[ale] semi [OT] ergonomics 101 - stop your computer from killing you

[Ron Frazier]

Hi all,

This is a followup to a post I made before entitled "This Computer Is 
Killing Me".  In essence, I violated the laws of human body physics 
while using my computer.  I sat in a particularly un ergonomic lounge 
chair, for several hours each day, for two days, using a laptop 
computer, with my head tilted down and slightly left, my back tilted 
back, and my back curved the opposite way it does naturally.  When you 
fight the laws of physics, you LOSE.  The price for my insubordination 
was 5 visits to the chiropractor within 20 days, lots of stretching, a 
good deal of pain, and several sleepless nights.  (A chiropractic visit 
every 2 months or so is not uncommon for me, as well as many other 
people.)  I'm almost human again, but I have to daily remind myself what 
to do and not to do, or I could backslide and have similar things happen 
again.  I thought I'd share some things I (re)learned with you so you 
can avoid similar pitfalls.  Note, this applies mostly to human bodies 
over 40 years old, but not exclusively.  Younger people are also 
susceptible to the laws of human body physics.  Abusing the laws over 
time gets more and more painful, and eventually, can cause irreparable 
damage to your body.  I'll bet you've heard most of this before.  And, 
I'll bet you backslide periodically and don't do the right things for 
your health.  We computer geeks are particularly susceptible to these 
problems.  These things are a variation of repetitive stress injuries, 
which you could research if desired.  Believe me, I'm preaching to 
myself here too.  Here goes.

0.5) WATER.  Every cell of your body and every part of your body need a 
continuous supply of fresh water to work.  This applies to muscles, 
spinal discs, nerves, your brain, even bones.  The rule of thumb is to 
take your body weight in pounds, divide by 2, and drink that much water 
in ounces every day.  So, if you weigh 200 lbs, drink 100 ounces of 
water per day if you have an average level of activity.  This is about 
3/4 of a gallon.  Almost all people don't get enough.  You also lose a 
lot of water just by breathing overnight.  If you don't want to count 
ounces, here's what I do.  Every morning, I drink 30 swallows of water.  
Your first water of the day should be room temperature, which works 
better to jump start your stomach.  30 swallows for me is probably about 
12 - 16 ounces.  Every time I go to the restroom, I drink another 12 - 
15 swallows.  When I eat, I usually drink 2 cups of water or tea 
(minimizing the sugar).  I don't know precisely how many ounces this 
adds up to.  However, it's much better than just drinking a few glasses 
a day, like we're inclined to if we get all caught up in work.  Check 
out this book: Water: For Health, for Healing, for Life: You're Not 
Sick, You're Thirsty! by F. Batmanghelidj and this website: 
http://www.watercure.com/ .

1) Drinking and driving don't mix.  Oil and water don't mix.  And, 
lounge chairs and computers don't mix.  Actually, the chiropractor 
dislikes almost all lounge chairs, with or without the computer.  But, 
in this case, human back tilted back, head tilted forward, head twisted 
sideways, = = BAD.  As much as I might like to compute while watching 
TV, now my computer stays on my work table.  It's amazing how we dilute 
our recreational time with work type activities.  By the way, reading a 
book on your lap in a lounge chair has much the same effect.

2) Workstation ergonomics.  When seated at your workstation, your back 
should be essentially straight, not tilted much.  Your legs should be 
parallel to the floor.  Your arms should be parallel to the floor.  
(Many workstation setups fail this.)  The center of your monitor should 
be right in front of your eyes.

3) Try to avoid uneven or unbalanced stresses on your muscles, if 
possible.  For example, if you are continually looking sideways at a 
monitor, or continually reaching sideways for a mouse, those muscles 
become disproportionally stronger, over time.  That tends to pull your 
body in that direction.  That leads to you trying to compensate.  That 
leads to muscle tension and possible crooked bones that don't 
spontaneously fix themselves.  If you cannot move the monitor, try 
stretching in the opposite direction periodically.  You could also try 
using the mouse with your opposite hand.  Be wary of turning your legs 
one way and your shoulders another.

4) Posture.  The orientation of your head, relative to your shoulders, 
is critical.  It is all too common to see people, young and old, with a 
hunchback posture.  Over time, this can permanently damage your 
vertebrae, spinal discs, and nerves, should the discs degenerate.  Much 
of what we do involves reaching forward.  That makes our front muscles 
stronger, and tends to encourage a hunchback posture.  Both your back 
and your neck should have a slight curve toward your front side.  This 
is totally opposite of what most lounge chairs encourage.  In general, 
your shoulders should be directly above your hips and your head should 
be directly above your shoulders.  I read somewhere that you can imagine 
a rubber band going from your ear lobes to the center of your shoulders 
on each side.  You want to keep those rubber bands as short as possible.

5) Take breaks every hour or so.  Do some stretches.  Shrug your 
shoulders and stretch out your arms and move them around.  Walk a block 
or half a block down your street and back, if it's safe.  Get a digital 
timer that you can preset and set for an hour then get up when it goes 
off.  Reset it and restart it when you get back.  An hour a day walking 
is great, and is recommended.  However, even 10 minutes twice a day can 
be very helpful.  This Radio Shack timer works well.  It has an 
adjustable volume level beeper, hanger and magnet for mounting, table 
stand, and a keypad for presetting it.  Cat #: 63-248.

