Over the years I've been in practice as a chiropractor, I have seen not only more and more people with neck, shoulder, arm and hand problems from using the mouse, but more and more back and hip pain from sitting long hours , as the time people spend on computers has increased.
Along with treating people for these problems, I've learned a lot about how to look after yourself before, during and after using the computer. Good posture is a key ingredient for health and happiness!
a) you can sit with feet, knees, hips, shoulders and eyes all pointing in the same direction (ie, you need enough room for your feet and knees under the table, and the keyboard and screen to be directly in front of you, no
twisting!).
b) the screen is high enough for you to look straight ahead at it.
The type of chair you have really isn't that important. The main thing is that, when you are perching right on the front of the seat, your hips are just slightly higher than your knees.
What is important, is to sit well on the chair you have! Here's how it's done:
a) with your feet and knees shoulder width apart, perch right on the very edge of the seat and have your feet right under your knees, so that if you look over the tip of your knee, you can only just see the tip of your big toe.
(This may feel weird at first, but try it and sit up nice and straight, then sit right back in the chair, and notice how much harder it is to sit up straight!)
b) once you're all lined up nicely, you just need to keep your head on your shoulders. (Literally!) When we're concentrating on the computer screen, our head follows our eyes, so before we know it, our head is way forward with chin sticking out and shoulders scrunched up. Keep that head back over your shoulders where it can just
balance nicely on top of your neck, not jutting out over the keyboard where gravity can get hold of it and make your neck work hard. (Think of how heavy your handbag would feel if you had to carry it around at arm's length, rather than right at your side!).
Now with all this lovely posture in place, you may think that you're all set for hours of facebook and chatting, but the fact remains that we aren't designed to sit, we're designed to move! So take lots of short breaks! (You will find that you're more productive too, as our attention span sitting at a computer is only at its best for about half an hour.) Doing some light stretches (specific ones prescribed according to your body shape will be even better) and getting up and walking around is a great way to loosen up during breaks.
There's a great exercise to do before and after computer use, and during breaks that suits all body types:
Just stand withyour back against the wall (heels included) with your feet shoulder width apart. Then put your head against the wall and start stretching up! Stretch as if you have a piece of string attached to the top of your head pulling you up (and don't let your chin stick out!). Try and keep your whole body relaxed (you will need to keep scanning your body for tension, as all kinds of unexpected areas will tense up with your efforts to lengthen out and straighten up).
Do this for a few minutes before, during, and especially after computer work and this will reverse the trend
towards ape like posture that creeps in!
1) Get a "vertical mouse" to put your hand and arm in a much more natural position which markedly reduces the stress on the wrist, arm, shoulder and neck. I've had lots of positive feedback from people who've switched to one.You can get one for as little as £12.56 on amazon.
2) Get a keyboard with the numbers across the top (rather than as a separate group of keys to the right of the letters). This means that you don't have to hold your arm out to the right so far to use the mouse (although a moot point if you're left handed!).
These little adjustments amount to big improvement with long hours on the computer!
If you've got any questions about any of this, or would like some advice about your unique requirements, check out my website for more details!
www.elainedonovanchiropractor.co.uk
Think tall and joyous!
Elaine x