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Sports injury
Easing the strain
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Getting back from holiday is often a time spent catching up on emails and sitting for prolonged periods at your desk or computer. You may not have made any further holiday plans until Christmas and we have found that over the autumn we very often treat a lot of postural back and neck pain problems.
It is worth taking some time to examine your workstation - whether that be at the office or at home. Even if you do not have a high tech desk and chair there are some inexpensive things that can be done to make you more comfortable and supported.
Firstly, consider the height of your chair; it should be at a height that enables you to place your feet flat on the ground whilst sitting correctly with your back supported. The angle at your knees and hips should be at 90 degrees or more - but not so that your knees are higher than your hips. The seat should be deep enough to support the full length of your thighs, but not so deep that your back lacks support. The backrest should be slightly curved and adjusted to support the arch in your spine. If your chair lacks this supportive shape try a rolled up towel placed in the hollow in the small of your back. Make sure that armrests fitted to the chair do not prevent you from pulling the chair in close to the desk. A slight forward tilt to the chair seat can help to maintain the curve in the lower back.
Have you studied your computer terminal recently? The centre of the screen should be level with your eyes or slightly below. The screen should be at right angles to your face and straight ahead of you. Do you need a shield to avoid glare on the screen. Reflections are annoying and can cause you to poke your chin forwards to read the screen.
Your desk or table should be at a height just below your hand when your elbow is bent to 90 degrees. The keyboard should also be beneath your hands. If it is too high it will cause you to cock your wrists back too much. You may want to get a keyboard shelf which pulls out from under the surface of the desk.
Have you studied your work area? Could you be more organised? Can you re-arrange your work so that you do not have to stretch repeatedly for things that are out of reach and you use regularly?
Document holders or writing slopes help to keep the head upright, thereby easing the strain on the neck.
Do you need a foot rest? If the chair has to be higher than ideal in order for the desk to be the right height for you - you may need to place a box under your feet to support them and regain the correct angle at the hips and knees. Make sure you are not twisting or crossing your legs habitually. This puts the spine on a twist and can set up back pain.
It is very sensible to arrange your work so that you can change your position and walk around every hour. Perhaps you have some standing tasks to do that could be used to break up the periods of sitting.
Make sure you are close enough to the screen and keyboard. If you are too far away you will be encouraged to slouch. Many problems arise from operating the mouse with it placed too far away from your side. It should be within easy reach with your arm resting comfortably at your side. Wrist rests are designed to rest your hands on, palms up, during breaks from the computer. Resting your wrists on them during mouse use just places unwanted pressure on the front of the wrist where important tendons and nerves pass.
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