Musculoskeletal Issues Related to Computers

“Prevention is better than cure”

Musculoskeletal injuries and other disorders are becoming an increasing health problem in today’s IT driven society. The majority of these are avoidable with a some thought to basic ergonomics.

If you are already have some problems due to working with a computer, keep reading. If you’re not, stay as well, it might be even more important for you.

As a computer scientist, I spend most of my time working on a computer. As many jobs do so. If, like me, you’re spending more than 8h a day in front of your computer, you must learn how to do so properly.

It’s even more important with the rise of teleworking due to the global pandemic. So I’ll go through a very brief overview of the risks and then a list of methods on how to prevent/mitigate them.

Let’s overview the 2 main categories of problems that can occur if you’re working on a computer :

• Musculoskeletal disorders : It can range from simple (but annoying) neck, wrist or shoulder pains to more serious cases like lumbago. They are generated by staying in a bad position for hours :

• You can also have visual fatigue with dry eyes, headache, … For the most part, it’s will be gone after some rest. These issues are not addressed in this article (maybe in another one)

These problems can hinder you in your daily life, not only at work. So, all the more reasons to learn how to prevent/mitigate them.

Here is a list of what we can do :

• First, get a proper working setup. A true desk chair that support your back with adjustable armrests for your shoulders.
• The top of the monitor should be at eyes height.
• You have to be between 50 and 70 cm away from your screen
• Feet should be squarely on the floor. After adjusting a chair for the typing position, if the feet do not touch the floor, a foot rest maybe required.
• Watch out for you back, it must be straight and supported by your desk chair.

• Your wrists should be in line with your arms, not bending in another direction. So avoid positions like this :

• Try to lean your forearms on the table when you’re typing to relieve your shoulders.
• Keyboard and mouse should be at 10–15 cm from the desk. Again to relieve your shoulders.
• Your final position should allow the forearms to be horizontal with the elbows.
• Set up the brightness of the monitor so it adapts to the ambient light.
• But even the best position with the best setup will entail pain and muscular strains when it’s maintained for many hours. So try to make active pause (15 minutes every 2 hours for instance), stretch, go for a walk, …

This is not an exhaustive list but only the basics. Yet, it’s still a hundred times better than staying on your couch for working !

There you go ! That was a list of recommendations for preventing/mitigating the computer related issues you could have. I know that some of you might disregard this topic but please do not. It’s a small upfront cost and you’ll curse yourself if you don’t do it now !