Make Yourself Comfortable at Work

If you've got a huge pain the neck after working on your computer, it might not be from your boss. Maybe your computer work space needs adjusting.

"It's really important in thinking about preventing these muscular-skeletal injuries like carpal tunnel, tendonitis, [and] 'trigger finger,'" says Dr. Carol Lay, director of occupational medicine for the 3M Company. And the keys to preventing these potentially debilitating injuries, says the ergonomics expert, are three-fold.

Maintaining a correct and comfortable typing posture is an important, yet overlooked, area.

"You want your shoulder and arms to be roughly perpendicular to the floor, your elbows held closely into your sides and you want your hands and wrists to be in a straight line with your forearms," says Dr. Lay.

She says that posture keeps pressure off your upper back, neck and forearms. "If you're thinking about comfort, that's the most comfortable way to sit," she says.

The second point of workplace ergonomics is to add inexpensive aids to create a comfortable workspace. A gel-filled wrist rest, for example, keeps a typist's wrists in a "neutral position" and helps alleviate the potential of developing carpel tunnel syndrome and tendonitis, she says.

A footrest is also helpful says Lay. "If you use a foot rest appropriately, it actually pushes your back into the lower support of your chair and helps your spine relax as well," she says.

The last but not point to remember is to take frequent breaks and try some minor exercise routines.

"Relieve eyestrain by focusing away from the computer periodically," she says. "Getting up and taking a little walk — even if it's just a walk around your desk and then sitting back down — those are very effective things that increase your comfort and your productivity as well."

Lay also says these ergonomics tips are helpful for heavy home computer users — namely kids and teens.

"We know the long-term health effects of using computers in adults," says Lay. "In kids, we really don't know what the long-term health effects are, so prevention is especially important."

Reference Source 104

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