How to Protect Your Health In The Computer Era

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How to Protect Your Health In The Computer EraBy Dr. Ben Kim on July 12,

2009 Natural Health CareUpdated on July 12, 2009Let’s begin your quest to

stay healthy and fit in the computer era by addressing your foundation. Unless

you have a health condition that makes it difficult to sit for a long period of

time, your foundation while working on the computer is likely your bottom.Your

bottom, known more technically as your pelvis, serves as a base for your spinal

column, which in turn serves as the protective housing for your nervous system,

which in turn serves as the primary highway of information traffic that allows

you to do and feel everything that you do while you are alive.If your pelvis is

consistently faced with asymmetrical or heavy downward pressure, it can begin to

experience inflammation in one or more of the joint surfaces, ligaments and

muscles that surround it. Put another way, if you sit in an awkward position for

long enough, you will

inevitably experience an injury to your pelvis.The most obvious cause of pelvic

inflammation is sitting on an uneven surface. And this happens most frequently

when a person sits with a wallet or some other object in one back pocket. As

some health practitioners know, a chief cause of chronic pelvic or lower back

pain in truck drivers is sitting for hours at a time with a thick wallet in one

back pocket.Your pelvis is designed to evenly distribute its workload to both of

your bum cheeks. The sitting bone that you can feel at the bottom of each bum

cheek while you are seated is called your ischial tuberosity. And if one ischial

tuberosity has to consistently take on its own workload plus part of the

workload that its partner is responsible for, it is only a matter of time before

inflammation occurs and the natural biomechanical design and function of your

pelvis goes awry.Next Up: Your Lower BackJust above your pelvis sits your lower

back, also called

your lumbar spinal region. This is where most painful disc protrusions and

other chronic lower back problems tend to occur.The spinal bones that house and

protect your spinal cord are separated at each level by round discs of cartilage

that are designed to act as shock absorbers. If these discs experience too much

stress – over time or even as a one-time major injury – they can begin to

“slip†backward into your spinal canal, where they can put pressure on your

spinal cord or spinal nerves. Once in contact with your spinal cord or spinal

nerves, a slipped disc almost always translates to serious discomfort.As you

have probably guessed, sitting for extended periods of time can, over the long

term, put enough pressure on your lumbar discs to cause chronic lower back pain.

Actually, sitting for a living can put damaging pressure on a number of

structures in your lower back; a slipped disc is the most common and easily

visualized lower back problem

that can occur – this is why we are using it as our prime example in this

section.Clearly, it may not be practical for you to find an alternative to

sitting while you are working in front of your computer or doing other desk

work. Over the years, some of the people that I have treated for severe, chronic

lower back conditions have had to alter their work stations to enable them to

stand while they worked, but you and most others without an existing lower back

problem may not have to resort to this measure.Here are some tips that you can

follow to minimize any negative impact that sitting for long periods of time may

have on your lower back:At least once every 20-30 minutes, stand up and stretch

your entire body lengthwise, pushing your feet into the ground and reaching up

toward the sky with your arms. Your spinal discs and bones face three times less

pressure when you are standing compared to when you are seated. Stretching while

standing further

relieves your lower back of downward pressure. If your working environment

permits, go ahead and do this stretch while lying on the ground. And don't be

afraid to groan with pleasure as you do this.If possible, work with the back of

your chair slightly reclined. Reclining back so that your trunk and thighs form

about a 135 degree angle puts less stress on your spine than sitting upright at

90 degrees or leaning forward.Spend a few minutes each evening doing basic

sit-ups or a similar exercise that strengthens your abdominal muscles. Strong

abdominal muscles can help to support the weight of your trunk, thereby taking

pressure off of your lower back.Spend another few minutes each evening

stretching your hamstrings, the muscles that line the back of your thighs. When

tight, your hamstrings can pull on your pelvis, which can create an unstable

lower back region that is prone to suffering sprains and strains.View a picture

on how to stretch your

hamstrings.Protect Your Upper Back and ShouldersTwo of the most common problems

that you may encounter over a long career that involves sitting at a desk and

using a computer are upper back tightness and shoulder pain. In the absence of

an overt injury or a degenerative process like arthritis, both are often related

to allowing your shoulders and chest to slouch forward while you go about your

daily activities.When you slouch forward, your “shawl†muscles – those

that line the top of your upper back – pull on the spinal bones that you can

feel at the back of your neck where it meets your upper back. If you have ever

spent several hours doing desk work without taking a break, you have probably

experienced a sharp, achy sensation in this region. If you continue to put

unnecessary stress on your upper back in this fashion, over time, the natural

curve of the spinal bones in this region can change in a way that can increase

your risk of suffering

from degenerative spinal arthritis.Slouching forward decreases a critical space

that is located at the front of each of your shoulders, just under your collar

bones. This space is called your subacromial space, and needs to be maintained

in order to allow thick bundles of nerves and blood vessels to travel from your

neck down to your arms and hands. When chronic slouching decreases your

subacromial space, your nerves and/or your blood vessels can become encroached.

