Computer Ergonomics: Work Pain Free

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.

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

2. Monitor too high results in the head being extended back from the neutral posture.

RISKS
This posture causes prolonged contraction of neck muscles. Prolonged contraction or repetitive contraction without sufficient rest between exertions results in shortened, hyper tonic [in a state of mild constant contraction, even when at rest] muscles, neck and upper back ache, pinched nerves in the neck, pain traveling into the arm, headache, fatigue, the head feeling heavy, and a tendency to injury from an otherwise innocent activity.

SOLUTION

A] Lower monitor by removing appropriate amount of whatever is underneath monitor. This is often the CPU, which is then placed on the floor or a stand without crowding the operator’s legs.
B] If the monitor is too high and on a tabletop so it cannot be lowered, raise the seat height of the operator.
(Keep in mind that this will then result in other ergonomic changes such as a foot stool to keep your feet flat on the floor, and a keyboard adjustment so your arms stay relaxed at your side, there is an open angle at the elbow, and your wrists are straight.)
C] Tilting the monitor down will have the same effect on your head position as lowering the monitor

==>> 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.

For a complete online audio/visual training of how to customize your entire workstation to eliminate pain, check out the workpainfree program. The Neck and Shoulder section will show you the exercises that you can do to reduce the tension in your neck. It shows how to self diagnose exactly where your tension is, and how to give yourself therapy in the form of a 5 second stretch to instantly reduce the neck tension and headaches from computer usage.

This is the first in a series of posts regarding computer headaches, causes and solutions. One of the most common causes is the monitor being too low. Anything that causes you to look down, even very subtly, will cause the muscles in the upper back and neck to constantly contract

Monitor too low, no document holder so you must look down at papers lying on the desktop, or working with a lap top on the desk results in prolonged or repetitive forward head posture, rounded shoulders, and upper back bent forward while working.

RISKS

This posture causes a stretching of neck and upper back ligaments, and a tension in associated muscles. This then results in muscle contracture and weakness, joint irritation, headache, fatigue, neck and upper back pain.

In addition, the chronic tension results in significant muscle weakness making the worker prone to neck sprains and strains from otherwise innocent activities.

SOLUTION

A] Raise monitor so top of standard size screen or top third of large monitor is 1 - 2 inches below operator’s eyes. This is done with an adjustable monitor arm, a monitor riser (which has desk top storage), or placing the monitor on items such as reams of paper.
B] Install a document holder. Ideally, the document will be close to and at the same level as the monitor. This can be placed on the desk top or attached to the monitor and can swing to be placed right or left. OPTION: The document holder is a slant board between the keyboard and monitor. This is especially good for 3 - ring binders and books.
The document holder should be periodically moved between the right and left to reduce neck stress from prolonged turning in one direction.
C] Raise laptop so screen is appropriately placed as described above, and install a standard keyboard.
D] Place laptop keyboard in appropriate ergonomic position. Install a standard monitor at the proper height as described above.
E] Tilting the monitor up will have the same effect as raising the monitor.

==>> 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.

For a complete online audio/visual training of how to customize your entire workstation to eliminate pain, check out the workpainfree program. The Neck and Shoulder section will show you the exercises that you can do to reduce the tension in your neck. It shows how to self diagnose exactly where your tension is, and how to give yourself therapy in the form of a 5 second stretch to instantly reduce the neck tension and headaches from computer usage.

The back of my legs (thigh area) get very painful after sitting for a while. Do you have some advice as to what will take the pressure off my legs while I’m sitting?

There are 3 things that commonly can cause pain in the back of your legs when sitting.

You can try making one change only per day. The one that takes away or reduces your discomfort is the one that is most important for you.
They are:

1. When the seat pan pushes against the back of your knee. This causes muscle tension in the back of your leg.

Solution: If the seat pan presses on the back of your knees, this will cause leg stress and tension. It will cause you to be fatigued and that leg tension over a period of months will travel up your legs and cause low back discomfort, eventually going all the way to your neck. The solution is simple. Either get a chair with a shorter seat pan so it’s not pressing on the back of your knees or place a pillow or a piece of foam behind you. This will bring you forward and will keep the seat pan from pressing against the back of your knees.

2. When the seat height has your heels off the ground. This causes you to constantly contract leg muscles to hold the position leading to leg tension

Solution: Adjust the chair height so you feet are flat on the floor with your knees slightly lower than the hips. When your legs are in the posture in this position there is minimal stress, tension and fatigue. If the seat is too low and the knees are higher than the hips that will cause a closed angle at the knees which will then result in decreased blood flow to the lower leg.

The decreased blood flow to the lower leg will then result in leg tension. This tension can travel as pain over a period of months up the legs to the hips, to the low back causing low back discomfort, and can even eventually travel up the back all the way to the neck.

Now if the seat is too high the toes or balls of the feet are on the floor and the heels are up off the floor. Unconsciously you are going to be contracting muscles to hold you in an uncomfortable posture and this can cause leg tension and pain.

If you have a proper seat height there’s going to be minimal stress in your legs, you’ll be less fatigued at the end of a work day and there will be less chance of having injury and discomfort in your legs, back and neck.

3. Not supporting your low back curve. This can cause a nerve irritation which causes a pain in the back of your legs. This is actually the most common cause of pain in the back of your legs from sitting.

Solution: To determine where to place the pillow to support the low back curve, this is what you do. Sit up straight and arch your back by sticking out your belly. Put your hand behind you and run your hand up and down your back and feel where the deepest part of your curve is. It’s usually higher than you think with most people.

This is where you need to have your low back support. You are supporting your natural curve. So arch your back as I’ve described. Put you hand back there and feel where the deepest part of your curve is, and that’s where your low back support is going to go. Now what should you use for low back support? Many chairs have built into them a low back support. You simply adjust the height so it’s exactly in this curve.

Other options are you can buy a lumbar pillow, and there are three or four different styles. You want to have access to several of them and try the one which feels most comfortable to you.

Finally, the one that most commonly is used, simply roll up a towel and place rubber bands around it to hold it in place and use that as a pillow for your low back.

Now whether you are using the support build into the chair, a commercial pillow or a rolled up towel, you now know where to place it. But how big should it be?

It’s as simple as this. It should be the most comfortable size. So try using different-sized pillows or different-sized rolled up towels. The correct size for you will obviously feel better as soon as you sit with it.

Do the 2 low back stretches every 15-20 when sitting at your computer. Both will take a combined 10 seconds to perform and you can do them without getting up from your workstation. They are the seated low back extension and the knee pull.

I am confidant this will reduce or eliminate the pain. If it does not, you may have a condition that requires treatment and you will need to see a doctor to get appropriate evaluation and treatment. Then the techniques in www.WorkPainFree.com will keep it from returning.