Computer Ergonomics: Work Pain Free

For the last 10 years my right shoulder has been getting more and more painful. It gets much worse whenever I do a project that has me on the mouse for hours. It started to hurt all the time and I finally went to the doctor and I have to have surgery for a torn rotator cuff. They told me it was from years on the computer. How could I have prevented this?

I have seen this type of shoulder pain and injury 100’s of times. Not just from computer use, but from any activity that has you reaching out and up (such as when you have your mouse positioned causing you to reach for it) like ironing or playing volleyball.

When you frequently reach up and out, the ball and socket joint in your shoulder rubs on the top of the socket. If this is done often (as you do daily working on a computer with a poorly placed mouse), the irritation of the bones rubbing on each other causes a little bone spur to grow. Then, when it gets big enough, the bone spur rubs slightly on the rotator cuff tendon which is just below it. Eventually, that rubbing irritates the tendon and there is pain. Most people just live with it and the rubbing eventually causes a teat in the tendon. Now you have disabling pain that limits many of your activities, makes working on the computer painful or impossible, and can only be fixed by surgery.

The solution is expensive medical treatment

The prevention is simple and free. Just position your computer equipment and mouse so your arms are relaxed at your side, you have a slightly open angle at the elbow, and your wrists are straight. If you do this you will have no pain and prevent medical problems.

Go to the mouse and keyboard section of the work Pain Free program. It will show you how to prevent this type of shoulder pain and reduce the stress of from working at your computer. For now, this section is offer FREE. Just go to www.workpainfree.com

Donna asks:

I have lower neck and left sided upper back scapular pain that is severe from working on my computer and I don’t know how I can continue in my job without pain.

Dear Donna,
Thank you for your interest in Work Pain Free.

Your discomfort is a common one. The cause is simple to determine and there are several solutions. The work pain free program will empower you to determine which skills will solve your problem.

The solution has two parts, sometimes three.
1) Correct your equipment and workstation ergonomics (how it fits your unique body) and working technique so you are not causing physical stress from simply sitting at your computer.

Continue Reading »

Paulette asked:

I started getting pain in the back of both legs (feels like sore tightened muscles) from my hips to my ankles. Wondering if this could be related to walking down a boardwalk and back which is about 2.5 miles, which I don’t normally walk more than a block on any day. I also work on a lap top, with a small 15″ screen and posture has not been supported by a pillow or anything.

With this pain starting 4 days after returning from my weekend in Wildwood Crest, it now 2 weeks and the pain is more severe that my gait and simple movement have become painful and difficult. Have you ever heard these symptoms from extensive computer use? I have never experienced this ever before. Please give me your thought?

Dear Paulette,

It is unlikely that the long walk was the cause of your pain. It could have aggravated an already existing situation in your low back, and that is very likely from the position you describe using your laptop. Now that the injury has occurred, the posture you are working in will maintain the injury and the painful pinched nerve. Below is an explanation of how the poor low back posture will cause the pain you describe, and several suggestions to correct the problem.

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Proper technique for [tag]low back support[/tag] and customizing your chair:

1. Sit with your buttocks to the back of the chair
2. Stick out your belly and reach behind and run your hand up and down your back to feel where the deepest part of your low back curve is (it is usually higher than you think).
3. Place proper support in the deepest part of your curve. That curve location can slightly change day to day from muscles being tighter from lifting, drinking too much coffee and alcohol, or sports; or muscles being more relaxed from yoga, stretching, drinking a good amount of water, or a great nights sleep. There are many things that can affect how tight or relaxed your back is which then changes the position of your low back curve. It takes only 3-4 seconds to test the location and place the support in the right spot when you sit down.

The correct size is a comfortable size. It is probably small for a firm chair & larger for a soft chair. I don’t know, try a few different sizes or adjustments. The correct size will be obvious in that it will instantly feel good.

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Headaches from computer work are upsetting my life! For the last few years I have been getting a headache at the base of my skull after 2-3 hours working on the computer. It used to be a few times per week and would soon pass after I stopped working. It has been coming more often and now it comes every time I work on the computer, and is so strong I have to take medication or I can not keep working. The thing that is scaring me is that in the last few weeks I have felt it when reading at home. Can I solve this problem or do I have to find a new job? I hope you can help me,

Alisha in Chicago

Dear Alisha,

Do not worry. The headaches you are describing are “Muscle Contraction Headaches” and are easy to eliminate.

Let’s first understand what they are. There are several muscles from your neck and upper back that attach at the upper end to the base of your skull, exactly where you are having your headaches when working on the computer. The most commonly affected muscles are the Trapezious, the Levator Scalula, and the Cervical Erector Spinae.

