Working at a computer for long periods of time causes strain to our bodies, especially our spine, and results in many nerve system problems. People at work or children at home who spend a lot of time on computers may be putting their health at risk due to an overload of stress to their spine. Here are some practical tips that can reduce some of the spinal stress.
1) Set your chair height so that your forearms are at a right angle to the upper arm and your wrist is straight. Your upper arm should hang comfortably at the side of your body.
2) Adjust the backrest of your chair to support your lumbar spine. Relaxed muscles will not fatigue over time.
3) Place a footrest under your desk so that you are leaning back into your chair, this prevents tension in the mid to upper back. This is very important because these are the nerves that control your heart, lung and stomach function.
4) Your knees should be level or slightly higher than your hips, so you may have to adjust your seat tilt. This helps to prevent swelling in the feet and calves and reduces pressure on your sciatic nerves.
5) Be sure to use a glare reducing screen and have no bright lights behind you or in front of you. Also, if your screen faces a window and the view is filled with sunlight at certain times of day, close your blinds or draw the curtains to decrease eyestrain.
6) Your eye level should be at the top or within the top half of your screen. Many people have their screen height too low, so grab some old telephone books and prop yours up if you need to.
7) Use a vertical copy stand to reduce tension in the neck and place it directly beside the screen.
8) Your mouse should be right beside the keyboard. If you have a keyboard tray and the mouse doesn’t fit, extensions are available. This is a good investment because if you’re reaching for your mouse all day, you’re subluxated.
9) The distance between your wrists and your screen should be about 15 inches. Any more and you’ll be tempted to lean in.
10) The distance from your eye to the top of your screen should be 18-24 inches. Don’t sit too close and don’t sit too far away.
11) Have regular spinal check ups. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.