Posted by Savneet Singh on Feb.06, 2009

Do you experience backache, pain in your fingers and wrist, or burning sensations in your eyes after using a computer or laptop for prolonged hours? These are warning signals, and they may turn into musculoskeletal disorders like carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, tenosynovitis or other repetitive stress injuries. Approximately 175 million Americans (66 percent) use computers, and the number of people who experience Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) symptoms is increasing. According to a national survey, nearly 61 percent of Americans have vision problems from prolonged computer use.

The origin of these musculoskeletal disorders, and major risk factors for injury, could be:

• Improper or bad body posture
• Improper workstation setup
• Vision problems
• Long periods of typing
• Incorrect work habits
• Stressful work conditions
• Prolonged static positions

The science of comfortably adjusting the work environment to fit human body is Ergonomics. You should follow the principles of ergonomics while using your personal computer or laptop. Following the ergonomic principles can produce fruitful results in following ways:

• You can work for long hours without getting strain
• Despite the workload, you would not feel body ache and uneasiness
• The quality of your work and output improves
• You can optimally concentrate on your work, thereby increasing your efficiency

Fortunately, there are simple solutions available to avoid the problems we just talked about.

ERGONOMICS PRACTICES WHILE USING YOUR PC

Monitor Position
The screen should be about 25 inches from your eyes, or about an arm’s length. The top of the monitor should be at eye level because the eyes are at their most comfortable position straight ahead but slightly downward. This posture also makes it easiest to balance your head above your shoulders with the least muscular effort.

Keyboard Position
Keep the keyboard level with or slightly below elbow height. The elbows should form a 90-degree angle with your body from the shoulders. While keyboarding, try to hit the keys as lightly as possible. Try using whole hand and arm movements to navigate around the keys

Mouse Position
Position the mouse on the same level as the keyboard so that using of mouse does not create a twisted or reaching posture. To reduce the use of mouse, use key commands and keyboard shortcuts as much as possible.

Chair Position
Use an ergonomic chair that provides good support to your hands and lower back. If an ergonomic chair is not available, use a pillow or rolled-up towel to provide lower back support. Use a footrest if your feet  cannot touch the floor. Adjust your chair or work surface height to keep your arms and hands in a neutral position. The seat of the chair should be large enough to accommodate frequent changes in position. Try to adjust the computer tables or desks vertically so that it suits your height.

Position of Wrists, Hands, Head, and Shoulders
Keep yourself in a neutral posture. Neutral posture is the position that is most effective with the least stress on the body:

• Head straight, never bent ahead
• Back relaxed and supported
• Shoulders straight and relaxed
• Elbows close to the body
• Wrists and hands straight
• Never twist your hands and elbow. Keep wrists and fingers straight

Screen Brightness and Color Scheme
Make sure there is no glare on the screen and it is dust free. Black characters against a light gray background are often easiest on the eyes for long periods. Adjust the contrast and brightness to create the brightest screen without blurring.

Room Lighting
Adjust room lighting according to day and night requirements. The most important aspect of lighting is to reduce glare and bright reflections from your screen, glass walls, or other reflective surfaces.

Care for Eyes
Scientists have found that while looking at a computer monitor, on an average, people blink 1/3 less frequently than normal. This may lead your eyes to fatigue and dryness. Periodically look away from the monitor and focus at a distant point to give your eyes frequent rest. Go for an eye check every six months.

Take Breaks
While working on a computer, take frequent short breaks and make posture changes. Stand up and stretch at regular intervals. Do not keep a water bottle near you. Instead, go to the water tap to get water.

ERGONOMICS FOR LAPTOP USERS

• Do not put your laptop directly on your lap, exposing yourself to the heat.
• Never block the laptop air vents. Do not allow other equipment like printers, stationary or notebooks to block the airflow.
• Do not let the laptop A/C adapter to touch your body or any heated surface.

ERGONOMIC EXERCISES FOR COMPUTER USERS
Correct Posture: Try to sit in the neutral posture on an ergonomic chair.
Resting and refocusing your eyes: Periodically look away from the monitor and focus at a distant point for 2-3 minutes.
Exercise for your neck: Turn your neck to left and then bring back to the normal position. Similarly, do for right sides also. Follow same process for turning your neck up and down also.
Wrist rotation: Stretch both your hands straight to the front and close the fist. Now, rotate both the fists together ten times clockwise, then anti-clockwise.
Apart from these ergonomic exercises, you can go for jogging, walk, swimming, cycling, and other exercises.

ENJOY COMPUTING!!!

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Posted under Health Facts.