Underestimated health hazard: proposal for an ergonomic microscope workstation.

Working daily for a long time with a standard microscope causes back pain, fibromyalgia, or tension headache in up to 80% of microscopists. These complaints may be prevented by an ergonomic design of the microscope workstation, leading to a beneficial and significant reduction of electromyographical activity in the most strained muscle groups as shown by surface electromyographic recordings.