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Media Releases
Is Your Computer Stressing Your Body?
Columbia, Mo. (Oct. 17, 2006) Computer usage has become an essential part of our lives. However, this ease, speed and bountiful information comes at a price - poor blood circulation, stiff neck, wrist pain and other potentially debilitating conditions - if you are not using the computer in a healthy manner.
For the 70 million Americans who have arthritis, establishing good computer work habits is even more critical. Poor computer set-up, prolonged static position, awkward posture, and repetitive arm motions can cause additional stress to vulnerable joints, says Diana Baldwin, occupational therapist at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Baldwin, who conducts research on arthritis and worksite safety for the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC) adds that people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are also "prone to developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome," a compression of the median nerve at the wrist, which may result in numbness, tingling, and muscle pain in the hand and fingers.
There are various ways and devices to help reduce computer-related stress and injuries. The basic guidelines, says Baldwin, are to maintain a good posture, arrange the right equipment in the right position, and avoid working long hours.
Establish good computer posture.
Back - Sit upright or lean back slightly. Your back should be fully supported. If necessary, use a lumbar support and/or seat wedge for lower back support.
Head and neck - Keep them upright and in-line with the torso. Make sure your neck is not stuck out forward like a "turtle".
Hands and wrists - Put both in line with the forearms and parallel to the floor. Don't rest them on the edge of the surface.
Upper arms - Allow them to hang loosely at your side with elbows bent between 90 to 120 degrees.
Feet - Place flat on the floor, or resting on a footrest with your knees at a 90 to 110 degree angle.
Baldwin suggests you ask somebody to take a picture of your posture in order to identify where to improve.
Set up your workstation properly.
Monitor - Position within arm's length from your torso. The top of the monitor should be at or slightly below eye level.
Keyboard - Place at a height that you don't have to raise shoulders to work on it. Adjust the tilting of your keyboard to achieve a neutral wrist posture - straight or slightly bent down.
Mouse - Position close to the keyboard. If the mouse is too far away, it can cause your shoulders to fatigue from constantly supporting your outstretched arm.
Avoid long hours on a computer.
Regardless of good working posture, holding a joint in one position for very long can cause damage the joint. "If you work over four hours a day on a computer," says Baldwin, "you are putting yourself in the same high risk category as truck drivers, according OSHA [U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration]."
Take a break every 20 to 30 minutes when you are on a computer. Stretch your arms, wrists, hands, fingers, shoulders, neck and back. If you find the regimen hard to stick to, print out some exercise illustrations and post them next to your computer as a "reminder."
Work smart: Use keyboard shortcuts.
Many laborsaving shortcuts not only boost efficiency, but also reduce repetitive arm motions. Some software programs allow you to automate common tasks (such as formatting a document) with pre-written scripts called macros. These can significantly reduce the amount of typing you do.
Invest in assistive devices.
Trackballs - Designed like an upside-down mouse with a movable ball on the top, can decrease the distance your shoulder travels and reduce pain.
Alternative keyboards - An array of ergonomic keyboards are available for people with varied physical conditions and needs. For example, if you have a broader chest, you may find greater comfort in a keyboard "split" in two halves.
Voice recognition software - Allows you to dictate to your computer and frees yourself from the keyboard, which is ideal for people with hand disabilities.
The Missouri Arthritis Research Rehabilitation and Training Center (MARRTC) was established in 1971 at the University of Missouri-Columbia Arthritis Center. MARRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (H133B031120) and is the only federally funded arthritis rehabilitation research and training center in the country.
As part of the MU Health Communication Research Center (HCRC), MARRTC's mission is to become a national leader in the areas of disability management and communication, improve the quality of life and promote independent living among people who have arthritis and arthritic conditions. MARRTC's core message is "Disability is everyone's issue."
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