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Use of a
keyboard or mouse may be linked to serious injuries or
disorders.
When using a computer, as with many activities, you may
experience occasional discomfort in your hands, arms,
shoulders, neck, or other parts of your body. However, if
you experience symptoms such as persistent or recurring
discomfort, pain, throbbing, aching, tingling, numbness,
burning sensation, or stiffness, DO NOT IGNORE THESE
WARNING SIGNS. PROMPTLY SEE A QUALIFIED HEALTH PROFESSIONAL,
even if symptoms occur when you are not working at your
computer. Symptoms like these can be associated with painful
and sometimes permanently disabling injuries or disorders of
the nerves, muscles, tendons, or other parts of the body.
These musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) include carpal tunnel
syndrome, tendonitis, tenosynovitis, and other conditions.
While researchers are not yet able to answer many questions
about MSDs, there is general agreement that many factors may
be linked to their occurrence, including: overall health,
stress and how one copes with it, medical and physical
conditions, and how a person positions and uses his or her
body during work and other activities (including use of a
keyboard or mouse). The amount of time a person performs an
activity may also be a factor. |
Because there are a variety of
factors that may contribute to MSDs, this guide cannot provide
everything you need to know to prevent an MSD or reduce your risk of
experiencing one. For some people, following the suggestions may
reduce their risk of experiencing an MSD. For others, it may not.
However, many people experience greater comfort and productivity
when following these suggestions. Keep in mind that this guide is
not a substitute for the advice of a qualified health professional
or an employer health policy or program. If you have questions about
how your own lifestyle, activities, or medical or physical condition
may be related to MSDs, see a qualified health professional.
Position Yourself
Whether you are working or
playing, it is important to avoid awkward postures and position your
body comfortably. Not only can this improve your overall
productivity, it may help you avoid MSDs. Keep in mind that changing
your posture during extended tasks may also help you avoid
discomfort and fatigue.
When working or playing at the computer, adapt your surroundings and
arrange your computing equipment to promote a comfortable and
relaxed body posture. Setting up your workstation to avoid
discomfort depends on your unique body size and work environment.
However, the following suggestions may help to provide you with a
more comfortable environment.
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To support your back, try the
following:
- Use a chair that
supports your lower back (see detail 1).
- Adjust your work
surface and chair height to assume a comfortable and
natural body posture (see detail 2).
To promote comfortable leg postures, try the following:
- Clear away items
from beneath your desk to allow comfortable leg
positioning and movement.
- Use a footrest if
your feet do not rest comfortably on the floor.
To minimize reaching and to promote comfortable shoulder
and arm postures, try the following:
- Place your
keyboard and mouse or trackball at the same height;
these should be at about elbow level. Your upper arms
should fall relaxed at your sides (see detail 3).
- When typing,
center your keyboard in front of you with your mouse or
trackball located close to it (see detail 4).
- Place frequently
used items comfortably within arm's reach (see detail
5).
To promote proper wrist and finger postures, try the
following:
- Keep your wrists
straight while typing and while using a mouse or
trackball. Avoid bending your wrists up, down, or to the
sides. If your keyboard has legs, extend them if this
helps you maintain a comfortable and straight wrist
position.
- Type with your
hands and wrists floating above the keyboard, so that
you can use your whole arm to reach for distant keys
instead of stretching your fingers.
To minimize neck bending and twisting, try the following:
- Position the top
of the screen near eye level (see detail 6). Bifocal
wearers may need to lower the screen or talk to a
qualified health professional about glasses customized
for computer work.
- Center your
monitor in front of you. If you refer to your documents
more frequently than your monitor, consider placing your
documents directly in front of you and the monitor
slightly to the side.
- Consider using a
document holder to position your documents near eye
level.
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To minimize eye strain, try the following:
- Position your monitor
about an arm's length away from you when seated comfortably in
front of it.
- Avoid glare by placing
your monitor away from light sources that produce glare, or use
window blinds to control light levels.
- Remember to clean your
screen. If you wear glasses, clean them also.
- Adjust your monitor's
brightness and contrast.
- Adjust onscreen front
sizes to make viewing more comfortable for you, if your computer
program has this feature.
Go Lightly
Physical forces continuously
interact with our bodies. We may think that only high-impact forces,
such as car crashes, are likely to injure our bodies. However,
low-impact forces may also result in injuries, discomfort, and
fatigue if they are repeated or experienced over long periods of
time.
Some types of low forces include:
Dynamic force: A force that you exert through movement, such
as pressing the keys while typing or clicking the mouse buttons.
Static force: A force that you maintain for a period of time,
such as holding your mouse or cradling the phone.
Contact force: A force that occurs when you rest on an edge
or hard surface, such as resting your wrists on the edge of your
desk.
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To reduce the effects of low-impact
forces on your body, try the following:
- Type with a light
touch, keeping your hands and fingers relaxed, because
it takes little effort to activate keyboard keys.
- Use a light touch
when clicking a mouse button or when using a joystick or
other gaming controller.
- Hold the mouse
with a relaxed hand and do not grip the mouse tightly.
- Avoid resting
your palms or wrists on any type of surface while typing
(see detail 7). The palm rest, if provided, should only
be used during breaks from typing.
- Relax your arms
and hands when you are not typing or using your mouse.
Do not rest your arms and hands on edges, such as the
edge of your desk.
- Adjust your chair
so the seat does not press into the back of your knees
(see detail 8).
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Take Breaks
Taking breaks can help your
body recover from any activity and may help you avoid MSDs. The
length and frequency of breaks that are right for you depend on the
type of work you are doing. Stopping the activity and relaxing is
one way to take a break, but there are other ways, also. For
example, just changing tasks - perhaps from sitting while typing to
standing while talking on the phone can help some muscles relax
while others remain productive.
To vary your daily activities and to work
productively, try the following:
- Plan your work and play
so that you are not doing the same thing for extended periods of
time (such as performing the same activity or using the same
part of your body).
- Use different input
devices, such as your mouse and keyboard, to accomplish the same
task. For example, to perform a scrolling task, you can use the
wheel on the mouse and the arrow keys on the keyboard.
- Work more efficiently by
using software and hardware features to reduce your effort and
increase your productivity. For example, you can press the
Windows logo key to open the Windows Start menu.
- Learn about software and
hardware features by reading the information that accompanied
these products. For example, if you frequently highlight text,
assign a mouse button to do ClickLock.
Be Healthy
A healthy lifestyle can help
you perform and enjoy your everyday activities, including the time
spent at your computer. Also, learning more about your health is an
important step in staying comfortable and productive while using
your computer.
To help maintain
good health, try the following:
- Eat a balanced diet and
get adequate rest.
- Exercise for overall
fitness and to improve the strength and flexibility of your
body. Consult a qualified health professional to help you choose
the stretches and exercises that are right for you.
- Learn to manage stress.
One way to reduce stress at work is to plan your work area and
schedule so that noise and distractions are kept to a minimum.
- See a qualified health
professional if you have questions about how your medical and
physical conditions may be related to MSDs. While researchers
are not yet able to answer many questions about MSDs, there is
general agreement that many factors may be linked to their
occurrence, including previous injuries, diabetes, hormonal
changes (such as pregnancy), and rheumatoid arthritis.
Healthy
Computing Guide provided by Microsoft
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