AOL File Library: 3,701 to 3,800/aol-file-protocol-4400-3701-to-3800.zip/AOLDLs/Health and Fitness/STRESS_ Computer Ergonomics/COMPUTER.txt

Text File | 2014-11-04 | 20KB | 455 lines

Hi, welcome to Computer Comfort!  Would you do me a favor
and talk about and download this file at every opportunity?
Thanks so much, Lyn Bailey.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

                      Computer Comfort
                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    Welcome to a discussion on how computer related
discomforts can be prevented.  Often times, simply adjusting
your posture and the position of your equipment can reduce
or completely eliminate pain and injury.

    Sitting is one of the most stressful body positions for
your neck and lower back.

Here are a few ways to help that:

* Sit with your feet flat on the floor.

* Adjust your chair so that your knees are slightly higher
than your hips.

* Sit firmly against the back of your chair with your lower
back supported.

    If you have lower back problems, ask a chiropractor
about a lumbar support for your car and home.  Correct
posture can prevent tension and fatigue.

    Many people are having difficulties due to incorrect
monitor position.  Place your monitor directly in front of
you, as low as possible, even recessed into the desk.

############################################################

                       Take A Break!

    By taking a break every half hour, you will actually
accomplish more in a day.  For more energy, do the following
exercises:

    Press your forehead into your palms, resisting forward
motion with your hands.  Hold for 10 to 20 seconds.  Clasp
your hands behind your head and press your head back. Resist
any motion with your hands, holding for 15 seconds. Turn
your head to one side, resisting any motion with your hand.
Switch sides and hold for the same amount of time on each
side.  Then, tilt your head to one side, resisting any
movement with your hand, again, holding the position for
10-15 seconds on each side.

    Step away from your desk for awhile.  While standing,
shrug your shoulders up to your ears, hold 10 seconds, then
release.  Repeat 3 times.  Rotate each shoulder separately
forward and backward for 15-20 seconds each.  Shake your
hands out.  Shake your whole body.  This will boost your
circulation and help avoid stiff muscles.  To avoid a stiff
neck, slowly drop your head fully forward, then backward
(only to point of discomfort, each for 10 seconds.) Then
tilt forward and rotate 4 times to each side.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

             You Can Prevent Injury And Stress

    You hear so much about how to treat RSI (Repetitive
Stress Injury), Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and other computer
users' physical injuries and complaints these days.  What
about prevention?  Isn't it better to do something before,
rather than after the pain sets in?

    An injury that has gone on for too long without being
treated could put you out of work. Suppose you love to play
tennis or write, a serious injury would keep you from doing
it.

    Before telling you more about how to avoid stress and
injury, I'd like to give you some information about
Repetitive Stress Injuries.

    You can type more than 12,000 strokes per hour; causing
strain and swelling of the tendons in your wrists and hands.
That inflammation can pinch the main nerve that runs through
a passage in the wrist (the carpal tunnel). The symptoms
are: now-and-then or constant tingling and numbness in the
hands, loss of feeling, muscle strength, swelling, pain or
clumsiness while using your hands or intense pain in the
fingers, wrists, forearms and shoulders. That pain can cause
a permanent disability if you procrastinate seeing your
doctor.  So, see your doctor upon the earliest symptoms.
Catch it before it's chronic, you may even be able to
reverse it.  It can drastically affect finger coordination,
also, Some men are unable to grasp their wallets
sufficiently enough to get them out of their back pockets.
Extreme cases require surgery to cut the carpal ligament.

    Women are two to five times more at risk to suffer from
CTD than men.  "Cumulative Trauma Disorders have become the
nation's leading cause of occupational illnesses." says
Sharon Danann, research director of 9 to 5, the National
Association of Working Women.  And in the 1990's, they will
account for one half of all job related disorders."
Approximately a fifth of the LA Times' editorial staff have
had CTD symptoms.  We aren't physically equipped to handle
thousands of repetitive motions an hour.

    Not just computer users are at risk.  Anyone who uses
their hands in the same way for a long time are.  Retail and
grocery clerks, mail workers, gardeners, musicians, and
factory and assembly line people have CTD complaints.  These
injuries often respond to heat and ice treatments, massage,
physical therapy and rest if caught soon enough.

