i found this thread because i am also looking for some advice on staying healthy despite long hours in the office on a computer...or regaining health i should say..

i have had pain in my wrist for the last few years from extensive mouse usage and more recently i have started having pain in my right shoulder...this is creeping into my neck and even my chest some.

can anyone recommend stretching and exercises i can do to alleviate the discomfort and get this shoulder healthy again?

does anyone tried these ergonomic mouses, if so do they work, and can you recommend one to me?

i have known two architects who had to get shoulder surgery because of how much time they spent on the computer, and i would like to avoid it, but feel i might be going down that road if i don't start something fast.

thanks in advance for your help...

p.s. i just started using a laptop at work but have a PC keyboard hooked up to it and have it elevated so i am not hunched over, this pain started before when using PC.s

When my back starts to hurt on a regular basis - I know it's time to hit the gym. Personally I hate any type of working out and gym setting, so I play team sport that involves all groups of muscles and a lot mobility - volleyball.

Helps every time. Even though I never managed to play for longer than 6 months in a row, I definitely don't have any pains for the following 6 months of not playing... From my experience- it doesn't even have to be a hard-core pro sport, any pick up game 2-3 times a week for 2-3 hours does the trick for me... and it cost less than chiropractor and let's you to get out of your shell...

Hope that helps!

Okay so I have been seeing a chiropractor for about 5 months now and getting adjustments to my back and neck and it has helped me quite a bit in terms of straightening out my posture and alleviating some of the pain in my neck.

Here are some of the exercises my chiropractor has me do and they do work but not immediately. It takes a few weeks:

-first shrug your shoulders backwards and forwards a few times in a gentle rotation every 30 minutes if you are working on your computer. It is better to stand up and do this, rather than sitting down because it also releases the tension all throughout your neck and spine

-this one is if you have lower back pain like me...it makes you feel absolutely ridiculous but it works: pretend you have an invisible hula hoop around your waist and pretend you are gently hullaing (sp)...this one is hard to do at work without people thinking your nuts...

I have found the most useful stretches he recommended are ones I learned in Yoga classes as well:

1) I don't know exactly what its called but this one is specifically for the shoulders and in yoga it is something about ushering in the rising sun. You can do this standing up or sitting down. Lift your arms to shoulder level and hold your hands palms up facing the sky. Then slowly bring your fingertips to meet the tops of your shoulders (its called ushering in the sun towards your body) and do this anywhere from 7-10 times, inhaling when your arms come in towards your shoulders and exhaling when your arms go out

2) This one is great for the back and I do it combined with the shoulder exercise above. You start by standing and bending over as far as you can with your palms flat on the ground and trying not to bend your knees. From this position rise very slowly so your fingertips graze the ground and then keep rising slowly until you are standing straight with your arms hanging loosely at your sides. You have to do this very slowly and you can feel it vertebrate by vertebrate in your spine as you rise. Now ever so slowly raise your arms, moving super slow until your arms are over your head with the palms and fingertips touching. This is actually a lot harder then it actually sounds because of how slow you are going, but when you first start to do it your arms actually start shaking by the time you have gotten to the top. It helps build upper body strength and as a plus it totally tones your arms as well :) After your arms have been raised to the top, in the same slow manner you brought your arms up bring them down again till they are resting at your side. Remember when your arms are at your sides again to completely release all the tension in your neck and shoulders.

3) This one has been one of my favorite stretches for my neck and back and I think it will help with your shoulders as well. Its called the new born position. You also can't do this one at work...Kneel down on the ground and then slowly lower your upper body so your forehead is resting on the ground. Your face should be tucked inwards facing your knees. Your arms should be at your sides resting on the ground with the palms facing into the air. When you are in the position, completely release all the tension in your shoulders, neck and back. I thought this would be so easy, but one of the absolute hardest things for me to do is release all the pent up tension I have in my shoulders neck and back. What they tell you to do in yoga is pretend that your body is an ice cube or butter and all your limbs are just melting into the ground. When I just let the tension go and did this my shoulders, neck and back felt awesome afterward but it really took me a few tries to release tension.


I also agree with what Doza said. Working out, going to the gym, or doing something physical is so important. When I was in school I totally took for granted all this stuff and it resulted in all these problems. Now I do yoga and kick boxing, both of which get me into shape and release a lot of the stress and tension in my body. Also if at all possible go walking or jogging in the early morning. The fresh cool air feels great and walking is the best low impact exercise you can do.

