I’ve been working with or on computers since 1992. Not only have I been staring at a computer 8 hours a day at work, it’s also my hobby. I remember my parents, before they got sucked in, asking my how I could stay on the computer so much. They thought the computer was all there was to it. I had to explain that it’s like the ultimate tool, a doorway to all my interested. I write, draw, design, program, play games, read, talk to friends and so much more. The tool that’s changed our way of life is also threatening our health. Not just from inactivity (obesity is an all time high in the U.S.) but also from work related injuries like carpel tunnel syndrome, neck pain and, my personal demon, lower back pain.
I currently suffer from chronic lower back pain. It’s been going on 8 months and I’m having to makes some changes in my lifestyle and in the tools I use to get my work done. In my research to try and figure out what’s causing my pain along with a lot of talks with my doctors I’ve started looking into replacing a lot of my office furniture and equipment with stuff designed to promote good health. Along with exercise, stretching and healthy living I hope to one again be pain free.
You can correct and prevent a lot of work related injuries by making some small adjustments to your environment and daily routine. Here is what I’m doing:
1. Posture. Most people lean back, slouch down or otherwise contort themselves for hours at a time. These is the road to pain. You need to make sure your chair has excellent support for your back and neck and that your feet touch the floor at 90 degree angles. Your feet should rest flat on the floor most of the time, but there are some foot rests that will take some of the pressure off your lower back. Sit up straight to keep the pressure evenly distributed. Adjust your monitor so you don’t have to look up or down or to far left or right. Your monitor should be centered in front of and the top of the monitor should be at eye level.
2. Keyboard and Desk. What kind of keyboard you have and where it’s located can play major roles in staying healthy. Find an ergonomic keyboard that feels comfortable to you. I do a lot of typing, I mean a lot and switching to an ergonomic keyboard has made miles of difference. Even more important is where your keyboard is located. Your keyboard should be a bit lower than your desk (usually) allowing your wrists to find a natural position. Having your keyboard too high or too low puts stress on your writs, neck and shoulders. Over time you’ll find out why this is bad. Take the time to get setup right from the very start. You’ll be glad you did.
3. Move around and stretch. I’ve started doing some simple stretches at my desk when I know I’m going to be there a long period of time, which is pretty much every day for me. You can find easy to do stretches for your neck, back, wrists and legs online. You should do these several times a day. It’s also very important to get up and move around. I get up and pace around ever 2 hours. It helps me clear my head and I feel much better at the end of the day.
These are just 3 simple tips to help with the physical aspects of living most of our days behind a computer. Stress also plays a large role in our overall well being and especially in neck and back pain. I’ll talk more about office stress and tips to reduce it in my next post.
If you have any tips that work well for you, please feel free to post them in the comments below so we can all share in them and feel better!
Disclaimer – This is my personal experience with back and neck pain and should not be taken as medical advice. I’m simply sharing my experience and you should seek the advice of a doctor if you are experiencing any kind of pain.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for your very good site! Back pain is the largest single reported cause of absence from work and leading cause of disability in UK,There are same problem in China.
China Charity Federation (CCF) launched a program to help children with curvature of the spine. Curvature of the spine, or scoliosis, may lead to chronic back pain and pinch internal organs such as the lungs or create an too-large cavity for the heart to fill. This program, a joint effort by the CCF, an orthopedic company and several hospitals, aims to help more than 100 children who suffer from scoliosis in 2006, with a budget between 5 million yuan (625,000 US dollars) to 7 million yuan (875,000 US dollars)
There are many charity hospitals offering free treatment for scoliosis children in UK and west country, but none in China.
Bristol Chinese backcare from XINHUA
http://www.backachetherapy.co.uk
Health problems caused by lengthy computer use and maybe improperly designed work station include the following:
Neck and back pain
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Shoulder tension
Tendonitis of the wrist and forearm
There might be others I haven’t mentioned.
Thank you for the information. I have been suffering from lower
back pain recently also.
I am on the computer between 8 to12 hours a day and have not found any relief
from the pain yet. I am definitely going to look into changing my office chair
first. Hopefully this will bring some improvement.
2 office chairs I would highly recommend are the the Herman Miller Aeron and the Obusforme both can be found throughout the US Europe another very important factor to achieve the correct posture whilst sitting at a desk is a footrest, this is often overlooked but can seriously help with gaining the correct posture, the results are very impressive.
Thanks for this article and all your comments, I just bought two new chairs for the my desks at home were I work. I think I am on the road to less back pain in the future!