    Stretches and exercises focusing on flexibility and
strength building are also effective.  Braces or wrist
splints can protect injured tendons and force larger
muscles to carry more of the load.  If you have any RSI
symptoms, all the experts say to rest. Either take time off
from your job, or drastically lessen the workload.

    Just four hours per week is enough to cause a
significant injury if you are working at a poorly designed
or adjusted workstation.  According to numerous sources and
research, the most effective prevention technique is to
simply take regular breaks. With the old-timey typewriters,
there were natural breaks, like putting in new paper and
carriage returns. Today, it's non-stop and high-speed; which
puts more wear and tear on hands and wrists and there is no
recovery time. There are existing computer programs that
will interrupt your work to let you know it's time to rest
and stretch.  You can set your digital watch or clock to go
off at regular intervals.

    During your break, relax your hands. Let them go limp,
shake them out, massage them, anything but bending,
twisting or straining your wrists or fingers. Use your
entire hand while picking things up, not just the thumb and
forefinger. Keep your palms up off the keyboard.  The
easiest way to do this is with wrist rests. Position your
tilting keyboard so your elbows are bent at 90 degree angles
and your wrists are at 10 to 20 degrees from horizontal.
Before you positioning, be sure your shoulders are relaxed
and not up to your ears! Also, hit the keys as lightly as
possible.  It doesn't take great force to depress a computer
key.

    Situate the computer monitor 15 to 30 degrees below eye
level; never above eye level.  Put it 24 or more inches from
where you sit. Stay at least four feet away from the back
sides of other monitors in your workplace.  No one yet knows
just how harmful monitor radiation is to users' health.
Anti-radiation screens can help, but block only electric
fields at very low frequency (VLF) levels and extremely low
frequency (ELF) levels.  They do not block magnetic fields,
which is thought to be a more serious danger.  For more
information on the exposure hazards of magnetic fields, read
Paul Brodeaus' "Currents of Death."

    Instead of laying papers flat, use a document holder
next to the screen.  Take a 15 minute rest after two hours
under a moderate workload, and after one hour if you have a
heavy workload.

    Looking at a computer screen can lead to eyestrain.
Concentrating on the screen reduces blinking, which dries
your eyes, especially if you have contacts.  It can also
cause irritation, blurred vision, headaches, muscle tension
and joint pain.

    To minimize this strain, keep your neck relaxed, your
chin slightly down and tucked in, your head straight ahead.
Do not slouch!  It compresses the spinal nerves, unduly
stresses the spine, causes muscle tension, headache strain,
foggy thinking, and fatigue.  Have someone who knows about
posture show you how to sit if necessary.  Slouchy posture
and poor body mechanics while word processing, probably
causes more muscle and joint pain and problems than anything
else.

    While computing, be sure the lighting is correct.  Bad
lighting can cause irritating glare. Anti-glare filters that
fit over your screen, indirect lighting, non-reflecting
glass screens can prevent glare and minimize eyestrain.
Remind yourself to blink frequently to keep your eyes moist
and comfortable during long stretches of work. Tell
yourself: "I am relaxing my eyes," or anything else that
will help you to stop staring the computer down.

    Be sure the chair has an adjustable seat pan, so that
there is an angle between the thigh and spine.  For people
working with keyboards for extended time periods, it's best
to angle the seat down in front.  Arm rests ought to be
adjustable and removable.  The best chair swivels and moves.
The seat height and the backrest needs to be adjustable.
Also, be sure it is laterally adjustable.  When purchasing a
chair, ask a lot of questions and be sure it fills your
needs.

    While sitting in your new chair, check your posture
often, making sure lower back is firmly against the chair
back, take breaks regularly, and keep your feet flat on the
floor. Use a foot rest, if necessary.  Remember to breathe
deeply (have proper ventilation so you can). Remember, if
you are experiencing any numbness, pain or tingling, see
your health practitioner immediately!  You will gain by
saving yourself pain and $15 to 20 thousand dollars for
surgery!

<----------------------------<>----------------------------->

           LCD vs CRT Monitors - Which Is Safer?

