A neutral neck: When looking through the eyepieces, your neck should be in a neutral position, meaning no active muscle tension is required to maintain the position. Your eyes should be pointed directly forward or slightly downward. Bad positions are those that involve flexing your neck (dropping your chin to your chest), jutting your chin forward, or turning your neck left or right. Tilt-head microscopes are optimal for this positioning, but three-ring binders under the microscope can also adjust the tilt. Your eyepieces should make no more than a 30° angle with the desk surface.

A straight back: Your mom was right about your posture, a straight back is better than a slouch, but you will need some help in the form of a chair with a supportive back. Your chair should hold you upright so that your head and neck can sit comfortably on top of your spine, without having to crane your neck forward. This can be accomplished by either adjusting your chair back to a more vertical position or adding a support pillow. Always sit directly in front of your microscope; having it off to one side to make more room on your desk will quickly cause back and neck pain.

Supported elbows: You will be using two hands all the time, one to drive the slide and one to focus. Either job can be done with either hand, but both elbows need to be supported on the desk. Leaving your elbows floating in space while doing fine movements with your hand will lead to a nasty parascapular back spasm. Therefore, your chair should be high enough that you can place your forearms flat on the desk in front of you, with your upper arms perpendicular to the floor and flat against your torso. This may create a new problem for your neck (see the first point) if your microscope is not tall enough to meet your eyes. A good thick book or two under the microscope should fix this problem. Shorter people may also require a footstool to maintain this chair height .

A padded surface: Your driving hand will probably rest on its elbow, while your focusing hand will lay flat on the desk. For both arms, the point of contact with the table should be padded to avoid a compression neuropathy (often the ulnar nerve). Possible solutions involve pieces of rug or bathmat, sponges, mouse pads, or commercial gel pads designed for desk users.

Pay attention: When something starts to hurt, take a moment to critically analyze your posture and position. Focus on which muscle group is hurting you and what action relieves it and jury-rig a way to achieve the more comfortable position. You cannot “push through” the pain; you will only end up with a chronic repetitive motion injury that will be with you for months or years. Once the cycle of pain and muscle spasm has begun, it can be very difficult to reverse it, short of taking a few months away from the microscope.