Archive for the ‘Ergonomic’ Category
As we spend increasing amounts of time at our computer workstations, we need to be aware of how the design and arrangement of our equipment can impact our chances of injury. Computer ergonomics is the study and / or implementation of work station design with the purpose of reducing or eliminating physical stress.
My interest in repetitive stress syndromes began approximately 10 years ago when my practice started seeing a much greater number of people suffering from the effects of computer work. Despite all of my training and continuing education related to these types of injuries, I quickly realized that short of surgery and radical changes in the patient’s lifestyles, treatment for this type of injury was marginally successful at best.
The real solution had to be prevention and it was going to involve the application of basic ergonomic principals.
This article will address the specifics of injury resulting from postural stress secondary to use of the computer mouse.
Specifically, the following will be addressed:
What repetitive stress injuries are?
What role do work station ergonomics play in injury?
How reaching for the mouse sets the stage for injury?
What are the symptoms of repetitive stress injury?
How one can avoid mouse reaching injuries?
What Exactly is a Repetitive Stress Injury?
Repetitive Stress Injury is a kind of catch all phrase for many conditions. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Tenosynovitis / DeQuervain’s Syndrome, Tendinitis, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Trigger Finger, Myofascial Pain Syndrome and Chronic Sprain / Strain are some of the actual diagnosis that are rendered in my office. All of these conditions are serious and in many cases can cause pain, permanent disability and sometimes loss of employment.
Repetitive Stress Injuries occur from repetitive movements involving a specific set of muscles and joints. RSIs are the result of an accumulation of stress and strain that causes irritation, inflammation, and eventually pain or other disability. A good analogy used to characterize the onset of RSI would be the “straws on the camels back” saying.
Initially, RSIs affects the soft tissues of the involved joint(s). Soft tissues include muscles, nerves, ligaments and tendons, if left untreated for long periods of time, the involved joint can become arthritic and form bone spurs resulting in permanent damage to the joint.
While various occupations ranging from meat cutters to construction workers develop RSIs that result from the typical duties of their professions, the most frequent cause of these injuries involve computer work. The constant demand of keyboarding and mousing combined with the postural stress of confinement in an office chair with one’s neck and back held in prolonged fixed positions has resulted in an epidemic of injuries that includes hand pain, wrist pain, arm pain, neck pain, back pain and shoulder pain.
Work Station Ergonomics
The study of workstation ergonomics tells us that the objects that are used most often should be located closest to your body and accessed easily, without awkward body positions. Repeated reaching or prolonged postures that involve leaning forward from your chair are particularly stressful and fatiguing.
Many people are aware of computer ergonomics and thus have an ergonomic mouse. An ergonomic mouse is of little use if it is positioned in an area that requires reaching and stretching in order to operate it. Limiting reaching and stretching for desk items is essential to maintaining a healthy ergonomic environment.
The most frequent complaint that I have seen in my office is due to computer work is the combination of mousing and its’ inherent postural stress.
Most computer stations are designed in a way that involves the worker operating the computer mouse on a pad on the desk. Reaching to the desk for the mouse places direct stress on the joints and soft tissues of the neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand. Additionally, reaching forward for the mouse stresses the lower and middle back.
So How Does Reaching for the Mouse Set the Stage for Injury?
Reaching for the mouse causes you to lean forward in your chair, extend your arm and support the weight of your body through your extended arm. The following section will discuss the particulars of each of these positions.
The stresses placed on the human frame when reaching for the mouse are easily explained. Contrary to popular belief, sitting, which most people believe is relaxing, is hard on the back. Sitting for long periods of time can cause increased pressure on the inter-vertebral discs of the spine.
In recent years, ergonomists have told us that proper sitting posture would have us sitting upright with our hips flexed at 90 degrees. As it turns out, the most up to date studies show that a slightly reclined sitting posture with the hips flexed at 100 to 115 degrees is ideal if you have to sit at a desk. If your mouse is not positioned close enough to your body, you will have to reach for it. Reaching for your mouse stresses your back by reducing the angle of your hips.
Next, we have to look at the effects of reaching on the neck and shoulder. When the mouse is being operated at a distance that makes the operator reach, the shoulder extends forward and the shoulder blade abducts (rotates forward). This position stretches the muscle groups that connect the medial portion of your shoulder blade to your spine and the superior portion of your shoulder blade to your neck. In the short term, this stretch aggravates the affected muscle groups causing spasm, fatigue, headaches and stiffness in the neck and shoulder. In the long term, this position creates a condition called a “stretch weakness” resulting in muscular imbalance, trigger points and chronic variations of the conditions listed in the prior sentence.
