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What are Common Computer-Related Injuries?

Working at a computer in sitting posture for 8 hours a day is an endurance event. Some of our muscles our overused excessively. Others are deactivated and hardly used at all.

We want to have an ergonomic desk setup that is an asset to our health. We want it to promote good computer posture. Also, we don’t want our desk setup to be a liability that causes excessive muscle tension and chronic pain.

Common Computer-Related Injuries by Sitting Posture - in photo: woman with back pain — What are common computer-related injuries? Photo by F01photo via Megapixl.

This article will talk about 2 of the most common computer-related injuries. These repetitive strain injuries are knee pain and shoulder pain. You’ll learn what sitting health risks cause these 2 injuries to get worse. Then, you’ll learn how to prevent knee and shoulder pain from sitting at a computer.

How to Build Glute Strength

Over long-term, my gluteus muscles became very tight and deactivated. It got to a point where they barely functioned at all. This happened mostly from sitting (on my glutes) in a desk chair for 8 hours a day.

The glutes are made up of 3 muscles: gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and gluteus maximus. I won’t get into the specific functions of each muscle. Instead, I’ll be explaining how I built glute strength in the easiest terms possible.

Sitting Posture Blogger Todd shares How to Build Glute Strength - in photo: illustration of the parts of the glutes — How to build glute strength. Image by Vectormine via Megapixl.

I don’t have a background in exercise science or physical therapy. Oftentimes, those experts go way over my head when they’re explaining glute hypertrophy tips anyway. I’m a lifelong athlete who is also a computer user. I have an intense desire for high-performance. But I like explaining my articles in the easiest terms possible.

When I used to work in sitting posture at a computer desk 8 hours a day, my mental energy leftover to consume new practices was limited. I wanted to learn the least possible information that would make the biggest difference in my performance over time. I created this website to be a resource I wish I had back in 2002, when I first started sitting posture at a computer for long periods of time.

Poor Computer Posture: The Cause and Effect Relationship Between Muscle Tension and Chronic Pain

We don’t start off with poor posture as children. It gets worse over time. As adults, sitting at a computer 8 hours a day causes a number of desk job health issues.

Poor Computer Posture: The Cause and Effect Relationship Between Muscle Tension and Chronic Pain

In 2012, I started improving my computer posture. It was difficult to learn what good computer posture looked like back then. Learning self-improvement on the internet wasn’t as abundant as it is today.

Once I finally learned what correct computer posture was, I couldn’t hold that healthy position for 5 minutes. I’d quickly slip back into a compromised, vulnerable, poor posture.

Sitting Posture Blogger Todd shares computer posture and The Cause and Effect Relationship Between Muscle Tension and Chronic Pain - in photo: man holding his lower back — Poor computer posture. Photo by Fizkes via Megapixl.

Even today, correct posture is a daily challenge for me. When I get to my computer in the morning, I have good posture. But even after years of studying computer ergonomics, my posture still gets gradually worse as the day goes on. Correct posture is always going to be a process that I’m working to maintain and improve.

The position we work in isn’t the cause of our chronic pain from desk work. Our pain is the effect we feel. Our poor posture can make our pain worse. But it isn’t the cause.

This article will help computer users understand how muscle tension is the cause of chronic pain.

What is Internal Shoulder Rotation?

Most desk workers don’t realize they have excessive muscle tension that’s causing weak, limited, internal shoulder rotation. I was years into my good computer posture journey before I accidentally learned, in a CrossFit class, how limited my internal shoulder rotation used to be. The internal shoulder rotation definition is when the joint rotates toward the front, vertical midline of the body.

Sitting Posture Blogger Todd share Internal Shoulder Rotation - in photo: woman with shoulder pain — What is internal shoulder rotation? Photo by 9nongphoto via Megapixl.

Internal shoulder rotation can be a very good thing to have in our physical strength tool box. However, our muscles and tendons weren’t designed to hold the exact same position for long periods of time. We’re able to do it, but there’s a price to pay. In my experience, that price consisted of muscle tension, decreased blood flow, and chronic pain.

