A properly aligned and pain free posture is a need for every body. When you have a good posture all the muscles and their work of interplay and supporting the adjacent structures is balanced.
Nowadays computers, laptops, tablets, smart phones are being used by all. The frequent use of technological variances and working on laptops or computers for long hours is leading to increase in musculosketal problems like low back pain , shoulder pain, nerve compression or radiculopathy , tension neck syndrome, text next syndrome, etc.
These problems are seen more among the students & working professionals those who are dependent on technology and communication appliances for their work.
And sometimes the bad posture etiquette used while like watching television , playing video games, sitting in the same position for long hours can also disturb the postural pattern and can lead to pain or discomfort.
What is the importance of ergonomics ?
Ergonomics of body is basically the scientific understanding of interactions between body and other elements of system, application of physiological & psychological components, Which helps to design , optimize, maintain & improve overall performance of the body.
Use of ergonomics is required to prevent injuries designing equipment correct for the job, reduce work load, improve the productivity at work place, reduce the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders and to enhance the quality of life.
- Ergonomics helps use to improve your personal power, performance and speed of the work.
- It helps to keep your posture aligned
- For a person who is multi-tasker, it necessary to use good pattern or ergonomic advice to maintain workflow
- Most of the Ergonomic recommendations are affordable.
Some of the ergonomic advices and reason to maintain good posture:
- One should change the position often.
Do not sit in the same position for long time, change the position or initiate slight a movement between every 15- 20 minutes , so that there occurs a proper contraction and relaxation of muscles. As the bad sitting habit can lead to nerve compression , wear and tear of discs and myalgia. - Appropriate position :
For the people working on laptops or computers, it is advisable to keep your back properly positioned in a comfortable way, so that your spine is in proper alignment, where there is minimum stress on adjacent muscle groups.
Keep your mouse nearby, so that you don’t have to reach frequently towards it. - Cut the habit of frequently bending your head and neck :
Avoid bending your head and neck forward , as this will create a stress on torso , will disturb spinal mobility and alignment and can cause also pain after some time. - Placement of laptop :
It is important to have a correct placement of laptop in order to increase work performance.
It is advisable to adjust the laptop height according to the user or buy a laptop stand or invest on an ergonomic chair and table table. You can also adjust your sitting arrangement so that you don’t need to bend more towards the screen or lift the size of your table so that the computer screen is in the level of your head, as this will help to prevent the stress on neck and forward head posture. Also , you can adjust the font size on your laptop screen , to prevent the stress on eyes. - Ergonomically designed chairs :
You can also use ergonomically designed ergonomic office chairs and study tables with the availability of proper backrests and more comfort. Choose the chairs according to your required needs. And it would be more precise and perfect if you take a proper advice from your physiotherapist before choosing an ergonomic chair. - Position of your feet :
Another important thing is the position of your feet, make sure to keep your feets properly supported on the ground or on the stand of the table to ensure there is a good footrest , as this will reduce the tension on the back muscles, it will maintain the strength of foot muscles and it will also help to maintain proper peripheral circulation. - Proper use of hand grips :
Understand the use of pinch grips and power grips to maintain precise movement ,fine control and to prevent finger , wrist and hand injuries. Activities like typing for long hours, lifting heavy objects, etc can stress the fingers. So it is important to maintain strength and dexterity of hands and fingers. You can also use hand therapy , prehension exercises or ball exercise in order to improve mobility and function, as recommended by your physiotherapist. - Maintain the weight and frequency ( repetitions) of your work :
It is further recommended to reduce or maintain weight and frequency while performing activities like weight lifting , squatting with weights, etc all weight training workouts, In order to prevent spinal injuries and excess fatigue. - Relaxed position:
Maintain a relaxed and neural position . comfortable to your body, in which all the postural muscles can be relaxed, minimum tension or stress acts , so that the muscles are in the position of their normal lengths with the ability to produce maximum force. So it is useful to use the position where the muscles are at ease. - Prevent repetitive driving injury :
Recent researches suggest that repetitive driving for long time also leads to poor posture, painful posture, leg cramps, low back pain , shoulder stiffness, etc.
So in order to reduce repetitive strain injury , adjust your seat position of car , make sure your foot is in good position, you can also use a good quality or comfy seat cushion, slightly flex your body during the traffic signals, while driving for long hours take a break of few minutes. - Perform exercises :
Following sedentary lifestyle can lead to various health problems. It is important to keep your body active and moving , inorder to balance your mental and physical health. Some basic activities like stretching your body, ankle pumps, brisk walking, yoga, breathing exercises,etc helps to maintain blood circulation of body and contributes in maintaing a good posture. - Overall good alignment :
An overall good body alignment of shoulders, wrist, head, neck , spine and feet will ensure good mobility, strength and functional independence, and in a way all these factors will help to improve QUALITY OF LIFE.
( Note – If the pain or discomfort is more , it is advisable to visit a physiotherapist or ergonomic expert as soon as possible. )
References :
- Wikipedia
- Google scholar
