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When you are at work you may sit for hours before a computerthen wonder why your back hurts.
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Free
yourself from all these pains by correcting your posture. There are some tips that will help you.
Align your
monitor. While sitting at your computer, close your eyes and imagine you are
looking straight ahead. Now open them and notice the first thing you see. This
is your line of vision. The center of your screen should be 4 to 9 inches below this line.
Generally, if you can see over your monitor, your screen is set too low. Prop
it up with a wooden block or a heavy book.
Make sure
your chair is high enough. Your knees should line up with your hips while your
feet stay planted on the floor.
Don't sit on
the edge of your seat. Your back has no support and you'll start to slump. When
your hips are against the back of your chair, you should be able to fit three
fingers between the back of your knee and the edge of your seat. If you can't,
try another chair. If your chair tilts,
lean back slightly. If it doesn't, adjust your back support so you can sit at a
slight backwards angle.
Straighten
your wrists. The nerves running from your arm to your fingers pass through a tunnel
of muscles in your wrists, When these muscles get inflamed from strain, they
squeeze the nerves and cause pain signals to shoot up your arm. This is called
carpal tunnel syndrome.
Keep your
hands and elbows in a straight line and you can avoid this tunnel block,
Position your keyboard even with your lap, propping your wrists up if
necessary.
Look into
these new keyboards and other computer accessories that can save your joints.
Look after
your eyes. Everybody gets tired eyes at the end of the day. But the burning,
itching, and blurred vision you experience after using your computer too long
is serious enough to have its own medical term — computer vision syndrome.
The muscles
behind your eyeballs stretch and relax as you focus near and far. If they stay
fixed in one position for too long, however, you feel the strain. While the
fatigue is only temporary, it can still be uncomfortable. In addition, when you
stare at your screen, you forget to blink. This dries your eyes out, adding to
your discomfort.
The simplest
way to save your eyes while you work is to take mini-breaks. After every 20
minutes you spend in front of your computer, get up and walk around. Get a
glass of water, talk on the phone, or focus on something far away. You get
double benefit from these breaks — your eyes will relax and your back will
stretch.
Ease the tension.
Poor posture puts stress on the muscles of your neck and shoulders. When they
cramp, you can get a major tension headache. So, don't twist your neck to look
from a piece of paper on your desk to the screen. Instead, set up a vertical
document holder parallel to your monitor. And remember to breathe in deeply
every once in awhile. This will pull your shoulders back in line and relax the
muscles in your neck.
Don't ignore
your body while you work on the computer. Have a message pop up on your screen
every 15 minutes with this friendly reminder: "Sit up, blink, and
breathe."
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