Depending on which structures are compressed, you may experience any number of

uncomfortable symptoms, the most common of which are:Poor blood circulation in

your arms and hands, predisposing you to chronically cold handsTingling and pain

in your wrists and elbows, often associated with carpal tunnel syndrome

and elbow tendonitis, respectivelyPain when you try to elevate and externally

rotate your shoulders – when severe, this may prevent you from raising your

arms above the level of your

shouldersAn important part of the plan to prevent chronic shoulder and upper

back problems is just to be aware that slouching forward on a regular basis can

be troublesome.Strive to make it a habit to remind yourself to keep your

shoulders back, as though you are about to try to squeeze a pencil with your

shoulder blades.If need be, post a highly visible sticky note somewhere on your

desk that can prompt you to develop this habit.Another measure that you can take

to prevent shoulder and upper back problems is to spend a few minutes each day

to strengthen the muscles that line your upper back and the rear portions of

your shoulders. If you have elastic tubing or make regular visits to a gym, you

can do rowing exercises that cause you to stick your chest out as you pull back

with your arms and squeeze your shoulder blades together. You can accomplish the

same thing by keeping your legs pressed against one another and almost fully

straightening them on the

ground while sitting straight up, wrapping a bed sheet or long towel around the

soles of your feet, and pulling on them with your hands to simulate a backward

row. Just holding this position for 10 seconds at a time while you squeeze your

shoulder blades together is an effective way to train your shoulders and upper

back to maintain good posture.Another way to train your shoulders and upper back

to stay back and prevent slouching is to do arm circles for a minute or two each

day. Arm circles involve raising your arms straight out from your sides until

they are parallel with the floor, then turning them in slow circles while

keeping your shoulder blades squeezed toward one another. You can do ten circles

going forward, then ten circles going backward. The keys are to go slow, keep

your circles small (less than 12 inches in diameter), and keep your shoulder

blades contracted toward one another throughout the exercise.Yet another step

you can take to

prevent shoulder and upper back problems is to spend a few minutes each day

lying on your back, with one or a few pillows under your mid back so that your

head and your bum fall off the upper and lower edges of the pillow(s). In this

position, allow your arms to fall back comfortably onto the surface that you are

lying on so that you feel a good stretch throughout your chest muscles. The

pillows serve to push your spine forward, which helps to offset the tendency for

your spine to push backward while sitting at a desk for most of the day. You can

accomplish the same stretch by lying back on a flexible exercise ball for a

couple of minutes each day.Take Care of Your Hands and WristsEven if you

minimize your chances of experiencing hand and wrist problems that stem from

slouching forward and decreasing your subacromial spaces, you may still develop

hand and wrist pain if you do not pay proper attention to how you use your

keyboard.

Take a look at the keyboard that sits in front of you. Is it on an angle that is

causing your wrists to be an inch or two lower than the rest of your hands? If

your hands are extended like this on a regular basis, you are at risk of

applying unnecessary pressure to a large nerve – called your median nerve –

that travels through your wrists to supply your hands. Pressure on your median

nerve and ensuing inflammation is often called carpal tunnel syndrome.Here are

two simple measures that you can take to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome:Don't

lower the two clips under your keyboard on the side that is closer to your

monitor. Lowering these clips will further extend your wrists as you type.If you

aren't already doing so, use a keyboard wrist pad, one that can sit in front of

your keyboard so that your wrists and hands are about level. With the way that

your wrist and finger bones are naturally aligned, it's normal to have your

hands be slightly higher

than your wrists. The key is to ensure that you don't feel any strain on the

undersides of your wrists. If you would rather not purchase a wrist pad, you can

place a folded hand towel in front of your keyboard to elevate your wrists to an

appropriate height. If you use a notebook computer, use however many towels you

need to feel like your hands, wrists, and elbows are not under any

strain.Protect Your NeckUnnecessary strain in your neck region may eventually

cause you to experience tension headaches. If you use your thumbs to feel the

base of the back of your head where it meets up with the top of your neck, you

will find a relatively deep groove on each side. Out of these grooves emerge two

large nerves, called your suboccipital nerves. Your suboccipital nerves travel

up the back of your head, wrap around your ears, and supply the structures in

and around your temples and eyes. Tense neck muscles can put pressure on your

suboccipital muscles, which

can create pain anywhere along the path of these nerves.Tense neck muscles can

also alter the way that your jaw joints move. Your jaw joints – also called

your temporo-mandibular joints are two of the most delicate joints in your

entire body, and once damaged, may cause jaw pain and chewing problems for the

rest of your life.Taking good care of your neck is quite simple to do. First,

you should arrange your desk, computer, and phone so that your neck does not

have to maintain a stressful position for more than a few seconds at a time.

