HEADACHES, NECK & EYE
FATIGUE
|
PROBLEM |
POSSIBLE
CAUSES |
TRY
THIS! |
Headaches |
Muscular tension |
Deep
tissue massage |
Stress management techniques |
Regular upper body stretches |
See NECK PAIN
and
SHOULDER PAIN
below
|
Eye Strain |
See
VISION CONCERNS below |
Vision concerns |
For
complete information on eye problems please read our article on Eye Care
|
Itchy
and irritated eyes |
Need
corrective lenses |
Consult Optometrist/Ophthalmologist |
|
or new
prescription |
|
Inadequate screen contrast |
Adjust
contrast and brightness of display. |
|
Clean screen
frequently. |
|
Glare/reflections |
Reduce
glare on screen |
|
- Adjust window
treatments throughout day |
|
- Place screen
perpendicular to light sources |
|
- Use proper
lighting and task lighting for |
|
visually
demanding tasks |
|
Incorrect
viewing distance |
Place
the screen so you can see it without holding your head forward. To determine
the correct distance, sit as far away as you can and still read font size 12.
Then move in one-third that distance. |
|
Prolonged screen viewing |
Take
eye breaks to look at least 20 feet away every 20 minutes for 20 seconds and
do eye exercises.
|
|
Remember to
blink. |
|
Display
refresh rate conflict with fluorescent lighting flicker. |
If
possible, adjust your monitor to a higher refresh rate than 60 Hz. |
Neck Pain
|
For complete information on neck problems
please read our article on Neck and Shoulder Pain
. If you use a handheld device frequently, please read our
article on
Handheld Devices
.
|
NOTE: Some neck pain can indicate
serious problems that require immediate medical attention. If you have a
rash, fever, shortness of breath, nausea, sensitivity to light, drowsiness,
pain in your arm or jaw, or you cannot touch your chin to you chest, call
911. These are symptoms that may indicate meningitis or heart attack. |
Constrained head postures,
especially with the head held forward. |
Use
adjustable height/angle copyholder to keep reference materials upright at
desk and computer station. If possible, place the computer slantboard between
the keyboard and monitor. |
|
Hold handheld devices up to avoid hunching forward and dropping
the head. |
|
Raise and lower your eyes, not your head, to read. |
Extended arms |
Place
frequently used items within close reach. |
|
Keep mouse directly next to keyboard or over number keys (use a
mouse bridge). |
Incorrect screen height |
Adjust monitor height so top of screen is at, or
slightly lower than, eye level. Or, if your work is done at the bottom of the
screen, place the monitor so your straight-ahead vision is at the top of the
working screen. |
(no bifocals) |
Bifocals not corrected for computer work |
Get glasses prescription for computer work. |
(head tilted back) |
Poor posture habits |
Adjust
chair correctly. |
Muscle tension |
Adjust
lighting. |
|
Alternate
tasks. |
|
Adjust keyboard
and display height. |
|
Use a document
holder to avoid neck strain. |
|
Hold your head
upright when using handheld devices. |
|
Evaluate
sleeping conditions. Consider using a cervical neck pillow and try sleeping
on your back. |
|
Evaluate craft
and hobby setups to reduce neck strain. |
Monitor to the side |
Move
monitor in front of you
in
line with the keyboard.
|
Cradling the phone (i.e., holding telephone
receiver or cell phone between your neck and shoulder). |
Use
a headset.
|
SHOULDER PAIN
|
BACK
TO TOP
|
PROBLEM |
POSSIBLE
CAUSES |
TRY
THIS! |
Shoulder pain |
Poor conditioning |
Shoulder
rolls and other stretches |
Range of motion exercises. |
Forward head posture |
Adjust
chair height (it might be too low) |
Adjust monitor distance (it might be too far) |
Adjust keyboard/mouse height (they might be too high) |
Upper back tension |
Back
and neck massage
|
Regular stretches
of the upper body
|
Extended arms |
See NECK
PAIN above.
|
Reaching overhead |
Stand
to reach anything overhead. |
Use a stepstool when necessary. |
Lower shelves. |
ELBOW PAIN
|
BACK
TO TOP
|
PROBLEM |
POSSIBLE
CAUSES |
TRY
THIS! |
Elbow pain |
Keyboard raised in back |
Front
of keyboard should be higher than back |
|
Lower back feet |
|
Tilt back of keyboard tray/keyboard down |
Forearm tension |
Use
light grip on the mouse or writing tools |
|
Take frequent breaks from repetitive and/or forcefulactivities
(e.g., gripping, lifting, rotating forearms to use tools, holding books,
writing, typing, etc.) |
|
Stretch
forearms once an hour (See Stretches).
|
Leaning on elbow |
Do
not lean on armrests while typing, mousing, driving, reading or eating. |
Keyboard too high |
Lower
keyboard surface so keyboard is even with sitting elbow |
See
Workstation Design
|
Extended arms |
See NECK
PAIN above.
