Developing the following habits will help you remain pain-free while performing computer work.
- Good Posture – MedicineNet (mednet.com) defines posture as the carriage of the body as a whole, the attitude of the body, or the position of the limbs (the arms and legs). Maintaining good posture or positioning while working at your desk or computer can help you stay pain-free. For example, for every inch that the head moves forward away from proper alignment, the weight of the head on the neck increases by 10 pounds. One of the most common causes of neck, head and shoulder tension and pain is forward head posture. (NeckSolutions.com). Position your monitor and adjust your chair so that your head, neck and shoulders are in vertical alignment. Remember, however, that posture should be fluid and not rigid. We need to move while we work, just remember to come back to your good posture base.
- Stay Relaxed – Many of us carry our tension in our shoulders. As we become stressed, our shoulders tighten. We may also start pounding away at those keyboard keys. Taking a few deep breaths and rolling the shoulders forward and back can immediately lessen the tightness we feel in the shoulders. Help eliminate daily stressors by developing good work habits such as organizing your day, leaving enough time to complete projects, and not procrastinating.
- Review, Re-think & Re-organize – Analyze your job activities, the tools you use most often and the organization of your desk. If you use a heavy binder often, don’t place it on the highest shelf of your desk. If you spend a majority of the day on the phone, don’t place the receiver at the farthest edge of your desk. If you do not use an item, clear it away so that you do not have to reach over or around it. Staying clutter free helps to reduce stress. If you can not get in close to your computer because the space underneath your desk is being used as storage, the best and most expensive ergonomic chair will not keep you comfortable.
- Go Ergonomic – Learn about ergonomics and ways to promote neutral postures that will reduce work-related physical stressors such as awkward positioning, repetition and forcefulness in your work activities.
- Stretch – Performing stretches throughout the day can help lengthen muscles that tighten from over-work or tension. The exercise program does not need to be elaborate. Just take 30 seconds to move out of the position that you have been working in. If you have been typing with your palms-down, stretch palm-up. If you have been hunched forward, lean back and look at the ceiling to stretch the back. If your shoulders have been tight and rounded, open up the chest. If you have been looking at the monitor for long periods of time, look over your shoulder and focus on a distant object.
- Type Lightly & Don’t Swivel the Mouse – Keep your fingers relaxed on the keyboard and use the lightest touch possible. Don’t hitch-hike! Try to keep the thumbs relaxed and just floating over the space key. Don’t manipulate the mouse by swiveling or twisting the wrist. Hold the mice lightly, keep your wrist neutral (flat and not angled to one side or the other) and use the larger elbow and shoulder muscles to move it. Keep your fingers relaxed and don’t squeeze the mouse tightly. Click lightly. Remember to keep your shoulders relaxed, too. If the mouse is placed too high, this will be difficult.
- Take Frequent Micro-Breaks – Stretch, make a phone call, walk to a co-worker’s cubicle to deliver a message in person, get a glass of water. Taking micro working breaks do not mean a loss of productivity, just that you change the type of activity that you do frequently. The less repetitive your work, the more varied your work day, the less your chances of developing a computer-related, repetitive strain injury.
Marji Hajic is an Occupational Therapist and a Certified Hand Therapist practicing at the Hand Therapy & Occupational Fitness Center in Santa Barbara, California. For more information on hand and upper extremity injuries, prevention and recovery, visit Hand Health Resources.>