The following was copied from Chicago Tribunes " Ask Jim " Article, by Mr. James Coates , who authors the Computer " Question & Answer " weekly issuance. In responding to a readers question, Mr. Coates relates his own Painful Experience that resulted from " Bad Posture " while using a computer. Title of Mr. Coates article is the sub heading of this page
In responding to a readers question, Mr. Coates relates his own Painful Experience that resulted from " Bad Posture " while using a computer.
Title of Mr. Coates article is the sub heading of this page
Readers Question Inquired if Mr. Coates could provide recommendations or suggestions about what an individual can do to help employees prevent cumulative Trauma from using a computer.
After hours on the operating table and months of counseling from physical therapists of just about every stripe, I can tell your employees ( work force ) and readers everywhere that the stakes from poor posture in front of a Mouse and Keyboard are Huge !!!*. The solution is cost beneficial as well as a way for people to avoid** " my own ergonomic nightmare "
At the Very Least " take a break every " Half Hour or Forty Five ( 45) Minutes." All this needs is to sit back and stretch.But give it a serious stretch. Sit forward and clasp your hands behind your back and throw back your shoulders. While all stretched out, take three(3) to four (4)* Deep Breaths. Breathe in as much as you can through the nose and let it out slowly, pushing out your **tummy to empty your lungs.
Clasp your hands behind your head and take another three(3) or four (4) DEEP BREATHS. Do it often, even if it makes you feel silly.Nothing is as silly as letting your PC cripple you !! Bosses** ( employers )should encourage these breaks *as they can reduce employee absence and down time.
While typing and using the Mouse, sit with your head and back straight and keep your ears over your shoulders . Make sure your thighs are parallel to the floor, and your fanny is slightly higher than your kneecaps so that ** if you were to put a pencil on your lap, it would slowly roll down your leg.
Your wrists should be slightly elevated over the keyboard so your fingers hit the keys above rather than trying to curl up to find the keys.
There is much more to Office Economic, of course and I am a victim Not An Expert." A great way for employers to learn about this /~entreken/Stuff2 is to visit Connecticut based " Business & Legal Reports Inc., that offers sample ergonomics policies that can be implemented by small and large employers. Click to visit their site * Emphasis added by page author ** wording modified
Q. Recognizing your bout with carpal tunnel syndrome and feeling discomfort myself, I have recently put my mouse up on a footstool on my desk. This eliminates the dangerous angle in my wrist. Could you pass this suggestion along?
A. I'm sitting here punching the keyboard with my remaining good hand and smiling broadly as I picture you sitting there in front of your monitor with your mouse perched on a 3-legged milking stool, ***
It cannot be argued, however, that you have solved the problem so many feckless computer users encounter when they place the mouse at the edge of a desk, where they need to bend the wrist against the tendons to move it about. May I suggest that one can also fix the problem simply by clearing off enough of the desktop so the mouse is maybe 18 inches away from the edge of the desk?
In this setting you are forced to place your upper arm on the desktop to reach the rodent. Since it is laid out flat, your arm will force the wrist into the correct mouse-use position and free up that footstool for holding magazines, as nature intended footstools to do.
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