|
FOREARM PAIN
|
BACK
TO TOP
|
PROBLEM |
POSSIBLE
CAUSES |
TRY
THIS! |
Pain on top of forearm along
pinkie side (AKA "Tennis Elbow") |
Wide
elbow angle using conventional keyboard. |
Try
using alternative keyboard, such as Goldtouch or Logitech split keyboard |
Extended wrist position (e.g.,
resting wrist on desk or wristrest to type) |
Relax
your hands while you type, with your wrist even with your forearm. |
NEVER rest your wrist on anything while you type. |
Flat fingered typing |
Keep
your wrist even with your forearm, with your fingers sloped downwards. |
Deviating wrists |
Move
your whole arm to move the mouse or to type. Do not drop your wrist and pivot
on it. When using tools, keep your hand straight to the forearm. |
Leaning on elbow |
Do
not lean on elbows while typing, mousing, driving, eating, reading |
Pain on bottom of forearm (AKA
"Golfer's Elbow") |
Flexed
wrists (i.e., hand curled towards forearm) |
Keep
wrists flat and straight, even with forearm. |
Resting on desk so edge of desk cuts into
forearm |
Do
not lean on worksurface while working. |
Forearm Fatigue |
all
of the above Causes |
all
of the above solutions |
Gripping tools too tightly |
Hold
writing, cooking, gardening, arts/crafts, construction tools with as light a
grip as possible. |
|
Use tools that fit your hand. |
|
Pad the grip, if necessary. |
Overuse of flexor and extensor
muscles |
Take
breaks from repetitive, gripping work |
|
Stretch hands and forearms once an hour |
|
Massage forearm daily. |
HAND PAIN
|
BACK
TO TOP
|
PROBLEM |
POSSIBLE
CAUSES |
TRY
THIS! |
Numbness in fingers; |
Dropped
wrists |
Keep
wrists flat and straight, even with forearms, fingers should below wrist. |
pain in
wrists |
Resting
wrists on edge of desk or wristrest while you type |
Do
not rest wrists while you type or mouse. |
|
Gripping tools too tightly |
Hold
writing, cooking, gardening, arts/crafts, construction tools with as light a
grip as possible. |
|
|
|
Use tools that
fit your hand. |
|
|
|
Pad the grip,
if necessary. |
|
Wrong keyboard/mouse position |
Keyboard
and mouse should be even with elbows, directly in front of your body. |
|
(See
Workstation Design Guidelines.)
|
|
Overuse of hands |
Take
frequent breaks from repetitive, gripping work. |
|
|
|
Fan fingers and
shake hands out at least once an hour. |
|
see
Forearm Pain |
|
Thumb pain |
Holding
thumb up while typing |
Relax
hands while typing. |
Using trackball with thumb ball. |
Use
another input device. |
Hitting space bar too hard |
Use
a light touch to type. |
Swiping with thumb and/or typing
with thumbs on cell phone |
Swipe
using index or second finger with hand relaxed. |
Type with index fingers or other fingers. |
Please
read our article on Handheld Devices
|
Pain in fingertips |
Pounding
keyboard |
Use
a light touch to type. |
Gripping tools too tightly |
Hold
writing, cooking, gardening, arts/crafts, construction tools with as light a
grip as possible. |
|
Use tools that fit your hand. |
|
Pad the grip, if necessary. |
BACK PAIN
|
BACK
TO TOP
|
PROBLEM |
POSSIBLE
CAUSES |
TRY
THIS! |
Upper
back pain
|
For
complete information on upper back problems please read our article
on Upper Back Problems
|
Poor conditioning |
Stretching
and strengthening exercises
|
Elevated shoulders |
Maintain
neutral posture when doing any task: |
Forward head |
Keep shoulders
relaxed, down and back. |
Extended arms |
Keep head
directly over shoulders. |
|
Keep elbows at
your sides as much as possible. |
Muscle tension |
Massage
tight, sore area on a regular basis.
|
Poor seating |
Chair
should provide adequate lumbar support. |
Adjust
chair backrest to support low back.
|
Low
back pain
|
For complete information on lower back problems
please read our articles on |
Lower
Back Structure and Problems
|
Lower
Back Pain Prevention
|
Lower
Back Pain Treatment
|
Sitting too long |
STAND
at least once an hour. |
Stand to read or talk on the phone. |
Poor posture |
Sit
all the way back in the chair. |
Men, take the wallet out of your back pocket. |
See upper back pain (above). |
Sitting with one foot under buttocks |
Keep
feet flat on floor or on a footrest. |
Poor seating |
Use
a chair that adjusts to fit you. |
Adjust
chair backrest to support low back.
|
Feet do not touch the floor |
Use
a footrest or lower the chair (as long as the keyboard and mouse can be
lowered). |
Extended arms |
See
neck pain
|
Twisting while sitting |
Turn
your whole body to face work or people. |
Reorganize the desk to eliminate the need to twist. |
Keyboard/mouse too high |
Lower
keyboard surface so keyboard is even with sitting elbow |
|
See
Workstation Design
|
|
LEG AND FOOT PAIN
|
BACK
TO TOP
|
PROBLEM |
POSSIBLE
CAUSES |
TRY
THIS! |
Numbness in legs |
Seat pan cuts off circulation |
Use
chair with sliding seat pan and adjust so that front of seat is 2
finger-widths to on hand-width from back of knees. |
Swelling
in feet |
Tilt chair
slightly forward. |
|
Feet
dangle |
Use
footrest or lower the chair (if the keyboard/mouse can be lowered). |
|
Sitting with one foot under buttocks |
Keep
feet flat on floor or on a footrest. |
|
Stand if you
feel you need to sit on your feet, stretch, then sit down again. |
Shooting leg pains |
Sitting
too long |
Take
short walks every hour. |
Sitting on tailbone rather than "sitbones" |
Use
a Break Reminder
|
Chair cushion too hard, wrong shape, or pressing on tailbone |
Correct sitting
posture |
|
Check with back
care professional regarding sciatica |