With most student doing online school this semester and people working from home, are you making sure you are having the best posture while you are on the computer? A proper posture can help minimize fatigue and necessary ache and pain in the neck, back and shoulders ; it can also help improve concentration and productivity.
Here are five things to look for:
1. Eye level with computer monitor. your computer monitor should be straight in front of you, level with your eyes and at least one arm's length away. This provide the most optimal head position and allow the muscles around the neck and upper back to exert less force to maintain the posture thus prevent early fatigue. 2. Keyboard position should be level where the shoulders are relax, not elevated. Elbow in a relax slightly flex position. Wrist is resting comfortably on the desk (with a keyboard cushion) while working on the keyboard/mouse. 3. Chair should provide comfortable support for your whole back and allow you to sit in an upright relax position. Chair position should be close enough to the desk where you do not need to lean forward while working on the computer. This will prevent early muscle fatigue due to your back muscles trying to keep your torso in an upright posture. 4. Feet flat on the ground, knee level with the hip. Do not cross your legs because it will cause twisting of your torso and exert more stress on your spine and surrounding musculature. 5. Try to get up and move around every 30-45 minutes. The longer you are in one position, the slower the circulation become and cause increase tension in the muscles. If getting up and move around is not possible, then perform some shoulder shrug, neck and back rotation/stretching exercise and back extension exercise, even just 30 seconds of stretching can decrease muscles tension and fatigue.
Dr. Denny Chiu, D.C, L.Ac, Q.M.E, C.C.S.P www.humanjointcare.com Tel: 626-286-5800