Sorry. This article is not about how you can install Windows 10 without a headache! This article is about how to make sure your desk is set up in a way that does not lead to pain.

Understand this first!

Did you know that chronic pain (such as neck pain, back pain and headaches) is more commonly due to underuse not overuse? In other words sitting still for too long is more likely to lead to back pain than spending the weekend gardening. The reason for this is that the most common chronic pain (headaches, neck and back pain) arises from dysfunction in skeletal muscle – and muscle loves to move. In other words, a muscle that has to work without movement for a few minutes will start to give pain whereas the same muscle working under a lot of load with movement will work all day.

 

For example…

Let’s take the bicep in your upper arm for example. You know when you hold a baby in your arm for too long. Even though the baby is a new one and not that heavy after a few minutes that bicep muscle begins to burn. You have to change arms right. The reason is: the muscle was working, but not moving. Ignore the pain and do that for long enough and you will cause some lasting damage in that muscle. Now take the same muscle and lift something twice the weight of that baby up and down through movement. Do that for long enough and the muscle will get healthier! Why? Because it is working and moving! Muscles love movement.

Tip 1: Move.

Okay. Now that you understand that static (non-moving) effort from muscle damages muscle, this will make sense.

Move.

This first tip is simple –  move more often. Don’t sit there transfixed for more than 30 minutes. Make an excuse, go to the photocopier, run an errand, set one of those little alarms on your computer to remind you. Simply get up more often.

Tip 2: Sit well.

Whether your sitting posture causes back and neck pain or not depends on whether you can set up your spine in a posture where the spinal muscles can ‘rest’. In other words, if your posture is making muscles exert effort then guess what they will start to hurt. (You don’t move when you are sitting so that means effort without movement.) Wanna know why you shift and shuffle in your seat? Your muscles are telling you that they want to move.

Have a read of ‘Back Pain: The secret to good sitting posture and pain relief – Parts I to IV’ for how to sit well.

Tip 3: Lower your keyboard.

When your keyboard/desk is a bit high then your wrists are higher than your elbows. When this is the case you will shrug your shoulders subconsciously. So this means that your trapezius, the muscle that shrugs your shoulders is working. It’s not working hard, but if you are typing for an hour then your trapezius is in contraction without movement for an hour. And guess what! Trapezius will refer a headache up your neck, behind your ear and into your temple. Sound familiar?

The solution is to lower your keyboard. This can be done by raising your chair or lowering your desk.

Tip 4: Make sure your monitor is in the right place.

Technically your eyes want to be LEVEL with the TOP of your monitor when you are sitting well. If your monitor is too low then in order to look down, you will slouch. You will slouch your whole spine to lower your head. If your monitor is too small you will crane your neck forward placing cervical neck muscles in contraction without movement for hours on end and there is a whole bunch of headache patterns that come from these muscles.

You will also crane your neck in the same way if you are peering through the top or bottom of your bifocals. Do yourself a favour and get glasses to suit.

If you are at a computer for a living like so many of us, these facts about muscle function and posture have become very important. When we were all farmers hundreds of years ago and were moving more frequently, I am certain there were less headaches!

 

 

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– Tim