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Your chair is one of the most important pieces of equipment at your computer workstation. Used properly it will reduce stress, fatigue and pain, and increase productivity. Used improperly it will contribute to pain, fatigue, injury and poor productivity.

Many people think you have to get the most expensive chair to feel good. That is a mistake. There is a way to customize any chair, even a simple inexpensive one.

The only necessary factor is it must be adjustable in height. Sit in the chair and adjust the height so your feet are flat on the floor. If the chair is so high that your heels are off the floor, you do not realize it but you are constantly contracting leg muscles to hold that position. This contributes to fatigue and leg tension, which will then travel up your leg to your trunk and low back. This then make you prone to low back pain and injury.

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6. You must drink water at work.

Without drinking enough water, you become dehydrated and this causes muscles to be unhealthy and tighter, and causes or intensifies headaches. Some people drink soda, tea, coffee, etc. and no water. Increasing water intake will often reduce many minor muscle discomfort.

This series of articles explained the most common causes of headaches from computer work, how to evaluate your workstation and technique to see if you have conditions that need to be corrected, and how to make the corrections.

==>> This is a part of a 6 part series of short articles on the causes and solutions to headaches related to working on computers. View them all under computer headaches.

5. Working on a computer or writing while talking to clients with the telephone held between the ear and shoulder.

RISKS

This posture produces an intense, sustained contraction of the lateral neck muscles, which results in chronic tension and a shortening of the muscles, which can lead to [tag]headaches[/tag]. This can also cause pain, tingling, numbness, weakness or lack of coordination in the arm or hand. The use of a pad or bracket to help hold the handset to the shoulder is not adequate in reducing these stresses.

SOLUTION

A] Telephone speaker.
B] Telephone headset.
C] Keep telephone on the non-dominant hand side, and hold the headset to the ear with this same hand. In this way dominant hand is available, when using the handset, to write, mouse, or key.

==>> This is a part of a 6 part series of short articles on the causes and solutions to headaches related to working on computers. View them all under computer headaches.

4. Sitting without properly positioned low back support.

RISKS

This results in a reversal of the normal low back curve and a forward head posture. The resultant stretching of muscle and ligaments and having to hold up the weight of the forward head results in chronic tension, fatigue, neck and back ache, headaches at the base of the skull, and a tendency to injury from otherwise innocent activities.

SOLUTION

To properly sit and position a low back support, move buttocks to the back of the seat and arch your back. The support is placed at the deepest point of this curve. Keep in mind that as you get more or less stiff, from injury, stress, or exercise, the location of the curve may change. Apply this at your workstation, in your car, when watching TV, eating, etc. The proper size of the low back support is the comfortable size for you.

A] Chair with adjustable size and height Lumbar support.
B] Add Lumbar pillow to your seat.
C] Roll a towel and secure with rubber bands and use this as a lumbar support.
D] Roll a sweater or sweatshirt at a restaurant, movie, or meeting.
E] If the operator leans forward when working, sit on a foam wedge or use forward tilt option on the chair. This tilts the pelvis forward, maintaining the low back curve, and positions the head properly above the body.

==>> This is a part of a 6 part series of short articles on the causes and solutions to headaches related to working on computers. View them all under computer headaches.

This is the third in a series of posts regarding [tag]computer headaches[/tag], causes and solutions.

3. Monitor is off center or to the side, resulting in prolonged and repetitive neck and trunk rotation. It requires constant contraction of neck muscles to hold your head looking at the monitor to the side. This off center position causes this problem even if it is only slightly off center.

RISKS

Twisting of the spine in the neck causes excessive compression of the facet joints on one side, and stretching and tearing of muscles and ligaments on the other side. This risks facet joint injury, spinal instability, and a tendency to spinal degeneration, an arthritic condition too often found in office based workers. There is also excessive pinching of the outer layers of the lumber discs, contributing to the risk of ruptured or herniated discs. Finally, there is significant muscle work to maintain a rotated posture, with resultant fatigue, tension and headaches.

SOLUTION

A] Move monitor by rearranging desktop so operator, keyboard, and monitor are lined up.
B] Leave the monitor where it is and install a keyboard tray so the operator can face the monitor. These hold the keyboard and mouse and attach under the desk and pull out, raise or lower, rotate sideways, and tilt so you can easily work in your most relaxed posture.
C] When the monitor is at the corner of an L-shaped desk, install a corner extension to hold the keyboard.

==>> This is a part of a 6 part series of short articles on the causes and solutions to headaches related to working on computers. View them all under computer headaches.