And this will be hard, but take breaks from the computer. I know its hard when you're working on a project and have deadlines, but even getting up every half hour, stretching and walking around the room helps. A lot of neck, back, and shoulder problems, result from all the tension we have in our bodies. We are usually wound up so tight we'll snap, so try to relax the body as much as possible.

I use an ergonomic keyboard but not mouse which I probably should as well. I'd like to know if someone uses one as well and how successful it is. Also invest in a really good chair if you are going to be seated for long periods of time :)

Hope that helps you a bit!

thanks, that's pretty helpful...i'll definitely give the yoga moves a try...

i have also heard that swimming is great for the shoulder pain. volleyball makes a lot of sense since your arms are getting a lot of rotary cuff action.

and yeah, exercise and sport would definitely help, as it is hard to find time to do i was looking for some shoulder specific stretching/exercies i can do during breaks or in the morning/evening before/after work. so great lake, your tips are much appreciated.

yoga definitely helps!

Thanks for that, great lake! I should look into getting a keyboard and raising my laptop up to eye level - I've had pretty serious back and hip pain the last few years, and I know the desk posture I use is the cause of it!

Once I ate some cookies and made some pieces stuck in the keyboard and I can't take them out
Any help?

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bar stools clearance sale going on now...

modpod, I'd recommend using your bar stool income to purchase a new keyboard over which you should refrain from chomping your Chips Ahoy, you filthy slob!

i've had a laptop ever since we opened the firm. however, i've also always had it hooked up to a monitor (used to use a docking station, but no more) so that i could adjust it, my keyboard, mouse, etc. to my liking.

one of the guys here got the microsoft ergonomic mouse. i would have never thought it could make that much difference, but it's really hard to go back to mine after playing around with his. he's definitely noticed an improvement.

never looked at the keyboards, although we had a humanscale keboard tray for a while that was supposed to encourage the proper wrist position. to an extent, it did. my problem was that it put you so far away from the desk that i couldn't actually 'use' my desk with it.

as far as actual back health, even with a desktop I find myself hunching over, leaning into toward the screen or otherwise sitting poorly. It's just a function of humans evolving to hunt, gather, do work and move about. Maybe in a few millennia, we'll be better adapted to a sedentary lifestyle. For the time being, though, a weekly yoga class at the Y has been a big help for me. Having a good instructor has been more helpful than when I tried to do yoga along with a DVD, and having weekly feedback and instruction keeps me from falling out of the habit and more aware of my posture, etc during the week.

You're welcome odb and Donna. I hope that some of those stretches help you out a little bit. They have helped me out, but remember to do them consistently to feel the results.

I was doing kickboxing after work yesterday, and I thought maybe some of the stretches we do before and after might be of help to you too odb, because they tend to work the shoulders.

1) Giant arm circles. Rotate your arms in giant circles while standing up for about 20-30 seconds. Warms up your shoulders.

2) Toe touches. Stand with your feet about a couple of feet apart. Raise your arms to shoulder level. Take your right hand, bend over and touch your left foot, with your left hand pointed vertically in the air. Do this about 20-30 times alternating your hands.

3) Cross country skiing. Stand with feet apart, one foot about a foot in front of the other. Your opposite arm to that of the foot in front should be held in front with the other arm in back, both arms at about waist level. You basically look like you are going cross-country skiing or are on a NordiTrack machine. Then you jump back and forth on the balls of your feet, one foot in front of the other, and moving one arm forward and the other arm back. This gets your legs warmed up, while also warming up your shoulders and arms. We do this for about 30 movements.

Thanks for the link to that Microsoft ergonomic mouse outed. It looks so strange. Is it easy to use for AutoCAD and SketchUp and the other applications used for design? Do you have to reset mouse controls for the programs? Maybe I'll go to the store and try it out. Thanks!

Also another question about the ergonomic mouse outed. Is it very heavy, because of the batteries? I used to use a cordless mouse and it ended up hurting my wrist because it was heavier than a regular mouse and over time, you had to use more of your wrist strength to move it around. The chiropractor told me to use something very light so I switched back to using a lightweight corded Logitech mouse.

great lake - it's definitely heavier than my travel mouse. the postage scale says 6 oz. it doesn't bother me personally, but i can definitely see the point your chiropractor is making.