If you feel like you are having on and off neck pain, wrist pain, shoulder pain, numbness/tingling, or low back pain that won’t go away, talk to you doctor immediately.
Eyestrain or “Computer Vision Syndrome?”
Although eye fatigue or eye strain are among the most common problems experienced by people working with computer equipment, these are temporary. The muscles our eyes use can easily become overworked. Intensive visual tasks can lead to temporary blurring, soreness, headaches, redness, and dryness. If you have problems that don’t go away, check with your eye doctor. You may need glasses that are designed for computer use, with a different focus distance for near-vision area.
Neck & Back Pain?
Neck fatigue, back pain, low back pain, and discomfort in the upper back or shoulders are also common problems experienced by people working long hours at desks.
Equipment adjustments are important but can only promote comfort for repetitive stress on joints. You still need to use good posture and work methods to avoid injuries. No chair (no matter how expensive and high tech) can correct bad posture. Human bodies are NOT designed for sitting at a desk for hours. When you feel the need to reposition, that is sign of muscle and postual fatigue. Make sure you walk, stand, and stretch intraday to minimize muscle fatigue.
Soft Tissue & Joint Soreness
Many factors can increase the soreness and pain in joints or soft tissues without making changes. Listen to the signals your body sends and see the tips featured below.
Helpful Tips To Control Fatigue
1) Face your work directly and sit with good posture. Keep the spine in its natural curves, with the head and neck upright, not slumped forward. Keep both elbows in by the sides of the body and adjust your work so it is at about elbow height — this keeps wrists and arms in line and comfortable
2) Change sitting positions frequently and move around whenever possible. Get up to walk and stretch from your seat throughout the work day.
3) Avoid static muscle contractions. Prolonged reaching, bending, twisting, or elevating the arms up while working restricts circulation and causes repetitive strain. Align the monitor with the keyboard and the mouse to best suit and relax your posture. Arrange yourself so you can relax your upper back, neck, shoulders, and upper arms. You don’t need a special keyboard to use neutral hand and arm postures: keep hands and wrists in line with the arms
4) Move your chair closer to permit working without constantly leaning or reaching. This is generally very common mistake with the mouse being too far away from your body. And make sure you do not sit at the edge of your chair, leaving you low back exposed without backrest.
5) Avoid cradling the telephone with your shoulder. The cradling position shortens your upper trapezius muscles and statically contracts your neck muscle leading to repetitive strain injury. Use a hand, a speaker phone, or headset instead.
6) Rest your eyes by periodically closing them for several seconds, then looking at an object at least 20 feet away. Take steps to control screen glare and use a document holder next to the monitor
7) Lower your monitor and avoid stacking monitors on top of CPUs or laptop docking stations. Neutral eye position for close visual tasks is 20 to 60° downward because natural and relaxed gaze is slightly down, NOT eye level. Try to sit 20 to 30 inches from your monitor, approximately your arm length.
8) Avoid over-use of laptop keyboards and touch pads for all-day intensive computer work. Use a standard keyboard and mouse to improve comfort, speed, and accuracy
9) Avoid pressing palms and wrists against sharp edges while working. Use gel palm rests and soft mouse pads to shield you from edges.
