Jul 27 2007
Laptop Ergonomics for Low Back Support
Leg Pain From Poor Laptop Ergonomics
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.
You describe a condition that needs to be evaluated and treated by a health care professional. I feel a chiropractor who uses therapy, rehabilitative exercise and teaches proper body mechanics as part of his treatment will be the best choice.
Then, the advice below will prevent the same condition from returning. I have had many clients that had a painful condition like you describe resolve simply by correcting their workstation as described below, but it is still best to be evaluated by a health care professional.
Sitting leaning forward to a laptop 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 results in chronic tension, fatigue, and back ache, and a tendency to injury from otherwise innocent activities, such as a long walk or lifting.
These forward bending postures of the spine also result in a posterior deformation of the disc tissue. These mildly bulging disc tissues irritate the nerves and spinal cord, which are directly behind them, and cause symptoms as mild as tension, ache, or as severe as pain, tingling, and numbness traveling down the leg. The most common location of the pain in your legs is the back of your legs.
Yours sounds like a pinched nerve in your low back because there is no structure in the legs that would be felt as a continuous pain from the hips, to the thigh, past the knee to the calf and ankle, except for a nerve.
In some cases there is a loss of coordination and strength in the legs. It appears as difficulty climbing stairs or rising from a crouched position, fatigue from walking, and difficulty performing complex movements.
ACTION:
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.
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.
F] Raise your laptop so the top of the screen is just below your eyes. You can but a laptop stand, or just use a few books. Buy a standard keyboard and mouse and connect them to your laptop. You can get a hard wired set for about $20, or a wireless set for about $40.
Set them so your elbows are relaxed with an open angle at your side, and your wrists are straight. This position, along with the low back support will minimize stress on your low back muscles, bones, discs and nerves.
Adjust your entire workstation as is shown in the work pain free program. To minimize the physical stress on your body, it is necessary for your entire body to be balanced and relaxed.
I am confidant that this information will help you to become pain free when working at your laptop. Please contact me if you have any other questions.
And check out the free or full version of Work Pain Free for further information on optimum laptop ergonomics.
Very sincerely,
Dr. Barry Carlin
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