Avoid aches and pains
from hours spent at the computer
Kathleen Nelson / St. Louis
Post-Dispatch (KRT)
"Sit" and "stay" can work wonders for a
dog's behavior. For humans, though, the commands can be
hazardous to one's health.
More than a decade ago, health officials noticed a spike in
the number of repetitive-strain injuries, brought on by poor
posture or body positions combined with long hours at a desk
or a poorly designed computer workstation.
Common aches and pains from sitting too long at a desk
include headaches, eyestrain, rounded shoulders and back
pain.
The most notorious condition is carpal tunnel syndrome, in
which tendons or ligaments in the wrist become enlarged after
being aggravated. The narrowed tunnel of bones and ligaments
in the wrist pinches the nerves that reach the fingers and
the muscles at the base of the thumb. The most common symptom
is a burning, tingling numbness in the fingers. If left
untreated, the pain worsens and surgery sometimes becomes
necessary.
Employers bemoaned the number of workdays lost to such
ailments, especially when their workmen's comp premiums
soared with the number of surgeries. By 2000, the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics reported that RSI was the reason for 60
percent of all reported occupational illnesses in America.
The bureau also estimated that RSI cost the private sector
more than $1 billion annually.
The U.S. Labor Department responded to the research,
developing voluntary guidelines to help reduce workplace
injuries involving strain and repetitive motion. The rules
seemed to help.
"Maybe it's leveled, maybe the number of cases has
slightly decreased," said Annie Pietroburgo, a certified
hand therapist with St. John's Mercy Medical Center in
Creve Coeur, Mo. "But it's still one of the
most-diagnosed problems."
The guidelines, though, really didn't get much chance to
make a dent in the problem. Shortly after taking office,
President George W. Bush killed the guidelines, which some
businesses regarded as too costly.
So, more of the burden for staying healthy at a desk is back
on the already-hunched shoulders of employees and
conscientious employers. Physical therapists agree that the
most cost-effective way to tackle the problem is before,
rather than after, a problem occurs.
"More and more employers want to do something on the
front end, because it controls their overall health
costs," said Brian Freund, a manager and physical
therapist at SSM Rehab in Hazelwood, Mo. "That's
good, but it's not as many as we want to see. It's
usually the people who have had bad experiences that end up
in our offices."
Some of the standard suggestions to reduce RSI injuries can
cost a pretty penny, such as a good chair, a lumbar roll, an
adjustable desk, wrist rests or ergonomic keyboards. Other
ways to improve your "sit and stay" health
don't cost a dime. Freund suggested the following:
1. Place the computer screen at eye level.
2. Place the screen straight in front of the chair, rather
than offset.
3. Sit so that your feet are planted on floor, knees bent at
about a 90-degree angle. The adjustments on your chair can
help achieve this position.
4. Change positions. Sometimes people get stuck in one
position for hours. Get up at least once an hour; you have to
give tissue time to recoil.
5. Work the muscles of your neck and shoulders, upper arms
and forearms.
Sarah Hayes, a physical therapist at the Work Center in
O'Fallon, Mo., said companies have been taking more
interest in prevention through exercise rather than just
paying for a bunch of slick furniture.
"Companies usually take interest in us when their
workmen's comp premiums rise," Hayes said. "But
lately, they've been leaning more toward exercise. As a
society, we've begun to see its benefits and have gotten
more into exercise."
The unanimous suggestion of physical therapists is to take a
break every half-hour or 45 minutes and use the time for a
serious stretch. Here are a few suggestions:
– Sit forward. Clasp your hands behind your back and
throw back your shoulders. Take three or four deep breaths
before releasing the stretch.
– Clasp your hands behind your head and take another
three or four deep breaths.
– Extend your left ear as close to the left shoulder as
possible, while keeping the shoulders relaxed. Slowly roll
your chin toward your chest, then stretch your right ear as
close as possible to the right shoulder. This rolling motion
should be repeated about five times.
– Extend and stretch both wrists with palms forward and
fingers stretched. Hold for a count of five. Straighten both
wrists and relax the fingers. Make a tight fist with both
hands. Then bend both wrists down while keeping the fist.
Hold for a count of five. Straighten both wrists and relax
the fingers, for a count of five. Repeat five times.
