Friday, October 21, 2011

How to avoid back and neck pain while working on the computer..


Since we are at the mid-point of the fall semester,, I am sure that all of you have a lot of assignments and are spending more time on working at a computer.  We can see many students who are complaining about back and neck pain due to spending long period of time in front of the computer. Keeping a proper posture especially when you are sitting at the computer is indispensable for health.  




One day, my friend, told me that she had to spend the entire summer vacation writing some research paper. Suddenly, her right arm was totally numb and even was not able to click the mouse with her right thumb and index finger without severe pain. Thus, she had to lie in bed for several days and take some strong pain killers. It was due to the wrong position of her arm when she used the mouse. So muscles became fatigued and ache.

Actually, I hadn’t taken her experience seriously until I got the same problem. Recently, my shoulders felt heavy and my back and neck got stiff because of too much work on the computer. My upper body felt numb. It was totally due to my improper posture while working on the computer.

I caught a terrible cold for the last two weeks, so I had to write my paper while spending two weeks in bed.  Even worse, I stopped going to the gym during that time. Finally, I went to the massage shop and had to get some special treatment in order to relax all the muscles in my body. Since then, I try to do stretch my body every 15 minutes while working at the computer and go to the gym at least three times a week.

Through my personal experience, I want to share some tips for avoiding unpleasant body pain due to the stress and improper posture associated with heavy computer work.

Although it is important to maintain the ideal distance between your eyes and the monitor, and keep the perfect angle for your elbows and knees, you also can incorporate simple exercise while sitting at computer to avoid serious body pain before it is too late.

Here are some tips to prevent back and neck pain while working on the computer.

    Take regular breaks! Taking the time to correct your posture, get the fresh air, go a walk, have a drink or just blink your eyes would prevent any possible pain on your body and muscles. It is a great way to improve your computer habits to take a rest away from your computers. Also, it will be beneficial for you physically as well as mentally.



  Prevent your back and neck from stiffening!  For instance, neck 'retraction' or the chin tuck is a good example of neck exercise to stretch. This is performed by looking straight ahead and pulling your head straight back in, like trying to give yourself a double chin. This stretches the muscles at the base and back of the neck and opens and lubricates the neck joints. This is a particularly good stretch to do throughout the day.  Also, stretching exercise for your shoulder muscles should be done intermittently throughout the day to help prevent those muscles from aching.


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     Sit in a good adjustable chair that provides lumbar support!
Also, your desk should be large enough to allow your forearms to rest on it when using the keyboard. Check whether your keyboard and monitor are at a comfortable height, and avoid glare from the screen. Keep moving your chair until you are close enough to the computer in order not to do over reaching. Just sitting back in your chair properly can prevent your pelvis from tilting backwards. Adjust the height of a chair or use a foot rest in order for your feet to reach the floor comfortably.





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2 comments:

  1. These are just a few of the conditions that can cause back pain and neck pain. Thankfully, most cases of back pain and neck pains are related to mechanical causes and can be readily addressed by a trained chiropractor. The point is, however, pain is a warning signal that should not be ignored. The best place to have your back and neck pain evaluated is with a chiropractor. Myofascial pain in Canada

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  2. Interesting post. I Have Been wondering about this issue. so thanks for posting. Pretty cool post.It 's really very nice and Useful post.Thanks neck pain

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