    The two types of computer displays (monitors) in common
use today are called CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), which resemble
tv sets, and LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) which are most
often found on laptop and notebook computers.

    The CRT has been accused of being a possible health
hazard. The reasons are that it emits high and low-frequency
electromagnetic waves, that it emits ultraviolet light
radiation, and that it is hard to look at.  Whether or not
these are dangers has not yet been agreed upon.  Just in
case they turn out to be a problem, LCD displays ought to be
looked into in the meantime.

    The CRT uses "guns" to shoot streams of electrons from
it's back to the front of the tube where they crash into a
layer of chemical that transforms the energy of the crashes
to light.  This takes a lot of high-voltage electricity to
control.  The electrons are being shot directly at your
eyes, with only a layer of glass to stop them.  Do you
suppose all the sub-molecular material is stopped by the
glass?  So far, no one knows.

    The LCD display does not project light, it reflects it.
Technically, whatever light is in the area in which you are
working is either absorbed by the dark areas of the screen,
or reflected by the light areas.  The amount of electricity
to control the darkness of the screen is very low.  However,
since the ambient light is often not sufficient, the LCD is
augmented by one or two fluorescent light tubes at the sides
of the screen.  These also use high-voltage, high-frequency
electricity, but far less than a CRT.

    While you can easily stay at least two feet away from a
typical CRT, it is hard to get far away from your laptop
computer and still reach the keyboard.  So, although the
fluorescent lighting in the laptop puts out far less
electromagnetic radiation than the CRT, it still puts it
out!  When you get two feet away from a CRT, the amount of
radiation it produces is nearly undetectable by present-day
measuring instruments.  Although no one I know has measured
the radiation coming from a laptop's LCD, it may be
undetectable within an eighth of an inch which would
probably be safe.

    It is generally agreed that the display device be placed
somewhat below eye level.  Conveniently, the LCD in laptops,
ends up in this position.  The laptop is also easier to move
forward or back, put on a book, move to another desk, etc.

    Taking this a step further, you can avoid discomfort or
injury resulting from an incorrect posture, by moving from
one location to another during the course of your workday.
You can even set the laptop on a high table or shelf and
work while standing.

    Another reason that the LCD may be the display of
choice is that its pixels, the individual dots of which the
image is composed, are square, and clearly delimited.  The
CRT uses rather fuzzy round dots.

    Your eyes can find an exact focus on the square LCD
pixels, but can never be quite sure if they have the CRT in
focus. This means your eyes may be constantly straining to
get the CRT in proper focus.

............................................................

                Remember To Relax Your Eyes

    To prevent eyestrain, "palm" your eyes every hour. This
is done by first getting into a reclining or lying down
position, rubbing your hands until heat is generated, then
by placing your palms over your eyes, your right hand
slightly over your left.  Leave them there while breathing
naturally, deeply and fully for 3-5 minutes.  This is very
calming. Relaxing the eyes relaxes you body and mind.

************************************************************

             CRT Radiation - Is It Safe Enough?

    So far, no one knows if the electrical field around
computers can cause biological damage.  The radiation your
monitor emits, however, is said to be in the "safe" range.
Still, "buyer be aware." Here are some of the health
problems that are linked to extensive computer use:

Pregnancy disorders - A possible increased risk of
miscarriage or birth defects.  Radiation and on-the-job
emotional and physical stress has been suggested to be a
possible explanation for this.  Very controlled studies have
not confirmed the connection, although.

Cataracts - Radiation from your computer screen has not been
found to cause them.  The levels known to cause cataracts
are 10,000 times higher than those coming from a computer
monitor.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(*)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

                 More Prevention Techniques

    By doing the following, you'll prevent a great deal of
tension and pain right from your desk!

    Reach behind your chair and interlace fingers.  Slowly
lift chin up while looking at the ceiling.  This will
stretch the neck, shoulders and chest.

    Place your arms and hands, palms down, on desk, roll to
the right.  Lower and repeat with right elbow.  With feet
flat, reach left arm over right shoulder and right arm over
left shoulder.  Pull left shoulder towards your right side,
while turning head to the left.  Repeat on opposite side.

    If you have a home office, do yoga, improvised
stretches, or the following technique called progressive
relaxation (best done while lying down.)

