Laptops, back pain and working from home... Health Info

[Katherine Berry]

Howdy neighbours,

New technologies are offering us an unprecedented way to work, shop, socialise and communicate. However as we become more reliant on our electronic devices, we also have to be aware of some of the issues associated with them too.

I work in healthcare and In my practice I am seeing an increased number of people with neck and back pain, and so decided to investigate what can be done about this, and share it here...

Sore necks and back pain arise from frequent computer-related activities . Laptop computers were designed to be portable, convenient data storage units and communication portals. However they are increasingly becoming the primary choice for small business owners, consultants and people working from home (as many people do in SE22!).

Their lightweight design makes laptops compact and easy to carry, however they are not designed for frequent or long term use. Because the keyboard sits close to the screen, using a laptop often results in adopting a hunched position. The shoulders and neck curl forwards with the back arching over. This position also restricts the rib cage and diaphragm which can lead to short, shallow breathing resulting in dizziness and headaches.

It is estimated that 80% of the world?s population will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives . While back pain has many causes, such as a sudden ?acute? episode following an injury (e.g. lifting) it usually develops over a period of time and arises from activities we do on a daily basis.

Pain is your body?s way of telling you that something is wrong. When a particular movement hurts, you need to rest or seek help. Most importantly, you need to look at your daily habits and consider how these might be contributing to your condition.

Simple steps can be taken to improve your work environment such as using an external keyboard and raising your laptop screen, or plugging your laptop into an external screen.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT COMPUTERS AND BACK PAIN, CLICK HERE:

http://www.core77.com/hack2work/2009/09/laptop_ergonomics_simple_steps.asp

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO SET UP YOUR HOME OR OFFICE WORKSTATION, CLICK HERE:

http://host.humanscale.com/docs/hostLibrary/ergoguide.pdf

Optimum health and productivity can be achieved by better positioning, careful use of laptop computers and seeking treatment before back and neck pain persists.

Yours in health,

kath