Archive for the 'HEALTHY COMPUTING' Category

There are aches that do not go away easily.Most often, people affected by a crick in the neck, a bad back or painful wrists, do not recognize these as symptoms of repetitive stress injury (RSI), the causative factors for which are embedded in a person’s profession or vocation.

“When there is physical stress of a similar kind and repeatedly at the same area, it leads to RSI,” says V.B. Bhasin, honorary senior consultant at the department of orthopaedics, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi.

Computer-dependent professions exhibit the highest incidence of RSI.

In an ongoing study on musculoskeletal disorders among computer professionals in India being conducted by RECOUP—Neuro Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Centre based in Bangalore, more than three-fourths of the 35,000 persons surveyed showed symptoms of RSI.

The areas affected most commonly include the neck, upper back, lower back and the upper extremity, says Deepak Sharan, medical director, RECOUP. A fifth of such patients also suffers from constant pain and numbness.

Is your posture annoying you? Want to bring change in your posture?

You should take care regarding every aspect such as sitting, standing, walking and leaning for correction in the posture.

Alexander technique is one of the best techniques in correcting your posture related problems.

Alexander Technique is also referred as the ideal method in making changes regarding your posture.

Alexander technique comprises of 3 principles in correcting the posture.

Remember that these principles are only related to posture correcting when you are still or sitting.

So, this is very much useful for computer professionals who worry about posture related problems.

Alexander technique posture correcting principles:

Observation: Do you feel that the posture you are sitting is wrong? If you feel that your posture is wrong, then this is know as observing principle. Use your eyes in recognizing the wrong posture. If you are able to observe these changes, start changing the posture. Most common observations are

How to be in posture? This is the most common question raised by computer professionals who spends lot of their time before the computer.

In this computer world, you spend most of your time by sitting before the computer. If you do not maintain perfect posture, you will be facing many problems regarding the wrong posture.

Many people who are not aware of posture problems ignore the importance of postures, but the truth is bad posture can affect your overall health.

If you are a computer professional or spend most of your time before the computer, then posture ranks first in maintenance of the health.

Other things like eating low fat and rich fiber food, sleeping adequately helps to maintain your health. This article contains some ideal posture tips which correct your posture and makes you overall healthy.

Now-a-days, eight hours of work in front of computer is common, but many professionals around the world are finding out that it can be dangerous to the health.

Computer related injuries (CRI) are increasing and many young people are complaining of sharp pains, cramps and numbness due to CRI.

The most common symptoms of CRI are headaches, back pain, neck pain, arm and shoulder pain.

You can get muscle and joint problems when

• Your work station design is poor
• You work sitting in a bad posture
• You perform repetitive actions
• You work for extended hours

Reasons for computer related injuries:

Not maintaining the curve of spine:

You can understand the correct posture by simply looking at the spine and how it tolerates weight. Your spinal column contains three different curves: cervical curve, thoracic curve and lumbar curve. These three curves are essential because spine is allowed to distribute the body weight equally rather than if the curves were straight.

These days working on computer for minimum 8 hours is common. But, the other common thing while working on your computer is back injury. There are many harmful situations that lead to back injury while working on your system. Identify the postures to prevent back injuries.

Postures that can lead to back injury:

1. Your body can bear unmovable position for only about twenty minutes. But, while working on your computer, you forget this fact and stay for prolonged hours in the same position without moving. After sometime, you feel discomfort in that posture. Soft tissues in your body lose elasticity slowly if you hold the same position for longer hours.

   Therefore, stress develops and thereby back pain or leg pain can develop. So, remember to change the posture often while working on your computer. Take short breaks for every half an hour. In that break, perform stretching exercises, lower back exercises or take a short walk. Once you return to the standing or sitting position, change the posture. It will regain the lost elasticity that is necessary for your joints.

Placing the monitor too close or too far can cause to assume awkward body postures.

These bad postures can lead to improper ergonomic condition and cause eye strain.

If you are keeping the monitor too far, it can make you to lean forward and cause strain in seeing the small text [Positioning the ergonomic monitor].

This can make your eyes tired and it also places stress on your torso as you will not get the support from back rest when you lean forward.

If you are keeping the monitor too close, your eyes will work hard to focus and this can make you to sit in the awkward position.

For example, you may tilt the head backwards for viewing the screen or move back your chair away from the monitor, making you to type by over stretching your arms.

Increase in waist size is the most common problem that is seen in people who spend more time in front of their systems.

There are several reasons for the occurrence of this problem and the most common cause which is seen in more number of people is storage of fat in that particular area.

People who work in the corporate office will not have enough time to take rest and get relaxed.

They immediately go to their work after eating. This is not a good practice and it makes your body to feel uncomfortable and your digestion levels will also become slow.

The fats which are present in your body will be stored in your stomach or in your waist line, that’s why the size of the waist will obviously increase.

People who work for longer hours in front of their systems will certainly face some health problems like RSI (repetitive strain injury), CTS (carpel tunnel syndrome), back pain etc in their future if they don’t follow certain essential aspects, which will be helpful for them to avoid health problems.

The way you sit before computer and how you work with the computer is mainly responsible for all the inconveniences of your health.

Right ergonomic seating system and correct procedure of working with your computer will be helpful for you.

Tips to select computer desk and seating arrangement:

• Buying the ergonomic computer desk is the best option if you like to buy the perfect computer desk for your system, but the recent studies have proved that even the ergonomic computer desks are also not giving the better results as they are not used in the right way.

People who are working with the system for long period of time will obtain several health problems in their future if they don’t follow the right position of sitting and right way of working.

Out of all other problems, leg pain is one of the main problems which disturb you in long run.

Person who spends long time in front of the system sits in the same position by letting his legs also stay in the same position.

Due to this, the muscles which are present in your legs become tight and sometimes even they attain cramps with this practice.

Tips to avoid leg problems while working on your system for long period:

• Exercise is the essential thing which you have to perform regularly to stay fit and healthy. By practicing the leg exercises regularly, your work strain and stress levels will be reduced and the occurrence of pain and strain at your joints will also become less.

Usually people who are working with their computers get headaches whenever they continuously work for long period of time.

Experienced physicians say that these headaches are quite common and the reason for the occurrence of these headaches is quite difficult to find out because several factors are involved in it like work strain, work tension, unhealthiness, eye strain, brain strain etc.

Different things are responsible for each and everyone who are suffering with these headaches.

Some people obtain these headaches quite rarely whereas some others get them more frequently (in some cases daily). If you are suffering with these headaches frequently, consult your physician regarding this problem.

Tips to get rid of the headaches while working on your computer for longer hours:

• Don’t feel the stress whenever you sit in front of your computer. Stress is the main thing which is responsible for several problems. Try to play some pleasant music to make your mind relaxed whenever you are under pressure [Tips to ease the computer stress].