Why does sitting at a computer even cause shoulder pain? We’re not pushing any weight over our heads. Also, we’re not throwing a ball. We’re not pushing a door open. These are all actions that require shoulder strength.
Sitting at a computer causes shoulder tension for a few reasons. You’ll learn some causes of it later in this article. But in the end, this shoulder tension is a result of repetitive strain and overuse. When using a computer, we use our shoulders 8 hours a day, for light-intensity, long-duration muscle holds.
This article will talk about these ways to reduce shoulder tension from typing:
- Maintain correct elbow height
- Don’t slouch forward
- Don’t use office chair armrests
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. Bad posture also decreased my mental clarity, energy level, and work productivity.
All the desk worker health 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.
What are ways to reduce shoulder tension from typing?
Maintain correct elbow height
The most important way I reduce shoulder tension from typing is having the correct elbow height. Having my elbows too low is a poor computer posture mistake. If my elbows are below the desk level, it causes me to activate my biceps in order to lift my hands up onto the desk, keyboard, and mouse.
Holding this constant bicep activation for 8 hours a day causes chronic muscle tension in the biceps. Those biceps begin to pull on the tendons that connect them to bone in the shoulder area. The tendons get overused and lengthened, which causes tension in the shoulders.
This light-intensity bicep activation may not seem like a big deal. It’s probably the equivalent to doing a bicep curl with a 1 pound dumbbell. Also, not a big deal.
But imagine holding that 1 pound dumbbell curl at the top, constantly for 8 hours a day. That’s what it’s like to lift my hands onto the desk, when my elbows are below desk level.
To avoid this painful posture mistake, I make sure I have the correct elbow height. I want my elbows to be slightly higher than my desk level. This takes a lot of the load off my biceps. It may put a little more of the load on my triceps, but I’ve never had an issue with them getting too tight and overused.
Don’t slouch forward
Slouching our torso forward starts a chain reaction of multiple computer posture problems. One of them is shoulder tension.
When we slouch forward, our spine is no longer in a neutral, balanced position. It loses its natural curves. This causes all of the muscles in the torso to work harder. It also increases the risk that elbows fall below desk level.
When I used to slouch forward at a desk, my chest was the muscle group that had the most tension. And the shoulders are right next to the chest muscles. Everything in the body is connected. When one muscles is overused, it causes a chain reaction of all the muscles surrounding it. Those muscles are affected. And they work harder too.
To learn more, check out my article titled What is the Tightest Muscle Caused by Poor Computer Posture?
Don’t use office chair armrests
I’m not a fan of office chair armrests. They’ve caused me chronic pain and excessive muscle tension in the past.
This is because the standard office chair is way too wide. And the armrests didn’t adjust inward towards my torso. This caused me to flare my elbows out to the side, away from my body, to rest them on the armrests. To get this action done, there are a number of muscles I had to activate. The main muscle group was my shoulders.
I’m not saying all office chair armrests could cause muscle tension. But I am saying that with every office chair I’ve ever sat in, the armrests were way too wide.
I’ve written a couple articles about office chair armrests.
To learn more, check out one of these:
Why Office Chair Armrests Don’t Work For Me
How to Adjust Office Chair Armrests
THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST IN COMPUTER POSTURE.
If you’ve read this far, congratulations! You’re taking valuable steps to reduce computer-related injuries by improving your posture. That’s something to be very proud of!
If you liked this article on ways to reduce shoulder tension from typing, check out my free ebook titled 3 Ways to Improve Computer Posture Immediately!
>>> Click here to download your free copy
This ebook is a great supplement to the article you just read. In this ebook, you’ll learn 3 of the most painful, poor computer posture mistakes. Then, you’ll learn how to fix those mistakes immediately with 3 simple changes to your ergonomic computer desk setup.
Go to SittingPosture.com/ebook to learn more.
Take care,
Todd Bowen