Laptops are crippling millions with back problems. Girls as young as 12 are being diagnosed with nerve damage
caused by slouching over screens, a group of leading chiropractors
said. Booming sales of laptops have led to a surge in the number of
computer users with back and muscle problems, experts have
warned.
Millions of others are at risk of "irretrievable damage" to
their spines, necks and shoulders because of poor posture when
using laptops, it was claimed.
Back specialists say as many as four in five patients have
chronic nerve damage caused by working on portable PCs.
The problem is being driven by falling prices and the increasing
availability of wireless technology, which makes portable computers
more attractive.
Laptop sales in PC World went up by more than 25 per cent last
year.
In addition, laptops used at work are not subject to the same
health and safety regulations as desktop computers.
This makes it more likely they will be used incorrectly.
A common problem is perching a laptop on the legs so users stare
down at the screen and put strain on their necks, spines and
legs.
London-based chiropractor Michael Durntall was among those
calling for more research into the issue.
He said he had seen dozens of Xrays showing signs of
degeneration in the joints of regular laptop users.
Mr Durntall added: "Mothers bring in their 12-year-old daughters
suffering back pain and when they arrive I can see their slumped
posture straight away.
"I also see many people in their twenties and thirties with a
dowager's hump - a rounding at the base of the neck - after only a
few years of looking down at a small screen while sitting slumped
on a chair for long periods."
Rishi Loatey, a chiropractor from Wembley, North-West London,
said he often treated back and neck pain caused by using a laptop
on the move, such as on a train.
Nicola Hunter, a physiotherapist and occupational health
specialist, said that hand and arm pain similar to repetitive
strain injury was 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."
There are more than five million laptops in circulation in the
UK.
They account for 70 per cent of all computer sales, according to
PC Pro magazine.
The problem of laptop-related pain is yet to be properly
examined by the Health and Safety Executive.
The HSE merely advises users to follow guidelines for general
computer use, but take more breaks.
Chiropractors recommend the use of a docking station, which
links a laptop to another screen and keyboard, or a stand which
raises the screen to a higher level.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-458548/Laptops-crippling-millions-problems.html
I first saw this issue many years ago with a woman who was writing her PhD thesis at home on a laptop computer. She developed severe arm and hand pain due to a herniated disc, caused, no doubt, by the combination of poor posture and stress. A docking station is convenient but not necessary. If you are using a laptop extensively at home start with getting a separate keyboard and mouse. Put the laptop up on something, a box, a stack of books or you can buy a specially designed laptop holder. This will bring the screen up to somewhere near eye level. A separate screen is nice but not necessary.
If you are using a laptop away from home and office, I recommend some kind of portable laptop holder. You can use a book holder (Staples carries one for about $12). This will elevate the screen and bring the keyboard up and at an angle. It's not perfect but a lot better than using the laptop on a flat surface, your lap or (gasp!) on a bed.
When you start having neck pain. arm pain or hand pain come see me. Do not let yourself be diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. Many people get needless surgery when the problem is really in their neck. This can be rationally diagnosed and treated without drugs or surgery.
Dr. Manlove
© 2009 George Manlove, DC All rights
reserved.
Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the
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