Lastly, placing the mouse too far away, too low, or too much on one side can cause shoulder, wrist, elbow, and forearm discomfort. When the operator is forced to reach for the mouse, his / her body weight shifts forward and ultimately results in weight bearing stress on the extended arm. Spending prolonged periods of time leaning on an extended arm is an unnatural and destructive posture that will eventually lead to the development of a repetitive stress syndrome; likely resulting disorders would include tendinitis of the wrist, elbow or shoulder.
What are the Common Symptoms?
· Tightness, discomfort, stiffness, soreness or burning in the hands, wrists, fingers, forearms, or elbows
· Tingling, coldness, night pain or numbness in the hands, especially around the base of the thumb
· Clumsiness or loss of strength in the hands
· Pain in the neck, shoulders, wrists, hands or back that is associated with using the computer
How Can You Avoid Injuries Related to Reaching for the Mouse?
The following recommendations are applicable to both home office ergonomics as well as ergonomics in the office.
1) Placing the input device directly in your immediate reach zone offers natural comfort and maximum hand-eye coordination. The use of a platform for the mouse is preferable. Some models of mouse platforms attach directly to your chair.
2) Your chair should have arm rests that are adjustable.
3) Your wrist should be either in a neutral position or flexed slightly downward when operating both your mouse and your keyboard. For this reason, if you select a mouse platform that attaches to your chair, adjustability of the platform is of primary importance.
4) Consider using a high quality office chair with adjustable armrests and lumbar supports. It should also allow some degree of recline.
5) Make sure that the upper arm and elbow are as close to the body and as relaxed as possible for mouse use – avoid overreaching.
6) Hold the mouse lightly, don’t grip it hard or squeeze it. Place the pointing device where you don’t have to reach up or over very far to use it. The closer you can place it to your body the better.
Here’s To Your Health
Dr. Jones
Ergonomic Mouse Pad
San Diego Chiropractic
Pain Relief San Diego Chiropractic
(619) 280-0554
Have you ever noticed how tight your neck, upper back and shoulders are after a long day of sitting at the computer?
There are a number of factors that contribute to this tightness. Simply the stress of deadlines, an overbearing boss or an annoying co-worker can make your shoulders rise up and your head push forward. And this stress is the result of just the emotional stress of work. When you add the real physical strains of a poorly designed work station on top of the emotional stresses that already exist you have a perfect recipe for a repetitive stress injury.
A large part of designing an ergonomically friendly workstation revolves around limiting the “reach” for items that are frequently
The distance that you have to reach for any object in your workspace can have major implications on your health. In general, workers should have the items that they use on a regular basis through the day such as the mouse and keyboard for computer users or the telephone for a receptionist or a sales person, positioned close to their bodies so as to avoid awkward or overreaching.
As a general rule, the best positioning for your keyboard and mouse allows you to operate them while your shoulders hang straight down at your sides and elbows are slightly extended. This position reduces the stress of overreaching and allows for completion of your tasks with less muscular effort.
There are many ergonomic apparatus that allow for proper placement of your computer input devices. Pull out keyboard trays, split keyboards, ergonomic mouse platforms and even foot controls help reduce the ongoing stresses of computer input.
Even with these devices, it takes awareness to maintain an ergonomically friendly work environment.
For a nice selection of ergonomic office products you can visit www.comfortkeyboard.com.
Here’s To Your Health
———————————————————————————–
Yours Ergonomically,
Steve Jones
(619) 280-0554
Who cares about their mouse pad? Most people don’t even have one – but they should. Mouse use is a major contributor towards the development of numerous repetitive stress syndromes and the kind of mousing surface that you use can either reduce or contribute towards your level of stress.
Originally mouse pads were a simple fabric covered piece of neoprene that was intended to provide traction for the “roller ball” type mouse. The fancier pads had pictures or printed designs on them but didn’t really address the impending ergonomic needs of the person who would be using the mouse with more frequency than they ever imagined.
Later on, as mouse use started to contribute to / cause carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis and other symptoms related to excessive mouse use, some companies started to make mouse pads that have a gel-filled wrist rest that was intended to eliminate some stress that mouse use was causing. The one major flaw design that these mouse pads carried was the wrist rest itself which hampered movement of the mouse and caused direct pressure over the carpal tunnel, compressing the delicate nerves that feed the hand.
Another short fall of the current ergonomic mouse pads is that they don’t address the most stressful issue of mouse use which is reaching for the mouse. When I first started developing the idea for my Ergo Nav Mouse Pad, the sole intent was to eliminate the reach to the desk for the mouse. After speaking with the patients that I was treating for carpal tunnel syndrome, I found that reaching for the mouse was the common thread that all of them found to be at least a moderate if not severe source of aggravation of their symptoms.
