Neck Pain

[Stelzner]

Hi Everybody;

How many of you get sore neck and shoulders after being at the computer for many hours? What are you tips?

Mike
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[Appum]

I go for an hour long fast-paced walk.
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[chrislynnet]

I don't experience soreness anymore ever since I got a dog! No kidding, twice-a-day walks with my 60-pound Sharpei-cross has worked all the kinks out. This would go along with Jonathan's suggestion of a walk, it's just that I'm undisciplined about personal exercise and wouldn't necessarily do it otherwise. Having a dog who LOVES his walks is like having a built-in personal trainer.

Also keeps my weight down, which can be an issue in a sedentary occupation like writing.
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[FederalWriter]

I think identifying and eliminating the cause(s) is much more important than treating the symptoms after the fact. Adjusting your screeen and chair to make sure that you're neither looking up nor down at your screen is often all you have to do to avoid neck issues. Likewise, lining up your elbow support to the exact height of your mouse and using some sort of slightly elevated foot rest eliminates seated work-related wrist and lower back pain, respectively.

[Pam Gitta]

I have pretty severe back & neck pain, but I can keep it under some semblence of control by lifting weights. Anything that works the upper back and shoulders really helps a lot.

If you have a laptop, you can put in quite a few hours on the floor, changing your position often. I'll go back & forth between sitting on the floor with it in my lap, on the floor with it between my legs (you can get a good stretch going that way) and then up on a low coffee table.

And I second FedWriter's advice. The perfect desk setup can also help a lot. It may require some experimentation (I'm on my 5th chair) but I've noticed getting my monitor at a proper height has made a huge difference.

There's also...if you're really serious...setting reminders to yourself every 30 minutes or so to check your shoulders and see if they're somewhere up around your ears. Keep your neck and shoulders as loose as possible. Neck rolls are good. Yoga's good.

Yeah, I've tried it all...
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[Appum]

What do you think about those ergonomic keyboards that have the rise in the center? Have you used them before?

I tried it but found it difficult to use.
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[Samantha Enslen]

I have terrible problems with my right wrist, right arm, and right shoulder -- worst and most intensely, of course, when I have a large workload and am under particularly stressful deadlines.

DF and DS (Dear Father and Dear Sister) have convinced me to try using my mouse with my left hand instead of my right. I've been at it for the past week and have actually had some easing of the tension.

The only thing that really works for me to "break through" the discomfort is to do highly aerobic exercise that works the large muscle groups in my abs, back, and upper body (a la Pam's suggestion to lift weights). For me, that means martial arts -- Tae Kwon Do or Soo Bahk Do.

Back in the day (i.e., pre-children), I either took class or taught three days a week, for 2-3 hours at a stretch, and only rarely had writing-induced pain. These days, when you're more likely to find me working at the computer than working out ... my arm aches frequently.

You do the math.
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Dragonfly Editorial
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[Appum]

Hi Sam,

Sorry to hear about your injury. Since my hands and arms are my sole means of income, getting Carpal Tunnel would be a scary proposition for me.

I hope your exercise program helps your condition. I will take your advise on the aerobic exercise front. It sounds good.

Jonathan
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[Pam Gitta]

I have one of those ergonomic keyboards and I love it.

It took me about three days to get used to it, and another week or so to get back up to my regular typing speed, but now I wouldn't change it for anything.

I also found getting a large trackball totally got rid of carpal tunnel problems for me.
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[haakon59]

There are several ways of dealing with problems concern neck and shoulder pain.

First, I get up and stretch every hour. Occasionally stretch your wrist and fingers backwards on each hand.

Use baoding balls. These are balls you manipulate in your hands and they work pretty well.

Use a squeeze ball. These are sometimes made with bunched up rubber bands and are often labelled as stress relief balls.

There are gloves with 3/4 fingers you can buy.

There is also a plastic device with finger holes which you can use to give yourself some resistance while spreading your fingers.

With your neck, stretch it every so often, both ways.

Buy an ergonomic keyboard and mouse. I use the version Microsoft offers and it works pretty well. As stated above, you need a few days to get used to the angles, etc., but it is surprising how well this keyboard will reduce neck and shoulder pain

[JohnWhitePaper]

http://www.cheqsoft.com/break.html

1) Try it.
2) Buy it.
3) Use it.
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[aileen.m]

The information on this website may be valuable. http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/computerworkstations/

Sincerely,
Aileen

[Fedja]

I've found that workspace quality is too often neglected by the average freelancer (those that i know at least).

I battle strain injuries (and I spend an average of 12 hours per day at the computer screen) with a high-quality chair and computer peripherals.

A good chair costs quite a bit, but it's worth every penny. As far as peripherals go, I used to be an avid PC gamer and if anyone knows about keyboard/mouse strain, that's the 24/7 PC brats.

Keyboard - split setups aren't for everyone, but the semi ergonomic "wave" keyboards do make a world of a difference.

Mouse - get a gaming mouse, they're made specifically for active use. Make sure to figure out if you're an "arm person" or a "finger person".
- If you move the mouse with the whole arm, get a heavier and taller mouse that your hand will rest on (example, Logitech G9)
- If you move the mouse with loose finger flicks, get a light and flat mouse that won't strain your hand (example, any of the Razer mice)
- If you spend most of your "mouse time" scrolling and tabbing, get a mouse that's well equipped for that, such as the Logitech MX Revolution

Professional peripherals do cost more than the average office junker most people use, but if you ran marathons for a living, would you want to do it in army boots?

[wenmar]

As I health writer, I've been covering repetitive stress injuries for years and much of what you've read here is correct: make sure the ergonomics of your worksite is correct (monitor at right angle and height), chair that fits your back properly; taking regular breaks even if you have to set a timer.

here are are few other things:

The KEYBOARD should be in the right place. Most keyboards are up on the desk. That's WRONG! When it is, your shoulders get hunched up, your neck tightens. The keyboard needs to be BELOW your desk. Either find something to clip onto your desk that will hold your keyboard, or build your own slide -in shelf, as my husband did when he designed my desk.

If you wear glasses, make sure they're still suited to your work. Face it folks; it may be bifocal time. And if you don't, maybe that's your problem. Maybe you're squinting w/o being aware of it. You could try enlarging the type of your screen, but you'll probably still strain your neck. If you do get glasses, make sure the optometrist factors in the distance from your screen up to your eyes. (You should sit at one of the office computers so the doc can measure.)

Some people find those no-back "chairs" help. Not sure how to describe them; they're like a stool that leans backward, with your legs tucked backwards. It forces your back to stay straight.

Finally, I found a great website that lets me do neck and other stretches at my desk. I highly recommend it:

www.ergocise.com You can pick shoulder, neck, and other exercises.

Good luck!

[franca]

Hi Mike,

I agree that proper exercise and correct ergonomics are extremely important, but neck and back pain can also be the symptom of bad eating patterns.

I have back and neck pain when I eat a lot of sugar and don't drink enough water. I don't drink alcohol, but I hear it also contributes.

My nutritionist in Encinitas took me off sugar, reduced bad "carbs," and makes me eat a lot of greens. I also take supplements. No more back pain!

Thanks for the good question,

Fran Calvert
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