eye level, about an arm's length away. A monitor arm or a simple riser fixes this in minutes.
3. The input zone
Your keyboard and mouse should sit close enough that your elbows stay near your sides and your wrists stay straight. Reaching forward or out to the side all day is a classic repetitive-strain setup.
4. Movement
No posture is a good posture if you hold it for eight hours. The best desk in the world still needs you to change position and move regularly. Movement is not the enemy of productivity. It is what keeps the body loaded evenly.
A 30 second self-check
Sit as you normally work and ask four quick questions. Are my feet flat and my back supported? Is the top of my screen near eye level? Are my elbows by my sides with straight wrists? Have I moved in the last 30 minutes? A no in any zone is where your strain is most likely building.
This is a good month to fix it
October is National Safe Work Month, and the 2026 theme is Safe work is for life. Reducing body stressing is exactly the kind of everyday, preventable risk the campaign is built around, and the desk is where a lot of it starts.
If you want to know where your own workstation stands, our Ergo Health Check grades your setup across eight zones and gives you a clear A to D result with practical fixes. It takes a couple of minutes and it is free.
This article is general information about workplace ergonomics and is not medical advice. If you have persistent pain, please see a qualified health professional.