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Microbreaks are an important component of workplace health. Muscles become stressed if asked to perform repetitive tasks or hold static positions for too long during the work day. Microbreaks allow a change of position, different muscle use, stimulate blood flow and can help reduce the risk of injury or discomfort. Microbreaks can last a few minutes or just a few seconds, but your body will thank you for them!

Try some of the following microbreaks to reduce build up of stress to your joints and muscles during the work day.

At The Computer

• Regular ‘palms down’ typing and mousing posture is a non-neutral position. It requires wrist and forearm work to maintain, and can result in fatigue over long periods.
• Neutral posture for the wrist and forearm is ‘palms sideways’ resting on the 5th finger side of your hand as shown at right.
• Unwind into this low risk posture whenever you’re composing your thoughts, reading, or anytime you’re not mouse clicking or typing.

Back Basics

• Try the ‘why me’ stretch to counteract forward hunching over the computer.
• Stretching backwards for a few seconds every 10 or 15 mins will give your back a break.
• Close your eyes for an extra relaxation boost!

Alternating Tasks

• To further reduce repetitive muscle work during the day, alternate your work tasks so that you do at least 5 minutes of work using different muscles each hour.
• If you’re busy on the computer, stop every hour and do 5 minutes of filing or check voice mails so your ‘computer muscles’ get a break.
• If all your work is computer-based then alternate applications so you do an hour of spreadsheet work alternated with 5 minutes of replying to email, etc.

Natural Microbreaks

• Natural microbreaks happen in the day without you planning them, but you can encourage them as well…
• Try printing to a printer outside your office so you have to get up or take a short walk to get documents.
• Drink water during the day, it’s healthy and you’ll need to get up from your desk to refill and take bathroom breaks.
• Try walking to a co-worker’s desk to get information rather than calling or emailing.
• Leave your office and take a short walk at lunch time.

The content of this article was written by ErgoRisk and has been republished in an online format at OnTask Rehab: your source for ergonomic and rehab articles and services.

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Look for these small critters hiding out near your mouse. Just start using your mouse and watch them come out of the woodwork, threatening your mouse and your hand’s health. We’ll give you tips on how to eradicate these pests.

1.Handus Hoveramus

Known for having fingers suspended over the buttons only pouncing to click and creating static tension in the hand and forearm muscles. Can also infect keyboards.

Eradication Tips:

Rest your fingers on the buttons (if you rest them lightly the buttons shouldn’t click)
Slide your hand forward on the mouse slightly – it doesn’t have to be your fingertip on the button
Consider a different type of input device e.g. trackballs which give your fingers a place to rest without clicking

2.Mouse Stranglers and Mousus Liftalot

These predators also lead to significant tension in the hand and particularly the thumb. Often associated with intense work styles and / or a feeling of “running out of mouse space”.

Eradication Tips:

Adjust your mouse speed settings – a more sensitive mouse needs less space.

The content of this article was written by ErgoRisk and has been republished in an online format at OnTask Rehab: your source for ergonomic and rehab articles and services.

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Human hands are unique and one of our greatest assets. Can you imagine not being able to work with your hands? Unchecked, signs and symptoms of wrist discomfort can progress to severe pain that impacts every part of your life.

Common signs and symptoms in the hand include discomfort, stiffness, numbness, tingling, redness, and weakness.

Some of the most common reasons that we develop problems with our wrists and hands are:

• Wrists bent upwards or to the side when typing
• Using repetitive sideways wrist movements with the wrist bent backward when using the mouse (awkward postures)
• Using our wrist as an anchor point, resting it down on a hard surface when using the mouse or keyboard (contact stress)
• Overloading of one hand (and arm). For example, accountants, graphics designers and CAD technicians do over 80% of their work with their right hand (extremely high number pad and mouse use).
• Using the keyboard or mouse with awkward postures of the fingers (e.g. see the picture on the bottom right).
• Working with the thumbs bent backward and with the pinkie fingers raised are more common than you may think
• Not giving our wrists and hands time to rest throughout the day

It can be difficult to modify the work that we do in our job. However, we can control when we take breaks, when we alternate between desk work and other work and our posture throughout the day.

Take a look at our ‘Microbreak’ guide to get a few suggestions on how to give your hands a break

The content of this article was written by ErgoRisk and has been republished in an online format at OnTask Rehab: your source for ergonomic and rehab articles and services.

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Q: What exactly is the ideal monitor height?

A: Monitors should be set so that the top of the screen is roughly at eye level when you are sitting up straight.

Why? – Relaxed posture for the human eye is 15˚ below the horizon and we all slouch now and then, so before you know it your relaxed eye is focused in the middle to upper 1/3 of the screen….and that’s where most of our work is.

