One of the most important lessons I have learned is that working at my laptop for 12 hours without a break will cause my neck to hurt. Really badly. I should have known it, I guess, but I get so involved with my work that I simply forget to pay attention to my posture. After a particularly bad episode of neck pain, I decided to set up a little ergonomic laptop workstation.

 

I knew that the screen should be at eye level because I had seen ads online for expensive laptop raising devices. Unfortunately, I can’t really afford an expensive laptop raising device. Instead I got a wire mesh “in basket,” turned it upside down and put my laptop on it. That helped a lot but I couldn’t reach the laptop keyboard so I bought a cheap keyboard and mouse combo. I was very proud of myself for taking such proactive steps to reduce my pain. But guess what? Pretty soon my pain came back. What was wrong with my little setup? Maybe I didn’t spend enough money. Maybe I really needed a $500 chair (with warp drive and cup holders, please).

 

So I did some research online and found out something truly astounding. Turns out I not only had to get the gear to change my computer space around a bit, I also had to change some of my habits!  Imagine that! I didn’t know exactly what I was doing wrong and felt a little overwhelmed by the thought of changing my 38 year inclination of twisting myself into a pretzel every time I sat down. But there was good news too. I thought changing a lifetime of bad postural habits must certainly be expensive and horrifyingly difficult but a neat little website created by the Oregon Public Education Network disabused me of such notions.

The site is awesome because it offers very clear information on ergonomics for computer use. It also suggests many exceptional and reasonable solutions to counter poor workstation setup. It is geared towards kids, which worked perfectly for me and my need for simple, easy, very do-able postural and ergonomic changes.

So, here’s the scoop. Good ergonomic practice for computer use can be boiled down to these basic principles.

• Support feet and low back
• Lower shoulders
• Relax arms
• Level elbows with the keyboard
• Straighten hands and wrists
• Bend neck slightlyLevel eyes with text on the monitor

Here is a cute graphic from the OPEN site that demonstrates these principles. I’m not usually the type to do this, so I actually printed this graphic off and posted it next to my computer.
 
If one’s computer workstation does not allow for these principles to be utilized, it is important to make adjustments. But the adjustments need not be pricey or difficult to implement. For example, I just put a little pillow between my lower back and my crummy old wooden desk chair. Instant lower back tension release! I didn’t even really know that it hurt until I tried something different. I also use a rolled up kitchen towel to keep my mouse wrist straight.

Check at the OPEN site to find many more good examples of ways to easily adjust your environment for maximum ergonomic effectiveness. Small good habits are what really matter. They are helping me a lot. But I do sometimes wonder about computing with warp drive and cup holders.