Limited internal shoulder rotation causes can vary from a wide range of actions. Common causes are holding a baby consistently, or using a phone or tablet for long periods of time. But as desk workers, the limited internal shoulder rotation act that causes the most pain is using a keyboard and mouse for 8 hours a day.

Standing Desk Posture Mistakes and Fixes

In addition to sitting posture, correct standing desk posture is a healthy ergonomic habit for me. Sitting isn’t the only enemy. Repetitive strain and overuse injuries are the enemy. These occur when we work in the same position for long periods of time, 8 hours a day. Regardless if we are sitting or standing.

At my previous desk job, poor computer posture led to increased risk of muscle tension, decreased blood flow, and chronic pain. But, even if we have good computer posture, repetitive strain and overuse injuries can still happen. So, switching between sit to stand positions throughout the day has been beneficial to my physical health, mental clarity, and work productivity.

Standing desk posture mistakes and fixes. Photo by andreypopov via Megapixl.

This article will talk about different posture mistakes I used to make. Then, I’ll talk about how I fixed those poor posture mistakes. I learned the hard way. Now, I enjoy sharing my experience to help others. So they can avoid the pain and dysfunction I got from working at a computer 8 hours a day.

Good Computer Posture Habits

Computer posture can be a very boring and painful topic. I try to create content that is open-minded, relatable, and actionable. I talk about good computer posture habits that have helped me live a higher quality, sedentary lifestyle.

By improving our computer posture, the specific goals of my website are to help the user:

decrease computer-related pain
increase energy
improve mental clarity
increase work productivity

99% of the content I write is free of cost. Everything I write relates to improving computer posture. Feel free to share this article with a friend or family member who sits at a computer for a living. The more people that see my content, I more ability it gives me to create more. Thank you very much for your support.

The best way to keep up with my work is to sign up for my Computer Posture Newsletter. It contains easy, actionable ways to improve computer posture. It’s free. Unsubscribe anytime. You can sign up here.

What are Good Computer Ergonomics?

Posture is the position people hold their bodies in at their computer desk. But the definition of ergonomics is: the study of people’s efficiency in their working environment. Ergonomics is a much wider topic than posture. Computer posture only takes place while we’re at work. Ergonomics do take place at work, but there are also some crucial variables that can be practiced away from our desk.

This article will talk about healthy habits other than posture. But these healthy, ergonomic habits are directly related to how good (or bad) our computer posture is the next day. Specifically, this article will cover, nutrition, hydration, breathing, and sleep.

What are good computer ergonomics? Photo by Igor Omilaev via Unsplash.

Poor computer posture broke my body down, both physically and mentally. But what caused me to have poor posture? It didn’t start off poor when I began sitting at a computer in 2002. It gradually got worse over time.

I also didn’t sit with terrible posture when I got to work each morning. It always started off decent. My posture got worse as each day went on.

After learning as much as I could about good computer posture, I felt like holding a good position at my desk was an uphill battle. I started thinking about what other health habits, aside from posture, were involved with computer ergonomics.

What is Correct Computer Posture?

There are a lot of variables involved when it comes to correct computer posture. In this article, I’m going to share my 3 most important office posture tips. All 3 of these posture cues will remain the same, regardless if we’re working in a healthy sitting posture at a desk, or a standing ergonomic workstation setup.

This article is not professional medical advice. It’s based off my personal experience and opinions. For years, my poor computer posture caused muscle tension, inflammation, and chronic pain. All the workplace ergonomic tips I write about are directly related to improving posture at a computer. We are our own primary caretakers. Do your research. Make good decisions. And be the best advocate possible for your own healthcare.

How to Prevent Knee Pain When Sitting

I first experienced knee pain back in 2011. I thought it was from overtraining while running and lifting weights. Both of my knees were in a lot of pain. I stopped training all together for 6 months. My knee pain didn’t decrease at all over that period of time.

One thing that didn’t change over those 6 months, I was still working in a sitting posture at a computer for long periods of time. The running and lifting weights may have been contributed to my knee pain, but my poor computer posture was the main cause that started it. It caused tight, overused muscles in my legs. Which led to dysfunction of my knee. The tendons attaching my leg muscles to the bone in my knees became inflamed and painful. This knee pain was an effect of my poor sitting posture.

