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Ergonomics! Maybe you know the term because an "ergonomics" person at work
improved your computer setup, and maybe you ended up lucky with a nice new chair
to sit on. Maybe ergonomics seems like one of those important, but boring subjects
we don't really have to think about. If you have an injury associated with long
hours at the computer, you might know a lot about ergonomics. Repetitive stress
injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, neck and back sprains, chronic muscles strains,
"slipped discs"- in all these complex disorders there is almost always an element
of poor ergonomics.
Computer Use and Workers
Ergonomics is the study of the relationship between people as workers and their
work environment (ergo means work in Greek). Good ergonomics is designing the
right tool for the job. Because 90 % of all US workers now use computers (over
40% of them more than 4 hours a day), we need the science of ergonomics to help
us make this work experience as healthy as possible.
Bad ergonomics is bad economics. Injuries associated with muscle and joint
disorders, many of them now computer related, cost employers 20 billion dollars
in workers compensation costs in 2002 with indirect costs of 60 billion dollars
annually. And conditions diagnosed as "carpal tunnel syndrome" resulted in the
highest median number of days lost from work than all other injuries and illnesses
combined!
More dramatic, and heartbreaking, than statistics, is the personal toll a repetitive
stress injury takes, both physically and emotionally. Because you can't see
these chronic pain injuries they can be a source of shame and resulting depression
for the injured, and effectively end promising careers.
On the brighter side, improving your computer environment is not expensive
or even that difficult. You might have to do some rearranging, perhaps purchase
some new equipment and perhaps change some ingrained habits. If you need motivation,
remember that repetitive stress injuries are sneaky.
Faced with having to do a task over and over again, because of bad ergonomics,
the body adapts and adapts again. We feel nothing and go merrily about our computer
tasks. Finally the body can no longer adapt and pain begins.
What took so long to occur doesn't easily go away. Just ask one of my chronic
pain patients. The secret is to start preventing these injuries now, before
they become a problem. As always, when it comes to treating injuries and chronic
pain, prevention is the best medicine.
This series of articles addresses how you can create a healthy computer environment,
based on good ergonomics. Actually ergonomics isn't boring, as you will see,
but a fascinating field with practical health-saving applications that you can
use today.
Computer Monitors: What Makes Ergonomic Sense?
Computer
Keyboards and Mouses: What Really Works Best for the Body?
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