Ergonomic chair, computer, keyboard and mouse set-up are more vital parts of the office than ever for the health and safety of the workforce. Even outside of the office, the amount of time we are at computers is very much changing the way we use our bodies. I see the following in what I’d estimate to be 90% of my clients, largely due to computer habits:
1. arms rotated internally (back of hands seen from the front), along with
2. tight pecs (from having arms in front), creating
3. rounded backs, accompanying
4. more hunching, leading to
5. lengthened/weakened/painful back muscles, tension headaches, chronic pain in the neck/shoulders, nerve impingement.
6. This causes pain as far away as the fingers, and
7. limits range of motion in neck, shoulder, and upper back, causing
8. compensation from other muscles as far away as the low back and beyond
(and these above-the-waist problem areas don’t even include what can happen to the hips, and nerves/circulation to the legs!)
Fingers, hands, wrists, elbows (and up to shoulders) are also affected by all the keyboard/mouse use and the action of switching back and forth.
WHAT TO DO: Three quick tips…
• Make sure your workstation is ergonomic as depicted in the linked video
• Set an alarm on your computer to remind you to get up every 60-90 minutes for a quick walk/stretch, and
• lower/bring back your shoulders whenever you catch yourself with your shoulders creeping up to your ears! (It helps some people to imagine a string lifting the center of their chest straight up)
Massage helps too, of course, in the healthy upkeep of tissues, and in the undoing of repercussions from a non-ergonomic workstation… but best to think prevention, because the results can be serious indeed.