Here are four key suggestions to help you do this:Invest in a headset that

allows you to talk without bending your neck. If you use your phone or a voice

system through your computer on a regular basis, use of a headset is absolutely

essential to the well being of your neck. I like and use an inexpensive phone

headset made by panasonicIf you have to type on your keyboard while looking at a

sheet of paper, invest in a

document holder that can be positioned right next to your monitor to ensure

that your neck does not have to rotate more than a few degrees while your head

moves back and forth between the paper and your monitor.Position your computer

monitor so that you do not have to strain your neck forward while you work.If

you have to spend extended periods of time reading printed work, invest in a

book holder that you can use to prop the printed work up on your desk. This is

especially important for students who spend several hours reading textbooks at

their desks each day or week. When I was in university, I used something similar

to: The Easy Reader Reading Stand.The second way to keep your neck region

healthy is to spend a minute or two each day stretching it for 5-10 seconds in

each the following directions:Forward, where you bring your chin down toward

your chest until you feel a good stretch in the muscles that line the back of

your neck.Backward, where you

look up to the sky until you cannot extend your head any further, or until you

feel a comfortable stretch in the muscles that line the front of your neck.To

the left, where you bring your left ear down toward your left shoulder until you

feel a good stretch in the muscles that line the right side of your neck. Your

ear should go down; your shoulder should not come up.The same stretch as number

3, except to the right.To the left, where you rotate your head until you are

looking to your left with both eyes while your shoulders remain facing

forward.The same stretch as number 5, except to the right.Keep in mind that with

each of these stretches, you should maintain steady, even breathing throughout

each stretch. Never stretch to a point where you feel pain. If you feel pain,

decrease the intensity or hold time of your stretch.The third way to protect

your neck from injury is to maintain healthy tone and strength in all of the

muscle groups that surround

your neck. You can easily accomplish this by using one or both of your hands to

resist each of the six stretches that are outlined above for 5-10 seconds.For

example, to strengthen the muscles that line the front of your neck, place the

palms of your hands against your forehead and attempt to bring your chin down to

your chest. Resist forward flexion of your neck in this fashion for 5-10

seconds, then move on to resist your head from looking up toward the sky to

strengthen the muscles that line the back of your neck.If you feel pain during

any of these strengthening exercises, decrease the intensity and/or duration

with which you contract your neck muscles.Protect Your EyesightHundreds of

millions of people from all over the globe spend many hours each day working in

front of a computer. And it is estimated that over 50 percent of these people

experience some form of eye discomfort that is directly related to their

computer work. Some of the most common

forms of computer-related eye strain are:• Headaches

• Blurred vision

• Eye fatigue

• Dry eyes

• Burning eyes

• Hypersensitivity to lightTo optimally protect your eyesight for the near and

long term, consider heeding the following recommendations:Take a break from

looking at your monitor every 20-30 minutes. If you have easy access to the

outdoors or a window, spend a minute or two looking far away into the distance.

The goal is to look at distant objects without staring. Doing this helps the six

muscles that control each of your eyes to relax and receive a rich flow of

blood. If you cannot see the outdoors from your workplace or cannot easily move

away from your work station, a good alternative is to look at things that are

far away from your desk - say, the water cooler at the other end of the

room.Place your monitor and adjust window coverings in ways that minimize glare

from outdoor and indoor light. Glare from sunlight or indoor lighting is a

significant source of eye strain.As your circumstances permit, choose a flat

screen monitor with the largest

screen possible. A flat screen monitor helps to reduce glare from outdoor and

indoor light, while a large screen gives your eyes more room to move, which

decreases the amount of time that your eyes stare at a small region on your

monitor.Position your monitor so that your neck is comfortable and your eyes can

comfortably see the entire screen. For most people, optimal monitor placement is

approximately 24 inches away from the eyes with the top of the screen at eye

level.Use the largest font size that is manageable with the work that you do.

The bigger the font, the less your eyes need to strain to see them.If you wear

eyeglasses, try to use lenses that have an anti-glare coating on them.If you

find yourself staring at your monitor for any reason, take a moment to blink

once or a few times. Blinking coats the surface of your eyes with tears, keeping

them moist and protected against dust.If your work involves duties that don’t

involve looking at your

computer, strive to schedule your day in a way that allows you to alternate

between computer and non-computer work.That concludes part one of this series on

how to protect your health in the computer era. In part two, we'll look at

several nutritional considerations that can help to protect your eyes, muscles,

nervous system, and all other tissues mentioned in this article as you go from

internet browser to spreadsheet, from spreadsheet to Microsoft Word, and from

Microsoft Word to locating family members' and friends' homes on Google Earth.

Muhammad Ahmad Al-Masry

 

64, Muhammad Korayem Street,

 

Gomrok, Alexandria, Egypt

 

Tel: 0020-03-4800555

 

Fax: 0020-03-3082667

 

Web: massrii

 

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