#4 The Laptop Dilemma... What to do, what to do?
Updated: Sep 2, 2021
Bits of healthful information to easily incorporate into your life...
Good health to you!
A laptop is a beautiful thing. It is lightweight, compact, mobile and does so much for you. However, it can turn you into a pretzel. Well, not quite a pretzel, but its design is certainly not friendly to a human body. It is a sad choice... poor positioning either for your neck, head and shoulders or for your hands, wrists and arms.
When the laptop is on your lap or even on a table top, your head tilts downward so your neck loses proper alignment with your spine. Your shoulders tend to slump forward. Extended time in this position results in pain, stiffness and poor posture in general. It can even cause degeneration of joints as well as nerve damage.
If the screen is set at a proper height to keep your head erect and aligned with your spine and your shoulders level, then the keyboard is poorly positioned for proper typing. Your hands, wrists, forearms and elbows may suffer. You do not want carpal tunnel syndrome or elbow tendonitis!
How does your hand position compare?
Quick fixes to help you keep proper alignment:
Choose a chair that supports you comfortably upright or even slightly reclined. Don’t neglect a lumbar support if you feel pressure in your low back.
You can keep your wrists in a neutral position and at a comfortable angle for typing by setting your laptop on your lap but with an empty 2-3 inch binder beneath the laptop. Keep the wide edge of the binder at your knees, the narrow edge pointing toward your waist. Another option is to prop your feet up on a box or some such thing, to raise your knees enough to give you that 2-3 inch rise in angle.
Push the laptop screen back so that you can see it while keeping your head up, your neck aligned with your spine and shoulders pulled back.
See my blog post Tip, Tuck & Roll… a simple tweak to help combat a forward head posture.
And then, to improve on the experience:
Periodically (at least every 1/2 hour) take a break to move! Get up, go get water. Go look out of the window. Walk over to say “Hello!” to someone. Pet your pet. It doesn’t need to be a long break. Just move and maybe connect with another living being or with nature for a couple of minutes.
Undulate. Check out my blog post Undulate! A Perfect Way To Start Your Day
Take care of your hands with tips from my blog post Be Kind to Your Fingers and Wrists... Simple maintenance.
If you use a laptop frequently, put together a laptop workstation designed to keep your good posture. Position the top of the screen at about eye level. Stack books or paper reams to make adjustments. Connect a regular size keyboard and mouse positioned at or slightly below elbow height. Maintain proper alignment and you will feel better!
None of this is difficult or time-consuming. The benefits of making just a few adjustments are well worth the effort. Save yourself the pain in the neck.
Good Health to you!
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