I'm going to share some stretches which my chiropractor prescribed me 
that you can do to keep limber.  Warning, use your own brain and 
discretion when doing these.  Do not attempt to stretch in any way that 
is too difficult or causes pain.  Do not attempt to stretch too rapidly 
after being still for a while.  Use at your own risk.  If you have any 
concerns about your ability to do these safely, contact a chiropractor 
or other health professional.

For me, my neck muscles are really the ones that want to betray me.  
They like to tense all up and move my bones the wrong way.  So, that's 
what these exercises focus on.

A) Standing / sitting posture.  Find an open available wall or a closed 
(and latched) door.  Stand next to the wall or door, facing away from 
it.  Place your heels, butt, shoulder blades, and back of head in 
contact with the wall.  This will likely feel very unnatural, but is the 
proper posture for your body.  Warning, if you feel pain, or excessive 
tension or discomfort, do not continue.  Once you have attained the 
correct posture, maintain it for 2 minutes.  Do this 3 times / week.  
When sitting, try to maintain the same relationship between your head, 
shoulders, and butt.  Do not slump or slouch.

Following are some neck exercises to stretch out your neck muscles.  
These involve tilting the head in each direction, as well as twisting 
the head left and right.  Do not roll your head around in a circle.  
According to my chiropractor, rolling your head round abrades the bones 
in such a way that it contributes to arthritis later.  Again, if you 
feel pain, or excessive tension or discomfort, do not continue.  These 
should be done while seated with back straight in a chair.  For one 
exercise, you will need to be able to hold the bottom of the chair under 
your legs, so simple chairs work better.

B) Tilting head side to side.
      While seated in a chair with back straight, looking forward, tilt 
your head to the LEFT slowly, stretching out the muscles on the RIGHT 
side.  Once you've tilted your head, hold that position for 5 seconds.  
Then straighten up and relax.  Now, tilt your head to the RIGHT slowly, 
stretching out the muscles on the LEFT side.  Once you've tilted your 
head, hold that position for 5 seconds.  Then, straighten up and relax.  
Repeat this entire procedure 10 times.  Do the 10 repetitions 3 times / day.

C) Tilting head front to back.
      While seated in a chair with back straight, looking forward, tilt 
your head FORWARD slowly, stretching out the muscles in the BACK.  Once 
you've tilted your head, hold that position for 5 seconds.  Then 
straighten up and relax.  Now, tilt your head BACKWARDS slowly, 
stretching out the muscles in the FRONT.  Once you've tilted your head, 
hold that position for 5 seconds.  Then, straighten up and relax.  
Repeat this entire procedure 10 times.  Do the 10 repetitions 3 times / day.

D) Twisting head side to side.
      While seated in a chair with back straight, looking forward, twist 
your head to the LEFT slowly, looking to the side, stretching out the 
muscles on the RIGHT side.  Once you've twisted your head, hold that 
position for 5 seconds.  Then straighten up and relax.  Now, twist your 
head to the RIGHT slowly, looking to the side, stretching out the 
muscles on the LEFT side.  Once you've twisted your head, hold that 
position for 5 seconds.  Then, straighten up and relax.  Repeat this 
entire procedure 10 times.  Do the 10 repetitions 3 times / day.

E) Tilting head side to side while holding the chair.
      While seated in a chair with back straight, looking forward, place 
your RIGHT hand under the chair seat and hold the chair seat.  This 
keeps your shoulder down.  Tilt your head to the LEFT slowly, stretching 
out the muscles on the RIGHT side.  Once you've tilted your head, hold 
that position for 5 seconds.  Then straighten up and relax.  Place your 
LEFT hand under the chair seat and hold the chair seat.  Now, tilt your 
head to the RIGHT slowly, stretching out the muscles on the LEFT side.  
Once you've tilted your head, hold that position for 5 seconds.  Then, 
straighten up and relax.  Repeat this entire procedure 10 times.  Do the 
10 repetitions 3 times / day.

F) Rearward elbow stretches.
      While seated in a chair with back straight, looking forward, place 
your hands behind your head and interlock your fingers.  Your elbows 
should be straight out on either side.  Without pressing on your head, 
squeeze your shoulder blades together and let elbows swing outward and 
back.  Pause for a moment and relax.  This stretches your front chest 
muscles.  Repeat this entire procedure 10 times.  Do the 10 repetitions 
3 times / day.
      For me, this procedure tends to make my back muscles cramp.  So, I 
use an alternate procedure.  Stand in an open doorway, facing the 
doorway, just slightly before entering the door frame..  Place your 
hands behind your head and interlock your fingers.  Your elbows should 
be straight out on either side.  The doorway should be narrow enough 
that you cannot get through it with your elbows stretched out.  As you 
move your body forward, your elbows and part of your forearms should 
contact the door frame on either side.  Gently and slowly, without 
pressing on your head, move your body forward, which pushes your elbows 
back.  This stretches your front chest muscles.  Pause for a moment, 
then move your body backwards and relax.  Be sure not to use too much 
forward pressure, which could cause injury.  Repeat this entire 
procedure 10 times.  Do the 10 repetitions 3 times / day.

I hope you find this helpful, and avoid the pitfalls I faced.  Now I 
have to go practice what I'm preaching lest I get a neck ache today.

Sincerely,

Ron



-- 

(PS - If you email me and don't get a quick response, you might want to
call on the phone.  I get about 300 emails per day from alternate energy
mailing lists and such.  I don't always see new messages very quickly.)

Ron Frazier

770-205-9422 (O)   Leave a message.
linuxdude AT c3energy.com