Poor posture at screen can be pain in the neck
By BILL HUSTED
Cox News Service
June 5, 2005
I am allowed one computer game a year. Don't tell my wife, but I am secretly delighted with that family rule.
It gets ugly when I play. I stay up so late that I'm usually awake when my college-age stepdaughter comes home. That's quite a feat because she apparently is a vampire, sleeping by day and going out by night.
I won't bore you with details of the game, other than to say it is called "Guild Wars," created by NCSoft. You team up with other players online and kill various monsters.
I'm old — 58 — and most of the players are young. The other night, I was playing with a group that had to stop our killing ways when a fellow warrior was told by his mom to go to bed.
I've learned some lessons during these long nights of slaying dragons that apply not just to game players but also to general computer users.
You see, this game has literally been a pain in the neck for me. I've played with my feet propped on my desk, staring up at my monitor. The strain of that position has left me with a neck that feels almost as old as I am.
I should be sitting with my feet on the floor, my neck should be straight, and the monitor should be about 18 to 30 inches away from my eyes. Ergonomic experts tell me that what seems comfortable at first — like my lazy posture — can cause pain over time. The monitor should be at eye level, especially for people who wear bifocals or trifocal lenses.
If you've ever worn glasses like that, or know someone who does, you may have noticed that it's necessary to tilt the head so that your eyes use the correct part of the lens. All that tilting is another reason that my neck is sore these days.
You'll find all sorts of fancy desks, adjustable stands for monitors and chairs with more controls than a 747 (and selling for around the same price).
All that's great if you can afford it, but your body won't know the difference if you simply adjust the height of your monitor by placing a book under it.
Posture is just one step to comfortable computing. Here are some others:
Loosen up: Since I'm outclassed by many of the 9-year-olds on my "Guild Wars" teams, I have to push myself to keep up with them. In your case, tenseness may come from other worries — like finishing a school or work assignment, or trying to figure out how to pay bills.
But the problem is the same. Tense muscles and tendons make you ripe for aliments such as carpal tunnel syndrome. So make a conscious effort to stay relaxed at the computer.
Take breaks: There are a thousand good reasons to do this, including the need to get a Mountain Dew from the refrigerator. Long periods at a computer can aggravate problems caused by bad posture. And your eyes need a break, too. Something as simple as getting up and walking around the room reduces the strain on your back and eyes.
Level with me: As I type this, my keyboard is in my lap and the mouse is on my desk. I'm a perfect model for how not to do things. The keyboard and the mouse should be at the same height. The keyboard should be on the desk. My feet should be on the floor. And — at the risk of sounding like my old drill sergeant — my arms should be parallel to the floor.
Turn down the lights: Computer rooms often have terrible lighting. This is one of the few things I do correctly. Co-workers have seen me standing on my desk on more than one occasion as I reach up to remove some of the fluorescent tubes in the overhead lighting.
Overhead lighting is a bad idea for those of you who spend hours in front of a screen. Instead, use a desk light that shines on your work, not the computer screen.
There's one last thing to consider. Many of you use a laptop computer as your primary machine. You need to be extra-cautious, since laptops really weren't made to be used for hours on end. Most experts agree that — if you're going to use the machine that way — plugging in a regular monitor and keyboard while you're at home can make a big difference.
I think you'll enjoy computing more if you follow my advice, even if it won't make you better at killing monsters.
|