Can Chiropractic Care Improve Your Computer Posture?

I’m always trying different ways to improve my computer posture. But chiropractic care is something I’ve been taking advantage of for many years. I started going to a chiropractor back in 2005. In my experience, chiropractic care has definitely improved my computer posture.

Chiropractic Care: person getting a massage on his neck — Can chiropractic care improve your computer posture? Photo by vectorfusionart via Megapixl.

My body gets pulled out of alignment on a daily basis. In addition to sitting at a computer for hours a day, working at my standing desk also causes computer-related pain. Sitting isn’t the only enemy when it comes to computer ergonomics. Working in the same vulnerable position for long periods of time is what causes repetitive strain and overuse injuries, regardless if we’re sitting or standing.

When my muscles get overused and tight, they pull on the tendons that attach muscle to bones. The tendons then pull the bones out of alignment. Right now, I go to my chiropractor once a week on average, regardless if I’m in pain or not. I don’t plan on going once a week forever. That’s just the amount of chiropractic treatment that’s best for me right now with my current healing practice. The longer I put off going to a chiropractor, the more I suffer from muscle tension and pain.

Office Ergonomics: The Optimal Computer Posture Newsletter

I started my career at a computer desk in 2002. That’s when I first worked in sitting posture for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. By 2011, my computer posture was terrible and my body was broken. I’ve been an athlete all my life. But the damage caused by sitting at a computer was very hard to accept physically.

That year (2011), I’d had enough. I decided I was going to learn as much as I could about what causes poor computer posture. And I was going to adopt every possible healthy habit that would improve my computer posture. I would quickly learn that good computer posture doesn’t only happen while we’re physically at our computer desk. Other ergonomic variables that directly affect our computer posture are sleep quality, hydration, nutrition, and breathing.

I’m writing this article to show samples of the desk posture tips I share in my Computer Posture Newsletter. My email newsletter is free. And you can always unsubscribe easily by clicking one button at the bottom of any of my emails. Click here to sign up.

Sleep Habits for Better Posture

Sleep is one of the most important variables of computer ergonomics. Other variables include posture, breathing, hydration, and nutrition. Ergonomics means the study of people’s efficiency in their work environment. Even though we don’t sleep while we’re at work, sleep quality from the night before directly relates to how good or bad our computer posture is the next day.

The earlier in the day we get tired, the more our computer posture suffers. The better our sleep quality is, the more energy we have the next day. More energy allows better computer posture. Good computer posture is critical for high work productivity. This is how sleep quality and posture directly lead to health benefits and good computer ergonomics.

Foods That Promote Good Posture

Ergonomics is the study of people’s efficiency in their working environment. As office workers, computer ergonomics extend outside of the time we’re physically at our desk. I consider nutrient-dense foods an important variable of my computer posture. Because the healthier we are when we sit at our desk in the morning, the better our computer posture will be. If we’ve been eating unhealthy foods that have dozens of artificial ingredients, our strength, energy, and computer posture will suffer much earlier in the day. Nutrition for better posture is an important variable of my computer ergonomics process.

Sitting at a computer for 8 hours a day is an endurance event. Some of our muscles and tendons are excessively overused in an attempt for good posture. The rest of our muscles and tendons are underused for long periods of time. They are hardly activated at all while we’re at our computer.

After this endurance event we call a work day, we go straight to the gym, run, or play sports. For years, I’d do this 5 days a week, while eating ultra-processed, nutrient-deficient foods everyday. This bad nutrition habit led to very increased risk of poor computer posture.

Why Does Sitting at a Computer Cause Shoulder Pain?

When it comes to sitting posture ergonomics, back pain is the most common work-related injury. In my experience, this was definitely true. However, shoulder pain was in a close second place.

But why does sitting at a computer cause shoulder pain? It’s not like we’re doing overheard shoulder presses at our computer desk. We’re not using our arm to throw a fastball. We’re not even pushing open a heavy door. Also, we’re simply sitting at a computer, holding a keyboard and mouse for 8 hours a day.