A less mainstream approach to RSI prevention that's
creating a buzz is yoga. Ellen Serber, a Californian who
writes for The International Journal of Yoga Therapy, has
developed a yoga routine designed to prevent repetitive
strain injuries and "to just plain feel good," she
said.
Serber's inspiration was her son, Josh Rose, a video-game
designer who, along with his colleagues, spent 12 hours a
day, seven days a week at a computer.
"I watched them deteriorating," she said.
"They were healthy, athletic, young men and they were
going under."
She joined forces with a Web designer named Daniel
Will-Harris, who attended Serber's yoga class and thought
her methods could be adapted for the desk, especially the
numerous cross-legged positions. Serber developed the
workout, and Will-Harris posted it on the site
www.mydailyyoga.com/yoga/everyday_yoga.html.
"Yoga is uniquely situated as a practice to help people
change behavior because it has to do with
self-awareness," Serber said. "The issues with RSI
and carpal tunnel problems have as much to do with behavior
change as they do with alignment. Behavior change is
difficult. But, to me, yoga is an excellent path to take,
because it promotes the ability to see what one is doing and
to practice relaxing."
But why stop at injury prevention when you can get a good
workout as well? Henry Lovelace, owner of Wild Horse Fitness
in Chesterfield, Mo., sees fitness equipment in common
household items. For instance, he has devised a workout,
which you can do at your desk, using a stable chair. As such,
he accepts no excuses from people who say they have no time
for exercise.
"Everybody has a reason why they can't work out
– the biggest one (being) that they are too busy,"
said Lovelace, who won the Mr. Missouri bodybuilding
competition in the middleweight and master's
classifications in 2002. "When you take away the
excuses, it comes down to whether you want it bad or not.
There's always time in the day to take time for
yourself."
Lovelace has developed a routine to be used with any solid,
stationary chair. The only other requirement is about 10
minutes and ample room for movement.
Just remember that seeing improvement in strength, alignment
or pain relief with any of these methods requires patience.
"If you've been slouched for 40 years, you can't
expect to undo the damage overnight," Pietroburgo said.
"It's not like taking a pill."
___
CHAIR WORKOUT
Henry Lovelace of Wild Horse Fitness offers this workout for
turning a simple desk chair into a fitness tool (it's
best to use a chair without wheels).
For chest and arms:
– Incline push-ups: Place a chair against a wall or
desk. Place your hands on the seat of the chair,
shoulder-width apart. Extend your feet out straight behind
you, toes on floor. Do 15 push-ups. Rest; repeat with two
more sets.
– Decline push-ups: Place your hands on the floor,
shoulder-width apart. Extend your feet out straight behind
you, with your toes up on the seat of the chair. Do 15
push-ups. Rest; repeat two more sets.
– Chair dips: Sit in a chair and firmly grasp the sides
of the chair seat. Walk your feet out in front, with knees
bent, to extend your body forward while your hands stay in
position. Slowly lower your bottom to the floor, bending your
elbows, and raise back up to chair height. Do 15 dips. Rest;
repeat with two more sets.
For legs and glutes:
– Step-ups: Stand facing a chair. Step up with your
right leg, placing your foot squarely on the chair seat and
raising yourself up. Step down; repeat with your left leg. Do
15 step-ups on each leg. Rest. Repeat two more sets.
– Lunges: Stand by your chair, using the back for
support. Extend your right leg out and bend at the knee. Do
not lower below 90-degree angle. Bring your leg back to the
starting position and repeat the movement with the left leg.
Do 15 lunges on each leg. Rest; repeat with two more sets.
For abs:
– Frog kicks: Sit in a chair, scoot close to the edge
and grasp the sides of the chair firmly. Tighten your abs and
extend your legs straight out in front of you, parallel to
the floor. Bring your knees in to your chest, then extend out
again. Do 30 frog kicks. Rest; repeat with two more sets.
Lovelace suggested using this workout three times a week in
combination with three 20-minute sessions of cardiovascular
exercise.
___
WEB RESOURCES:
Need a reminder about when it's time to work out?
WorkPace is a computer program that prompts you to take time
to relax your muscles, to take regular breaks away from the
computer, and guides you through exercises and stretches. For
more information, log onto www.workpace.com.
To check out or download Ellen Serber's yoga desk
routine, log onto
www.mydailyyoga.com/yoga/everyday_yoga.html.
___
© 2004, St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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