A good ergonomic mouse pad has to be adaptable in order to reduce stress and help eliminate or prevent symptoms. Since the Ergo Nav Mouse Pad not only places the mouse close to your body to eliminate reaching stress, but also is adjustable regarding tilt and rotation, it does represent a truly ergonomic mouse platform. Please click here if you would like to know more about the Ergo Nav.
Happy Mousing!
Dr. Steve Jones
Chiropractor
Remember the guy who said work smarter not harder. That is how we need to approach our work stations. I am not talking about work per se, but the tools we use to perform our work – the mouse, the keyboard, the telephone, etc. Of course, the reference here is to ergonomics.
By eliminating as much of the computer related stress as we can – in general we will assure ourselves more productive and more rewarding working careers. Simple improvements such as an ergonomic keyboard, a comfortable mouse, comfortable positioning of your mouse and keyboard and proper placement of your phone and / or ten key pad can make a big difference in the aches and pains that you take home from work with you. Most of these improvements are inexpensive and some are free.
A quick look around the internet (as well as a quick look through my other blog posts) will produce volumes of information regarding the basics of ergonomics and how to apply them to your particular work environment.
Since I am a practicing chiropractor I can tell you that I see more patients now who complain of injuries related to computer work than those related to any type of heavy labor. Most if not all of these patients could have avoided their injuries by making a few simple ergonomic changes to their work stations.
In these tough economic times you have to be proactive with your health and how it relates to your ability to work. We have seen many injured workers over the years lose their jobs – don’t become one of them! Many larger companies have ergonomics specialists who will properly set your computer for your height and body dimensions. If you don’t have access to these specialists through your work consider hiring one.
Take Care,
Dr. Steve Jones
Chiropractor
(619) 280-0554
Posture, stress and computers go hand in hand.
Computers encourage poor posture which in turn causes stress. Stress is that word that we use describe the muscle tension, headaches, neck pain, back pain and wrist pain that we feel as a result of all the demands we put on our bodies and brains on a daily basis.
There are a number of ways in which we can control our posture while we hack at our computers. The first thing that we need to do is to focus on our posture. Ask yourself some basic questions such as: Is my head craned forward toward the monitor? Does my neck feel stiff or tight after any specific job tasks? Are my shoulders rounded or held back? Does anything hurt today? If you have pain, can you associate it with any specific tasks? How does my low back feel? Is my chair comfortable? Do I have any pain after work?
The first and most important action that you can take towards helping yourself regarding your own postural health is to become aware of your posture and concerned at the first sign of any discomfort. If you feel pain or stress, address it, research it and find answers – aside from help from a professional ergonomist, there are many self help tutorials that will help you find solutions to the ergonomic shortfalls of your work station. There is a simple guide here that will take you through basic dos and don’ts of computer work station set ups.
If you think you need an ergonomics specialist to identify the problem areas in your work station you should know that they are available and for what you get for your money, it is well worth the expense. An ergonomics specialist will evaluate your work environment and prepare a report detailing problem areas and recommended changes. The changes that they recommend could make a significant difference.
Yours in Good Health,
Dr. Steve Jones (619) 280-0554
Anyone who has gone to an Office Depot or Staples or any of the other countless office supply stores has seen how many different office chairs that are available.
The question is, which one should you choose? One thing is for certain, as far as your back and neck goes, the color doesn’t matter. However, plenty of other features do matter and can determine how your back feels at the end of your work day.
There are specific brand names that manufacture high end chairs that cost in the thousands of dollars. If you decide that a chair like that fits your needs by all means buy it.
On a regular basis I hear patients comment in a negative way about the expense of ergonomic office products. My response usually draws a correlation between the costs of their vehicle versus the cost of a good office chair. Very few of us spend more than 8 hours per week in our cars that we spends tens of thousands of dollars on yet we often scoff at spending more than a few hundred bucks on a good office chair that we sit in for 8 hours per day. That is some backwards logic isn’t it?
That being said, you don’t have to spend a small fortune on a good office chair. My chair fits all of my needs and I found it at Costco for about $100.
What features does a $100 chair need to have in order for it be the right chair for you?
This is a short list of general features that should be present in a good ergonomic chair.
- It should have a high back
- It should have arm rests
- The backrest should recline and be slightly concave and include a 5 cm lumbar support
- The seating surface should be able to tilt from front to back
- The height of the chair should be adjustable
- The armrest height should be able to adjust
- You must be comfortable in it. A chair with all these features is worthless if you don’t find it comfortable.
Here’s To Your Health
———————————————————————————–
Yours Ergonomically,
Steve Jones
(619) 280-0554
Mission Valley
(619) 280-0554
Ergonomic Office Supplies Buy Ergo Nav
Suffering From Repetitive Strain Wrist Pain, or..."Mighty Mouse"
Syndrome? .
Click Button to buy
Ergo Nav