But that’s the answer. Our bodies were made to move. They’re designed to be athletic, strong, and flexible. We weren’t made to hold the exact same position for 8 hours a day. Especially if it’s a compromised, poor posture position at a computer. This can cause repetitive stress injuries. These overuse injuries cause chronic muscle tension that is very stubborn and hard to relieve. It takes much longer to release this muscle tension. Longer than it would to relieve normal muscle tension you’d get from sports or exercise.

Standing Desk Accessories

I recently wrote an article titled, Standing Desk Posture Tips. While writing it, I realized that going from a sitting posture workstation to a standing desk only requires 3 accessories. These accessories will also allow alternating between sitting and standing. Because we don’t want to go from sitting posture all day, straight to standing posture all day. We’d just have different computer-related injuries.

Sitting at a computer isn’t the enemy here. Working in the same position for 8 hours a day is the enemy we want to avoid. This is why poor computer posture creates so much muscle tension and chronic pain. Repetitive strain and overuse injuries don’t care what position we are working in. They care about how long we continue to work in that same compromised, vulnerable position.

We don’t want to sit, or stand, for long periods of time. Even if it is proper standing posture. I like to switch positions often, alternating sitting and standing posture. I’m dedicating this article to the 3 standing desk accessories that make a sit-stand desk transition quick and easy.

Standing Desk Posture Tips

I started using a standing computer desk in 2012. Working in a sitting posture for long periods of time had left my body broken from poor posture. I had to figure out a way to work in a different position. So naturally, I decided to try a standing desk. But I had no idea what a proper standing posture was. And I made plenty of standing posture mistakes in the beginning.

Today, I’ve finally got my ergonomic standing position figured out. And I want to help you save time and energy, by sharing my standing desk posture tips to help you reduce computer-related injuries.

Standing Desk Posture Tips: woman using a standing desk while working on her computer — Standing Desk Posture Tips. Photo by thestandingdesk via Unsplash (not paid promotion).

A lot of ergonomics experts will create a standing desk height calculator. It’s a chart that decides the desk height and monitor height according to how tall the user is. Personally, I don’t think a standing desk height calculator is necessary. I like to take a more organic approach to figuring out standing desk ergonomics.

Why Does Sitting Cause Lower Back Pain?

My lower back pain caused by sitting was very difficult to figure out. It’s not like we’re really using our lower back when we’re sitting at a computer for long periods of time. We’re not carrying a heavy load. We’re not subject to a hard fall or impact. We’re not even absorbing soft and repetitive impact, like when running. These are all typical situations where a lower back injury is common.

But there is often a cause/effect relationship when troubleshooting sitting-related injuries. In this case, lower back pain is the poor posture effect. But the cause is located in other areas of the body.

Good Posture Habits for Computer Users

Sitting at a computer for long periods of time takes a massive toll on our health. It doesn’t just affect us physically. It also affects us mentally. A full-time computer job requiring 8 hours a day quickly adds up to 40 hours a week. Multiply that by 52 weeks in a year. That gives us over 2,000 hours per year of sitting in a broken, vulnerable, poor posture.

But how can I improve my computer posture? How can I turn my computer workstation into an ergonomic asset that promotes good posture? Instead of a computer desk that’s a liability for my physical and mental health.

So, I’m dedicating this article to explain how to make an ergonomic computer workstation. I’ll explain good posture habits for computer users to include in their daily routine. All the tips in this article will promote good computer ergonomics at home or in the office.

How to Avoid Wrist Pain from Typing

I used to suffer a lot of wrist pain from typing. This is commonly known as carpal tunnel syndrome. I couldn’t figure out why, or what I was doing wrong. I just thought wrist pain was something that came along with the computer posture territory.

Luckily, I finally figured it out (by accident). One day, I decided to get away from my home office. I still wanted to work, but I needed a new environment to work in. Maybe it would improve my posture. Or, at least change it from the normal poor posture routine I was in. But mainly I was looking for a more ergonomic workstation. I wanted to see if my creativity would improve by working in a different environment. So, for about a week, I started working in the lobby of my apartment building. They had public computers there. They were brand new Apple Mac desktop computers.