How? – Raid your photocopy room and prop your monitor up on packages of paper if it’s too low, or pull out those phone books from underneath if it’s too high.

Q: How far away should your monitor be positioned from your eyes?

A: It depends on your vision, if you catch yourself leaning forward or squinting to view the screen it’s too far away and you need to pull it closer!

Why? – Your head weighs as much as a bowling ball! When you lean it forward to squint at a monitor your upper back and shoulder muscles pay the price!

How? – Pull your monitor closer! … with the advent of flat screens everyone seems to push their monitor farther away to regain desk space, but that has spawned a generation of ‘leaners’ with sore necks and upper backs! If you can’t part with the debris on the front of your desk to bring your monitor closer to you, then try keeping your chair tucked in close to the front of the desk so you bring yourself closer to the monitor.

Q: Won’t a close monitor bother my eyes or project ‘radiation’?

A: Those worries about monitor radiation from CRTs were resolved years ago, and flat screen technology is totally different and much easier on the eyes. If you find the monitor is too bright or it bothers your eyes to have it close try adjusting the brightness and contrast. (But don’t get too close – minimum recommended distance is 16”).

How? – Those little buttons on the bottom front of your monitor case adjust the screen brightness and contrast. It might take a bit of trial and error, but once your monitor is set for your vision your eyes will thank you!

Q: What if I wear bifocals or progressive lenses?

A: Bifocal wearers typically look out of the bottom of the lens to view the monitor so to avoid tipping your head up to view the screen, set the top of the monitor 3” -4” below eye level.

How? – Lower your monitor as much as possible. If you’re still too high try the following tips: Sneak your chair up a bit to get your eye level above the top of the monitor OR position the work on your screen a few inches lower. You’ll lose a bit of screen area but your neck and shoulders will thank you!

TIPS:

Your monitor should be lined up directly in front of you so that you don’t have to twist your neck to view it.
You should take regular 20-20-20 vision breaks to rest your eyes if you spend long hours in front of the computer – every 20 minutes take a 20 second break and refocus your eyes on something at least 20 ft away. (It works just as well to close your eyes for 20 seconds, but then folks might think you’re sleeping on the job!)

The content of this article was written by ErgoRisk and has been republished in an online format at OnTask Rehab: your source for ergonomic and rehab articles and services.

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Eyeglasses? Edge of the table? An elephant?

Maybe it’s an elbow on the table?

Awkward posture just slowly creeps up on us.

If you go on a mission searching for postures like this, you are probably going to be disappointed if you go first thing in the morning.

BUT, if you take a look around your workgroup around the mid-afternoon ‘crash’, you will probably find your co-workers melting into their desk.

Our bodies aren’t meant to stay in one position all day. So, once our stabilizing muscles get fatigued, we start to ‘melt’.

Call it what you want, but melting, slouching, head forward posture and leaning our elbow on the desk are all related to the fact that we are spending too much time in one place (our desks!).

Encourage your co-workers to take microbreaks and stretch breaks. Or at least, get away from the computer at lunch. (And if you don’t take lunch, you may want reconsider after you check your posture by mid-afternoon!)

Be on the look-out for these simple to solve habits and risk factors.

And remember the definition of insanity, “… doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” Ben Franklin’

When are you going to change your habits?

The content of this article was written by ErgoRisk and has been republished in an online format at OnTask Rehab: your source for ergonomic and rehab articles and services.

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Is it a microphone? A manual? A manicure? Maybe a mug full of tea?

Or maybe, it’s a mighty computer monitor?

As you go out on your next ergo reconnaissance mission, be on the look-out for monitors that are trying to escape or evade being seen.

Some monitors tend to migrate and make a run for the edge of the desk, while others climb on top of piles of paper, books, or monitor risers until they touch overhead storage areas.

The golden rules for monitor position are:

• Monitors shouldn’t be positioned so that you have to move or rotate your neck in order to see the content on the screen.
• This means your monitor should be inline with your keyboard and;
• The top of the screen should be the same height as your eyes (exception: multi-focal lens wearers should position the monitor low enough so that they satisfy the first rule).

As you wander your office, be on the lookout for these mischievous monitors. If you see a monitor that has fallen out of line with the keyboard, consider encouraging the owner to rein it back in.

The content of this article was written by ErgoRisk and has been republished in an online format at OnTask Rehab: your source for ergonomic and rehab articles and services.

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Is it a hard drive? A hat rack? A halogen light? Or maybe a bowl full of hard candy?

Does it have something to do with the head? Or the hands?

