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Office hazards
(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2006-06-19 11:41



Keyboard wrist, tennis elbow, mouse hand, screen face...these conditions
definitely don't feel good. They're occupational hazards, and usually
affect office workers who spend all day in front of a computer. If left
untreated, the conditions can worsen. What are the symptoms? How to avoid
them? Let's take a look.

* Screen face

Cause: Long term exposure to computer screens

Symptoms
1. Cool, dull skin. .
2. Abnormal personality and difficulty communicating.
3. At times fainting or seizures from prolonged exposure to computer or
video screens.

Relief
1. Adjust monitor height. The center of the monitor should be at chest
height.
2. Set the distance between the eyes and the monitor according to the
size of the screen: 50-60cm away for a 14 inch screen, 60-70cm for a 15
inch screen, and more than 80cm for a 17 inch screen.
3. Avoid having bright lights shining on or near the screen as they
create added reflections into retinas.
4. Keep an open bowl of water nearby if in a dry, air-conditioned room,
this creates moisture in the air.
5. Take a break from staring at the screen every hour and close your
eyes, stare off into the distance, or move your eyes around in their
sockets.

*Tennis Elbow

Causes: Repeated movements of the forearms. Sportsmen, housewives and IT
workers are especially susceptible to this condition.

Symptoms
1. Elbows ache when lifting heavy things, wringing towels, pouring water,
sweeping the floor or even making the bed.
2. Those with a bad case of tennis elbow likely can't hold things and
have limited mobility in their arms.
3. Pain may extend as far as the middle of the upper arm and the top of
the forearm.

Relief
1. Take a break for several days and avoid heavy work using the wrists.
2. When playing tennis or badminton, choose light rackets.
3. When shopping use carts instead of baskets.
4 When doing physical work, try to use power from the waist, legs and
shoulders instead of relying solely on your arms.

* Driver's knee

Causes: Long years of driving crouched in a small carriage.

Symptoms: Swollen, aching knees.

Relief
1. Lose weight to ease pressures on knees.
2. Take a stroll or jog to increase flexibility.
3. Lie on your back and practice bending and stretching your legs to
strengthen muscles and ligaments around your knees.
4. Keep your knees warm.

* Keyboard wrist

Causes: long-term keyboard use

Symptoms
1. Numb and aching wrists, thumb, index finger and middle finger; lack of
motor skills with the thumb
2. Abnormally slow thumb, index finger and middle finger responses
3. To test if you have it, put your elbows on the desk with your forearms
upright. Let your hands go loose and dangle naturally. If your index and
middle fingers go numb after a minute or so, you've got keyboard wrist.
4. Numbness in the wrist and fingers at night and in the morning.
Sufferers' hands and wrists feel better after moving the fingers or
swinging the arms

Relief
1. When using a keyboard, put a pad under the wrists to support them. Do
not type with your wrists in the air.
2. Take a brief rest for every hour from typing and move your wrists
about.
3. Install an alarm program in your computer to go off every hour to
remind yourself to take a break.
4. Try not to use keyboards unless absolutely necessary.
5. Consider exercising outside of work. Yoga, swimming, walking and
running are all good ways to combat keyboard wrist.

* Mouse hand

Causes: Overuse of the wrists. Frequent keyboard and mouse users are most
susceptible to this condition. Women have a higher rate of mouse hand
than men due to their smaller wrists.

Symptoms
1. Numb and burning palms, swollen wrists.
2. Stiff hands.

Relief
1. Make a fist and massage the fingers every hour when working with your
hands.
2. Make sure the keyboard and mouse are set in a position below the
elbow, if possible.
3. Drag the mouse with the arm instead of the wrist.
4. Be nice to your keyboard. Don't strike the keys too hard.
5. Choose a mouse with a flatter curve and wider interface to help soften
the shock to your fingers from clicking the buttons.
















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