Doctors Say Laptops Causing Crippling Back, Muscle and Nerve Problems for Millions

Here's something that'll make you sit up straight.

Back specialists say as many as four in five patients have chronic nerve damage caused by working on portable PCs and millions more are at risk of injury. Laptops account for 70 percent of all computer sales, according to PC Pro magazine.

Nicola Hunter, a physiotherapist and occupational health specialist, said that hand and arm pain similar to repetitive strain injury is easily induced by resting wrists against the edge of a laptop. She added: "There's evidence that it stops the nerves and tendons moving as they normally would, and this can cause nerve injury."

My Ergonomic Workstation - No More Pain
I completely changed my work station after years of crippling carpal tunnel injuries caused by bad ergonomics. It got so bad at one point that I couldn't squeeze a tube of toothpaste or pick up a cup of coffee. I was, in fact, on disability for nearly a year, unable to type or hold a pen. I'm fine now, because I changed the way I work. Here's what I did:

These days, I use
- a Cirque EasyCat Touchpad instead of a regular mouse,
- a Kinesis Advantage keyboard, a keyboard tray that sits at lap level,
- and a fabulous Therapod chair that I got from ergonomics king Joel Kendall of Kenebowe.
- I never talk on the phone for more than a few minutes without a headset and I never - ever - hold the phone between my ear and my neck while typing. That's where the whole problem begins!

Related - Working Well Ergonomics

Harvard Medical School-

Laptop ergonomics: When the keyboard is in the proper position for the wrist, the screen is not in an adequate position for the neck and vice versa. Using a laptop is a trade off between poor neck/head posture and poor hand/wrist posture. You need to pay special attention to how you use your laptop to prevent problems.

Posted by B.L. Ochman
Hat tip to Joan Bramsch

Comments

Posted by: Serpy RSI at October 31, 2007 2:45 AM

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