The answers are ‘yes’ for the last two.

Have you noticed that as the office evolves, our desks fill up with more and more tools aimed at helping us work faster and faster?

Too bad we only have two hands…

Cradling the phone handset between the ear and shoulder while writing or typing on your computer is a quick way to cause strain on your neck.

If you frequently use or someone in your office frequently uses the phone this way, consider alternatives. Using a speaker phone, a hands free headset or your hand all reduce the stress on your neck and upper back. At a minimum, push away from your computer and use one hand to hold the handset and one hand to write on paper.

Try and spy people in your workgroup that are caught in the ‘phone trap’. Talk to them and see if you can set them free!

The content of this article was written by ErgoRisk and has been republished in an online format at OnTask Rehab: your source for ergonomic and rehab articles and services.

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Is it a printer? A pencil? A pen?

Could it be a pomegranate? Or just simply lots of bad fit?

We love Ben Franklin’s definition of insanity, “… doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

Many of us ignore the gradual aches and pain, expecting them to magically disappear. You need to change what you are doing if you want to improve that ache, pain, tingling, numbness or reduced range of motion.
If you hear someone in your workgroup or workplace talking about their pain, try and help point them in the right direction.

There are lots of ways to get help:

• Tell them to talk to their supervisor or site safety representatives.
• Encourage them to have their work habits and workstation layout assessed.
• Encourage them to talk to a practitioner familiar with musculoskeletal disorder development (physio, athletic or massage therapists, sports medicine doctors – Chiropractor or GP).

What’s MOST IMPORTANT is that your co-worker put their hand up and do something. Discomfort and pain can lead to more serious and long term conditions.

The content of this article was written by ErgoRisk and has been republished in an online format at OnTask Rehab: your source for ergonomic and rehab articles and services.

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Of course, one of the biggest factors that can lead to back pain is simply the amount of time that we spend sitting EVERY day.

We sit for in our car during our commute, sit at work, sit on the couch and at our home workstation. Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit. Obviously our body wasn’t designed to sit for days, months and years on end.

So, what can you do? The key to protecting the back is understanding that we need to find a better balance for our back and the stresses that we put on it.

Exercises are a great way to build back strength, flexibility and endurance. For example, yoga and Pilates promote strengthening muscles that support spine in a neutral posture.

Core stability exercises (e.g. theraballs, Bosu ball, floor exercises) are also great ways to strengthen the muscles that support our spine.

Hip mobility exercises (e.g. floor exercises, Yoga, Pilates) – specific stretches and exercises for hips and thigh muscles which can cause muscle imbalances and impact the function and posture of the low back
Microbreaks and stretch breaks – If you spend 8 hours on the computer, shouldn’t you at least give your back a break for a few seconds? Try to get up from your workstation as frequently as possible. Doing a back bend is a great way to “rebalance” your back if you have been working for a long time. Installing microbreak software like WorkRave is a great way to develop good habits.

Stand rather than sit – Try to incorporate brief standing task and breaks into your work day. Walk to the photocopier, stand to answer the phone, or just stretch back in your chair periodically for a change of position.

The content of this article was written by ErgoRisk and has been republished in an online format at OnTask Rehab: your source for ergonomic and rehab articles and services.

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In the office, our aim should be the same as if we were pounding down a mogul run. That is, our spine should be neutral, balanced and stable.

In the office, our chairs and how we use them have a major impact on whether we are able to achieve this.
For instance, did you know that sitting bolt upright is NOT the best position for your back? Ideally you should have your chair back slightly reclined (we’re not talking La-Z-Boy). If you sit slightly back from vertical then gravity will keep you pressed back into firm contact with your chair backrest. If you sit bolt upright, the minute you shift your weight slightly forward to reach for your keyboard or mouse, gravity tries to push you over into a hunched posture…..and usually gravity comes out the winner!

Use the following tips to make sure your chair is a good fit:

• Are your hips shifted to the back of the seat?
• Are your feet comfortably flat on the floor?
• Is there 2”-4” of space between the back of your knees and the back of your leg?
• Do you have good contact between your back and the chair backrest?
• Is the inward curve in your low back supported by your chair?

As the pictures show on the right, you can support your back safely in many seated positions. The key is to set up your work area and chair so that you can reach everything while sitting in a well supported posture. It doesn’t matter how well your chair fits, if you lean forward out of it to squint at your monitor that is too far away, then all bets are off!

Try to eliminate the factors that pull you into a slouched posture, and then stand and stretch regularly – your back will thank you!

The content of this article was written by ErgoRisk and has been republished in an online format at OnTask Rehab: your source for ergonomic and rehab articles and services.