Abstract
Despite the fact that parents and schoolteachers have been demanding it for generations, the human body is not very good at staying still.
Now, you may be thinking that, even if this is true, the exception is that famous “ergonomic” posture in which a person sits close to a desk with their ankles, knees, hips, and elbows all at about 90 degrees. You know the posture I mean, the one that nearly everyone uses…
Well, it’s wrong.
I mean, it’s wrong to expect humans to sit still for more than a few minutes and still have healthy functioning bodies, but I also mean that the famous posture has been misappropriated and is not a valid strategy for sitting at a computer.
In the last two chapters we’ve looked a little at remedial changes you can make to the way you use your mouse and the way you use your keyboard. In this chapter we’ll tie both of those together and give you a couple of whole-body postural recommendations based, in part, on how your eyes work.
Really.
Go on, give it a try.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Asundi K, Odell D, Luce A, Dennerlein JT (2012) Changes in posture through the use of simple inclines with notebook computers placed on a standard desk. Appl Ergon 43(2):400–407
Ankrum DR (1996) Viewing distance at computer workstations. Work Ergon 2(5):10–13
Ankrum DR (1999) Workplace ergonomics supplement visual ergonomics in the office. Occup Health Saf 68(7):64–70
Additional Reading on Related Topics
Aaras A, Fostervold KI, Ro O, Thoresen M, Larsen S (1997) Postural load during VDU work: a comparison between various work postures. Ergonomics 40:1255–1268
Birch L, Graven-Neilsen T, Christensen H, Arendt-Neilsen L (2000) Experimental muscle pain modulates muscle activity and work performance differently during high and low precision use of a computer mouse. Eur J Appl Physiol 83(6):492–498
Bracker MD, Ralph LP (1995) The numb arm and hand. Am Fam Physician 51:103–116
Brown JNA, Albert WJ, Croll J (2007) A new input device: comparison to three commercially available mouses. Ergonomics 50(2):208–227
Burgess-Limerick R, Plooy A, Ankrum DR (1998) The effect of imposed and self-selected computer monitor height on posture and gaze angle. Clin Biomech 13(8):584–592
Cook CJ, Kothiyal K (1998) Influence of mouse position on muscular activity in the neck, shoulder and arm in computer users. Appl Ergon 29:439–443
Fernstrom E, Ericson MO (1996) Upper-arm elevation during office work. Ergonomics 39:1221–1230
Kleinrensink GJ, Stoeckart R, Vleeming A, Snijders CJ, Mulder PGH (1995) Mechanical tension in the median nerve. The effects of joint positions. Clin Biomech 10:240–244
Matias AC, Salvendy G, Kuczek T (1998) Predictive models of carpal tunnel syndrome causation among VDT operators. Ergonomics 41:213–226
Neuhaus M, Healy GN, Fjeldsoe BS, Lawler S, Owen N, Dunstan DW, … Eakin EG (2014) Iterative development of Stand Up Australia: a multi-component intervention to reduce workplace sitting. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 11:21
Van Niekerk SM, Fourie SM, Louw QA (2015) Postural dynamism during computer mouse and keyboard use: a pilot study. Appl Ergon 50:170–176
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Brown, J.N.A. (2016). Stop Your Tech from Wringing Your Neck, Breaking Your Back, and Being an All-Around Pain in the … Life. In: Anthropology-Based Computing. Human–Computer Interaction Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24421-1_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24421-1_16
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-24419-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-24421-1
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)