 Spending long periods at a computer workstation is a significant risk factor for developing back pain and other musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
These painful and quality of life-affecting conditions can develop gradually as a direct result of poor sitting posture and working habits, or begin with unrelated injuries that are then made worse by bad posture
That's why it's so important to make sure you avoid sitting in bad postures for long periods, and adopt healthy working habits, to prevent back pain
PostureMinder's award-winning, proven solution can help anyone who's serious about preventing or treating their back pain through better posture and computer habits. Adopting healthy computer habits has also been shown to boost your performance at whatever you use your computer for
If you already suffer from back pain, you can take as many drugs, seek physiotherapy or chiropractic treatment, buy an expensive ergonomic chair and as many gadgets as you like. If every time you sit back down at your computer you go back to your bad old posture and working habits, you'll just keep doing damage
So before you shell out for that £500 chair, or take more painkillers, why not give PostureMinder a try and see if you can treat yourself with the ultimate all-natural, drug-free pain remedy – stopping doing what's causing your back pain in the first place!
Find out more about how PostureMinder works here
Read what our users and leading professionals think about PostureMinder here
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Various research has highlighted how common back pain and other musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are amongst computer users:
- A 2008 survey by the British Chiropractic Association found that 32% of 6-7 year old British children reported suffering back pain (Press release PDF)
- The same BCA survey found that reported back pain amongst 11-18 year olds had shot up from 29% in 2002 to 45% in 2008. In roughly the same time period, average computer use is reported to have risen by around 400%%, suggesting a probable strong correlation between computer usage and back pain
- A study of 270 clerical, technical, call-centre and managerial staff in 15 Australian companies found 76% had experienced neck pain, back pain or other upper limb pain that they felt was due to computer use in the past year. 46% reporting symptoms in the last week (Cook, Burgess-Limerick, Chang 2000)
- A further study (Evans, Patterson 2000) focused specifically on professional and managerial staff. It found that 65% of participants reported experiencing neck pain, shoulder pain or stiffness in the preceding month
- (Mulry 1990, Professional Safety Journal) found that 80% of US citizens seek treatment for back pain at some point in their lives, at an annual cost of $24bn in direct medical costs alone
- A study of over 4000 Scottish schoolchildren found that 60% of regular computer users reported frequent headaches, over 40% frequent neck pain or shoulder pain, and around 15% frequent back pain (Alexander, Currie 2003)
- In 2008, the UK Schools Minister Jim Knight admitted that, despite the Building Schools for the Future programme investing £40billion on improving schools, "most school furniture would be illegal in the workplace"
Other effects of poor posture:
Besides causing back, neck and shoulder pain, sitting in a poor posture has knock-on effects on other aspects of your health, and how you feel and perform
If you lean forwards, you're likely to experience more eye fatigue and headaches through being too close to your screen. It will also make it difficult to type or use your mouse with your hands and forearms in the correct position. In particular, if you type with your wrists bent back, you're at greater risk of developing so-called repetitive strain injuries (RSI)
If you're slumping in your chair, you're likely to be overstretching to reach your mouse or keyboard, which can also cause RSI, and may find you crane your neck forwards to peer at the screen. This posture is often known as 'vulture-necking', and can lead to severe neck pain
Sitting in a slumped or slouching posture is associated with low confidence and mood. If you were asked to picture someone who was depressed or lacking confidence, how would you visualise them? Slouching, right? The simple act of sitting properly can make you feel better and more confident. It can even make you look slimmer!
To reduce the chances of developing back pain, you should:
- Make sure you avoid sitting in poor postures that put strain on your back, shoulders and neck
- Make sure you take regular short breaks from the computer, or switch to non-computer tasks
- Try to reduce your stress levels, which can increase muscle tension
- Try to keep in good physical condition so supportive muscles can do their job properly
PostureMinder helps protect your health by:
- Providing simple, easy-to-follow ergonomic training materials
- Reminding you whenever you sit in a bad posture for a few minutes at a time
- Promoting healthy working habits such as regular short breaks, stretching and good hydration
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