Is laptop usage damaging your health ?

Laptops are replacing the desktops at most of the offices.
Due to increase of travel and loads of work.
Laptops were designed with portability in mind. Many of
the design features create problems when it comes to
ergonomics. Long periods of working and inappropriate
laptop use can increase the chance of muscle and joint
pain, overuse injuries of the upper limbs and eyestrain.
The problem is that the monitor and keyboard of a laptop
are very close together.
The risks can be reduced or eliminated with proper work
space design, improved posture and good working habits.
Posture-related injuries
Back and neck pain, headaches, and shoulder and arm
pain are common laptop-related injuries. Such muscle
and joint problems can be caused or made worse by poor
workstation design, bad posture and sitting for long
hours.
Although sitting requires less muscular effort, it still
causes fatigue and requires parts of the body to be held
steady for long periods of time. This reduces circulation
to the muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments and can
result in stiffness and pain. If a workstation is not set up
properly, these steady positions can put even greater
stress on muscles and joints.
Prevention tips muscle and joint injuries
Suggestions to reduce the risk of muscle and joint
problems include:
• Position your keyboard at a height that allows your
elbows to rest comfortably at your side. Forearms
should be roughly parallel with the floor and level with
your keyboard.
• Adjust your chair so that your feet rest flat on the floor.
• Use a footstool (if your feet do not rest on the floor
when the chair is adjusted for good arm position).
• Switch to an ergonomic chair, which helps your spine
to naturally hold its curve while sitting.
• Use an ergonomic keyboard to offer your hands and
wrists a more natural holding position.
• Take frequent short breaks and go for a walk or
perform stretching exercises at your desk. Stand often.
• Use external devices. Attach an external keyboard
and pointing device to your laptop. Position them at a
height that allows your upper arms to hang loosely
from the shoulder and your forearms to extend
horizontally towards the keyboard.
• Raise the laptop. Place the laptop on a stand, book or
other surface so that you can see the screen without
having to bend or rotate your neck.
Ideally screen should be 51 cm away and 20 cm below
eye level.
Overuse injuries of the upper limbs
Muscles and tendons can become painful with repetitive
movements and awkward postures. This is known as
'overuse injury' and these typically occur in the elbow,
wrist or hand of computer users. Symptoms of overuse
injuries in the upper limbs include pain, swelling, stiffness
of the joints, weakness and numbness.
Prevention tips overuse injuries
Suggestions to reduce the risk of overuse injuries
include:
• Keep your mouse at the same height as your correctly
positioned keyboard.
• Position the mouse as close as possible to the side of
the keyboard.
• Use your whole arm, not just your wrist, when using
the mouse.
• Type lightly and gently.
• Mix your tasks to avoid long, uninterrupted stretches
of typing.
• Remove the hands from the keyboard when not
actively typing, to allow the arms to relax.
• Make sure the laptop is stable and will not wobble or
slide as you work, rest your eyes frequently and blink
more to prevent them feeling dry, it adds.
Eyestrain
Focusing your eyes at the same distance point for
extended periods of time would cause fatigue. The
human eye structurally prefers to look at objects further
than six meters away, so any work performed close-up
puts extra demands on the eye muscles.
The illuminated computer screen can also contribute to
eye fatigue, blurred vision, temporary inability to focus
on faraway objects and headaches.
Prevention tips eyestrain
• Make sure your primary light source (such as a
window) is not shining into your face or directly onto
the monitor.
• Tilt the monitor slightly to eliminate reflections or glare.
• Maintain a gap of nearly 51 cm between screen & eyes.
• Position the screen at or 20 cm below eye level.
• Reduce the contrast and brightness of your screen
• Frequently look away from the screen and focus on
faraway objects.
• Have regular eye examinations if any symptoms appear.
Precautions while carrying laptop during travel
Frequent travelers carrying laptop can put strain on backs,
hands and shoulders. To minimize these precautionary
measures are :
• Carry only the essential laptop accessories.
• Use a sturdy bag, backpack, or rolling luggage.
• Pack an external mouse.
So you see, there can be many disorders by use of
technology. But, still the technology is to be used with
the changes in the business needs, space shortage
etc… Therefore, as they say 'Precaution is better then
cure'; one should understand the risk, take it seriously
and to try to minimize the injuries.