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5 Common Computer-Related Injuries and How to Prevent Them

Heidi Blackie

Have you ever had discomfort after working at your desk? I have, and it's very possible that you have too. But, that can change once you know how to set up your desk and implement a few simple habits over the course of the day. If you haven't, even better. Preventing injuries is much easier than trying to recover and avoid further injury.



Woman with back, neck and shoulder pain at office workstation.

Today's digital age is more advanced than ever, but it comes with its own set of health challenges—physical and emotional. A recent study* found that nearly 74% of US-based computer users experienced musculoskeletal symptoms in the past year. Look below to optimize your workstation and reduce your risk of injury.


Top Five Most Common Injuries and How to Prevent Them


Back Pain—Sitting for long hours in poorly fitting chairs or leaning forward perching on the front edge of the chair can lead to lower back pain.

How to Prevent It

  • Use a chair with lumbar support and a flat rather than contoured upper back area. If the chair is too deep to sit back, reduce the depth with a seat slider or place a thin pillow or folded towel behind you so you can sit back in the chair.

  • Make sure your feet are supported on the floor or on a footrest.

  • Adjust your chair to promote a neutral spine position.

  • Set a timer for every 25-30 minutes to stand and move.


Neck Pain—Incorrect monitor height or prolonged tilting of the head can lead to neck strain—this one is probably the most common complaint I hear, and most people have their monitors too low, which increases the load on your neck. Check out my blog about text neck to learn more.

How to Prevent It

  • If you wear single lens glasse, set up your monitor so that your eyes are level with the top one-third of the screen when you look straight ahead into the horizon with a neutral neck position. Gaze at the bottom of the screen moving your eyes instead of your head.

  • If you work off of documents on the desktop, make sure they are aligned and centered with you rather than off to the side.

  • If you use multiple monitors, try to keep your active windows as close to the middle to reduce frequent neck rotation. Alternate tasks that don’t require all monitors with ones that do. Orienting monitors into portrait mode reduces neck rotation

  • Move your head side to side and in circles to reduce tension.


Shoulder Pain—Forward shoulder position can cause pain in the upper back and between the shoulder blades—another common area of discomfort that I see.

How to Prevent It

  • Let your upper arms hang relaxed at the seam of your shirt and pivot your arm with your elbows at your sides. 

  • Keep your mouse as close to your keyboard as possible to limit reach.

  • Any frequently used items should also be within easy reach.

  • Your keyboard should be positioned at or just below elbow height. This means that if you are under 6' tall and are sitting at a regular desk with the keyboard on top, you need to have a keyboard tray.

  • During breaks, move your shoulders in circles and swing your arms around.


Headaches—Lighting, monitor brightness, tension in the neck and shoulders, and eye strain can contribute to headaches.

How to Prevent It

  • Avoid sitting directly under fluorescent lighting. If you can be near natural light, that is best—when possible, sit at a right angle to the window.

  • Reduce eye strain (see my blog post on Computer Vision Syndrome and how to reduce eye strain). Lower the brightness of your screen and increase contrast to make it easier to see. Increase font sizes to make it easier to read.

  • Try to breathe lower into your diaphragm rather than using your shoulders.


Nerve Compression Syndromes—This includes Carpal Tunnel, Cubital Tunnel (at elbow), and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. These can cause numbness and tingling in the arms and hands.

How To Prevent It

  • Set up the keyboard and mouse to promote neutral wrist position. Collapse the feet on the back underside of the keyboard so it sits flat. Sometimes a split keyboard that tents can help.

  • Switch to a mouse that does not require grasp, such as a touchpad or trackball.

  • For Cubital Tunnel, make sure the keyboard is lower than your elbows.

  • Nerves have a high metabolism and require steady blood flow so taking breaks every 25-30 minutes to move your whole arm in different directions is important. 



If you need more help with optimizing your workstation to feel better or just prevent injury, contact us to discuss your needs.







*Gerr, F., Marcus, M., Ensor, C., Kleinbaum, D., Cohen, S., Edwards, A., ... & Monteilh, C. (2002). A prospective study of computer users: I. Study design and incidence of musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders. American journal of industrial medicine, 41(4), 221-235..

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