    Beginning with feet, say: My feet are heavy and
relaxed, I am now relaxing my feet.  My feet are relaxed.
Then move up to your calves, thighs, you get the picture,
until you've covered every part of your body. When you get
to your head say: I am now relaxing my forehead, I am now
relaxing my entire head.  Now, I will relax my mind, etc.
Repeat the phrase 2-4 times.  Do this at least once a day.
It can be done in three minutes. However; it's most
effective when you take 5-10 minutes.

------------------------------------------------------------
                More Ways To Prevent Stress

    Press your forehead into your palms resisting forward
motion with your hands.  Hold for 15-30 seconds.  Clasp
your hands behind your head and press your head back. Resist
any motion with your hands, holding for 20 seconds. Turn
your head to one side, resisting any motion with your hand.
Switch sides and hold for same amount of time on each side.
Then, tilt head to one side, resisting any movement with
your hand, again, holding the position for 10-20 seconds on
each side.

    To reduce neck and shoulder soreness and stiffness, do
these with a straight spine while sitting:

1. Slowly drop your head fully forward, then backward.  Then
tilt, then rotate to each side. Hold each position for 10-15
seconds.

2. Turn your head as far to the right as you comfortably
can. Then, hold for 5 seconds. Please repeat the above for
the other side.  Continue until you feel an easing of
tension.

3. Complete by grasping as much of the top of your left
shoulder you can with your right hand, squeeze firmly for 7
seconds and let go quickly. Repeat on other shoulder.  Do
each shoulder 3 times.

    While doing the following, breathe deeply, without
strain. Shrug your shoulders up to your ears and hold for 10
seconds. Repeat this three times. Simultaneously rotate your
shoulders forward and backwards for 30 seconds or as long as
desired. Repeat these exercises several times during the
day. While standing, stretch arms straight up over your
head, hold 3 seconds, then cross your right arm in front of
your left arm and vice-versa, 3-5 times.  Repeat it in the
opposite way. Then, lower arms to your side, place behind
your back and repeat the above sequence. Anytime you want to
feel calmer and focused, close your eyes, inhale through
your nose and exhale out your mouth very slowly at least
four times.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>=<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

    Already Stressed? - Relax Yourself With Self-Massage

    Self-massage very effectively lessens stress, slows the
heart rate, strengthens the immune system, and increases
blood and oxygen flow to the body and brain.  Massage slows
nervous impulses in the muscle tissue, bringing pain relief.
Used daily, it can relieve chronic stress and depression.

This massage technique will loosen tight muscles:

Using a kneading motion, gently massage the face, then the
scalp, working down through the neck, shoulders, arms, lower
back, legs, and feet.  Work gradually from lighter to deeper
pressure in the direction of the blood flow to remove lactic
acid and toxins.  Massage each area for two minutes. Always
use oil to avoid skin irritation.

To alleviate stress and depression, press the following
points for 10-30 seconds each:

1.  Press the point in the center of the top of the back of
the neck.

2.  Press the point on your abdomen one and a half inches
below the navel.

3.  Press the points below and on the inside corner of the
fingernails of the middle fingers.

4.  Place four fingers into the middle hollow of the top of
the back of neck and rub clockwise for one minute.

5.  Press the points right below and to the inside corner of
the fingernails of the small fingers.

6.  Bend your head to the chest. Place your hand on the back
of your neck and find the large gap along the spine located
below the base of neck. From this area count one vertebra
down and massage the point (often tender) at the bottom of
shoulder blades.

7.  Complete by cupping your right or left hand across the
back of your head starting at the indentations at the top of
neck.  Place your left or right hand starting slightly above
eyebrows lightly across your entire forehead.  Breathe
deeply throughout while releasing emotional and physical
tensions.

*************************************************************

   It is my desire that you benefit from what you have
learned in this file. If you feel you have benefited, please
grab an envelope, toss a dollar in and mail it to:

                         Lyn Bailey
                      9600 North Fork
                  Florence, Oregon, 97439

    Nothing will be sent in return, but your dollar will
help support the creation of more "Dollarware" files.

                       Thanks a lot!

-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-