Computer Ergonomics

Those of you have read my blog posts both here and at www.jonespainrelief.com/blog know that ergonomics is the study of how we can manipulate our work environment to both improve work performance and reduce injury-causing fatigue.

Obviously, the cost of injury drives the study of ergonomics. This is a good thing. Most employers, especially those who run large corporations are detached from their employees - both physically and emotionally. Were it not for the actual cost of employees’ injuries, many employers would not know or care about their workers’ ergonomic situation.

In the world of ergonomics, there are six separately identifiable variables that affect work performance and fatigue. These six variables are:

1) Workload

2) Each Individuals Physiological Response to the Workload

3) The Individuals Size & Strength Capabilities

4) Biomechanical Variances

5) Human Factors

6) Work Organization

The questions that should be answered by examining the variables listed above are not limited to but include:

1) Can You Perform a Task Once Without Injury

2) Do You Physically Fit Your Workplace

3) Are You Strong Enough

4) Can You Perform the Task For Seconds to Minutes Without Fatigue or Injury

5) Will Injury Occur if the Work is Performed Over Months or Years

6) Do You Have the Mental Capacity to do the Work

These variables directly affect an individual’s ability to perform certain job duties with or without producing an injury.

The reason that I have decided to include this dry and academic sounding material in this blog is to help provide some very general guides that can be used to evaluate your fit for your work duties.

I have patients who were injured at work who are not good fits for their work. They either lack the strength, the height or the endurance to effectively perform their work tasks.

If you find yourself in such a situation you should ask for or pay for an ergonomic analysis of your work environment. Many large companies either have an ergonomics department or have access to an ergonomic specialist. If so, you should take advantage of these services.

Here’s To Your Health

Dr. Jones

Dr. JonesEconomical Adjustable Mouse Platform
San Diego Chiropractic
Pain Relief San Diego Chiropractor

Setting up your office space correctly definitely requires some expert input. That being said, many aspects of setting up your office space are based on common sense.

We all have specific items at work that we handle more frequently than others. In my work environment for instance, I use the mouse and keyboard more than any other object on my desk. At this point I will inject a shameless plug for my Ergo Nav. Since I use my mouse most frequently, I have it perched right at the end of my chairs’ armrest. My Ergo Nav positions my mouse close enough to my body to avoid any reaching for the mouse at all. From an ergonomic standpoint, this positioning is ideal.

My keyboard is also within my immediate reach as are my writing instruments such as pens and pencils. All of the items that I have discussed so far are within my immediate reach area, which is also known as the “usual work space”.

Most people only have a handful of objects that truly belong in their “usual work space”. The actual dimensions of this space vary with the size of the worker, therefore, you have to keep the principals of good ergonomics in mind when determining the actual size of your “usual work space”. As far as placement of mice, keyboards, pens, phones etc., within your “usual work space” you have to position these items in a way that avoids or limits hunching of the shoulders, flaring out of the elbows or forward flexion of the shoulders.

The area beyond the “usual work space” is considered the “occasional work space” and should contain objects that are only occasionally used. In my circumstances, the “occasional work space” contains my cpu, monitor, printer and my phone. Most of the time I have an assistant to answer my phone and I may only make a handful of calls each day. My monitor only requires that I turn it on and off once a day - the same being the case with my printer and the computer itself. My desk space is limited so the items that I have covered are the only items in my space. Staplers, files and paper are needed infrequently enough to not deserve the chance to clutter my work area.

Here’s To Your Health

Dr. Jones

Economical Adjustable Mouse Platform
San Diego Chiropractic
Pain Relief San Diego Chiropractor

Sitting is a pain in the @#$%&! Or at least a pain in the back.

Our spines do not like sitting as a rule. If you remain seated in the same position for a long enough period of time you will experience some level of discomfort.

Although there are many reasons that sitting eventually causes discomfort, one of these reasons cannot be avoided. The natural center of gravity for a sitting human being is approximately 1 inch in front of the belly button. In order to park our upper bodies over our center of gravity we have to either lean forward eliminating the support of our backrests or slide our butts downward and forward assuming a slumped position. Often these postures are accompanied by crossed legs or feet and leaning our elbows on the desk or our armrests in order to promote stability of the spine.

Poor posture often results from chairs and work stations that are void of proper ergonomic considerations. Postural stress causes discomfort in the neck, back and arms resulting in fatigue and fidgeting. It comes as no surprise that these consequences of poor posture have a negative effect on your mood, your concentration and your productivity.

In the long run, poor posture can cause chronic back pain, neck pain and a host of syndromes that affect the upper extremity as a whole.

I found an excellent definition of poor posture in a book called “Backs” by Leonard Ring in which he defined poor posture as “a faulty relationship of the various parts of the body which produces increased strain on supporting structures”.

As important as proper sitting posture is for a younger person with an otherwise healthy back, it is of much greater importance to those who are older and may have some level of arthritis in their spines or a history of injury. Arthritis weakens the joints in the back and makes it more sensitive to the stresses of prolonged sitting when using good posture and much more likely to suffer consequences in situations that involve poor posture. A history of back injuries is also detrimental to the spine during sitting positions especially when it is exposed to the stress of poor posture. All of those old gymnastics, football, hockey and general horseplay falls and jolts have a cumulative effect that decreases our ability to endure stressful postures.

The bottom line is that there are many good sources on the Internet that describe the characteristics of proper sitting positions. The more stress that you can eliminate from your sitting postures the happier your back will be.

Here’s To Your Health

Dr. Jones

Economical Adjustable Mouse Platform
San Diego Chiropractic
Pain Relief San Diego Chiropractor