Put simply, ergonomics is the study of people in their working environment, with the aim to reduce discomfort and prevent injury. Key elements include safety, comfort, ease of use, and productivity. If you look at the way we use modern technology, then there is certainly convenience, but also the potential for strain and repetitive injury.
At Feel Amazing Chatswood, we regularly talk to our clients about ways to look after the body and our previous blog post offered some general ideas about where to start when using technology.
When using mobiles, tablets, computers and smart watches, there is certainly an important need for awareness of posture and pacing of use, so we thought today’s blog post would offer you some handy hints on how to do this, to reduce strain, improve posture and have your body functioning at its optimal level.
According to Google, there were more than 8.58 billion mobile subscriptions in use worldwide in 2022, compared to a global population of 7.95 billion. That would equate to a lot of screen time!
So, it’s not surprising that musculoskeletal issues are also on the rise. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t aware of this risk. While the feeling of pain or discomfort from staring at screens, lying in an awkward position to watch our favourite streaming program, or having sore hands or fingers from texting and scrolling, is not uncommon. There are now even recognised terms for commonly presenting symptoms, some of which are below.
- Tech or Text Neck – the forward head posture many of us unconsciously adopt while using a mobile phone. This can lead to neck and shoulder pain, headaches, and over time a hunched back
- Digital Eye strain – Did you know over 50% of phone users have experienced eye strain at some point??
- Then there’s thumb and wrist injuries such as Trigger Finger/Thumb, or Tenosynovitis
What can you do to prevent these types of problems?
- One simple way to reduce stain on your neck and shoulders while using a mobile phone is to hold your phone up higher (at least chest, chin or eye level). This allows for a more neutral spine when viewing your phone.
- If your phone is below eye level, look down with your eyes rather than your neck
- Keep your wrists relaxed and as straight as possible
- Avoid holding your phone between your ear and shoulder
- Stretch regularly and do targeted exercises (your Feel Amazing practitioner can guide you with some of these!)
- Avoid typing for long periods on your smartphone
- Hold your phone with one hand then use your index finger in the other hand to scroll or text
- Use voice recording for messages instead of typing out the message
- Adjust your screen settings including contrast, brightness and font size and control the light with night mode
As a rule, generally, you should take regular breaks every 5-15 minutes of smartphone use. You can set reminders or alerts to help pace activity. Just like getting up from your chair or away from your desk, your neck, shoulders and hands need a break too.
Being aware of these things can help to prevent pain, discomfort and injury.
In the meantime, if you are needing those tight muscles released, or a spinal alignment to get you standing up tall, then make a booking with us today. Improved range of movement, posture and ergonomics is only a click away!