Exercises to conquer computer pain

By Erika Dillman



Stiffness or pain in the back, neck, shoulders, forearms, wrists and hands are some of the most common overuse symptoms that plague computer users and others who perform repetitive tasks day after day.

"The main problem is that people don't take breaks or change positions," says Nancy Casey, physical and occupational therapy manager at a Seattle Group Health clinic. "People get involved in what they're doing and they forget to move."

When you sit at a desk and type on a computer keyboard, several muscles in your arms, shoulders and chest shorten. Not only is constantly using muscles in shortened positions inefficient, but it also cuts off proper circulation to the muscles. After time, chronic injuries can prevent you from using your computer or participating in your favorite sports or exercises.

Casey suggests these five ways to combat overuse injuries:

1. Do the opposite. To lengthen those shortened, overworked muscles, put your body in the opposite position. For example, walking is the opposite of sitting. Stretches that place your arms behind the line of your trunk are also important.

2. Ergonomics. Have an ergonomic evaluation to make sure that your work station is appropriate for your body.

3. Take mini-breaks. Every 20 or 30 minutes, take a minute to rest your eyes (blinking lubricates them), stretch your arms over your head and shift to a new position in your chair.

4. Take hourly breaks. Every 45 to 60 minutes, get out of your chair and move around for several minutes. Walk around your office or get a drink of water (it's also important to stay hydrated throughout the day). Do one or two minutes of stretching.

5. Breathe. "When you're sitting crunched over your computer your lungs don't have as much room," says Casey. Sitting or standing, turn away from your desk and just focus on your breathing for a minute. Casey recommends taking 10 deep breaths.

Colorado workout guru Bob Anderson, author of the best seller Stretching, agrees with Casey that taking regular breaks every hour and stretching throughout the day can help compensate for the tension that accumulates in the upper body.
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Anderson also wrote Stretching at your Computer or Desk, a small book that outlines 20 simple stretching routines, including "lower back stretches," "on-the-phone-stretches" and "keyboard operator stretches" that can be done at the office. His stretching routines are also available in poster format, on small laminated sheets, and on software that can be programmed to appear on your screen at regular intervals throughout the day.

Anderson instructs readers to stretch only until they feel mild tension, to relax and to breathe slowly and rhythmically while stretching.

Here are a couple of stretches from Anderson's book:
·For slumping shoulders: Interlace your fingers behind your back, palms facing upward. Slowly move your elbows toward each other as you straighten your arms. Hold five to 15 seconds. Repeat.

·For arms, armpits and upper rib cage: Interlace your fingers in front of your body, then straighten your arms over your head, so that your palms face upward. Hold 10 to 20 seconds. Repeat twice.


Sharon Butler is a certified Hellerwork practitioner in Berwyn, Penn. (Hellerwork, named after founder Joseph Heller, is a type of deep tissue bodywork designed to restore balance and alignment to the body.) Butler developed a style of stretching several years ago to alleviate her problems with carpal tunnel syndrome. She compares taking care of your body to managing a bank account. In order to make withdrawals (perform activities that stress your body), you have to make more deposits (activities like rest and stretching that nourish tissues).

"The soft tissues of the body respond to stress — repetitive motion of all different kinds, poor posture, stressful posture and even emotional stress — which can all cause tissue to change and respond less favorably to movement," Butler explains. "The purpose of stretching is to restore soft tissue back to a more normal state."
She says most people go for the burn of a big stretch sensation. "That kind of stretching can delay healing," Butler warns. In her book Conquering Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Butler offers stretches based on very slow, gentle movements that address and heal inflammation in the connective tissues.

"It's really more about awareness than it is about cranking out a stretch," says Steve Paschell, a certified Hellerworker in Seattle who often recommends Butler's stretches to his clients. "People just go from A to B all the time and they don't settle down to one place, or into deep awareness. That's what's missing."

Butler's 20-page booklet, Beyond Ergonomics: Body Conditioning for the Computer Use, contains exercises and useful tips for office workers. Among them:

·Don't use the same muscles for work and play. Because you use the same muscles for typing and gripping a tennis racket, Butler advises against tennis or other sports that stress those muscles. "You need to do more stretches than you need to in order to correct the symptoms you're experiencing that day," Butler says, "and eventually you will build up your bank account to the point where you can do some stressful things and not experience symptoms." Until you're back in the black, try walking, running and swimming.

·There's always time to stretch. You don't have to set aside time for a lengthy regimen. You can stretch while waiting in line at the grocery store or at an ATM, while you download a file or at your child's soccer game.

·Stretch the shoulders and armpits. Butler finds that with 75 percent of her clients who have hand and wrist symptoms, the actual problem occurs in the shoulder. "We keep our arms down at our sides all day long, and there are lots and lots of muscles that intersect in the shoulder and armpit areas and they simply don't ever get a chance to be moved," Butler says. She recommends the shoulder roll as "an excellent exercise that should be done very slowly, much slower than most people are used to doing it."

In addition to stretching and taking breaks, getting in desk shape doesn't hurt. Casey recommends aerobic exercise five days a week and activities that promote good posture.

"You want to have good strong posture muscles to hold you upright," Casey says. To improve posture, keep your upper back strong. Swimming is a great exercise for toning those muscles. You can also do strength training two or three times a week, including work on your back extensors (rhomboids, lower trapezius, latissimus).

"I think people always want something fancy to do," Casey says, "and in reality, if someone is out there walking or running with good upright posture, or swimming, they're doing great."