Ergonomics

I spent too much time at my computer last week, and now I'm paying for it. Usually, I feel it in my wrist and hand, but this time it's in my shoulder and back. I call it the mouse syndrome. All I have to do is lift my mouse for a second and I know exactly what's causing it … bad posture. Personally I don't like the sound of poor posture, so I think of myself as ergonomically shaky.

Ergonomics is the study of the laws of work. Basically, it's the study of what happens when you sit hunched over your machine all the time, paying little or no attention to slouching and repetitive motion.

The principles of ergonomics involve adapting your work environment to your body posture. Think about your workspace for a moment. Did you design your computer area thinking about the tasks you are going to perform? Or did you find a place where your computer would fit and force your posture and motions to conform?

More often than not, we set our computer up more for aesthetics rather than ergonomics. If you primarily enter information (data entry) your computer is best in the center of your desk. If the entry is minimal and research and book reference is primary, then your computer should be off to the side with ample area for reading and writing in the center.

Your keyboard should also be at a "negative tilt". This allows your fingers to dangle away from your body in a natural position. Wrist pads have been developed to place in front of your key board to obtain this negative tilt. As for your monitor, the top edge should be at eye level. It's size will dictate how far away you'll need to be from the monitor to obtain this.

Of course, we should be sitting straight and tall while at our computers, although I find myself slipping into a "slouched" position as the hours fade away. And that's one reason why it's important to take frequent breaks.

A maximum of 1 to 1 ½ hours should be spent on the computer without a break. Not only does this allow for us to stretch our bones and muscles, it allows our eyes to relax and take their own break. The ideal break for our eyes is outside - focusing on a scenery in the distance - just the opposite of the up close work we do on our computer screens. Remember the image on our computer screen is constantly changing pixels, not a solid image; hence our eyes work much harder than we realize.

Repetitive motion injuries are not just for the workplace. They happen right in front of our home computers every day. Eliminating the repetitive motion is one way to solve the problem.

So, I'm on a no mouse diet this week. I'm planning on suffering through these hard times in a Jacuzzi. It'll be tough, but I'll manage.