bad posture? upper back pain? read here.

[bwana devil]

i post this as a warning to the younger people and as an alert to the others my age and older.

i have been having upper back pains for about the last 6 months to a year. they finally got so back i went to a physical therapist yesterday. as soon as i went into the office he asked me to take a seat and asked me what i did for a living. i told him i sit at a desk and worked at a computer all day. he bluntly told me my posture sucked and i must be leaning forward to look at my monitor.

this leaning is causing my spine to shift out of place and causing pain on my spine. he said i am way too young (33) to have these types of problems. i put in the normal 8-5 hours at work and then log in a fair share of hours every week playing poker so im in front of the computer quite a bit.

he did say he sees about 2-3 people a week w/ my problem because of the computer. i have some exercises i have to do to get my spine back in shape and in about 1 month the pain should be gone and in 6 months the spine will be upright. there is no permanent damage done. just bad posture. he said if i had continued and did not come in i would have enventually ruptured a disc.

so i post this because i know so many of us log a good deal of hours in front of the computer. so pay attention to how you're sitting. i never realized how important it was until this happened.

now sit up straight!

bwana

[ QUOTE ]

so i post this because i know so many of us log a good deal of hours in front of the computer. so pay attention to how you're sitting. i never realized how important it was until this happened.

now sit up straight!

bwana

[/ QUOTE ]

I am a physical therapist, and I whole-heartedly agree. Its amazing how many changes are affected in the body , when exposed to too much static sitting. Bad for your neck, upper back, lower back, hips, etc.

At the very least, get up and stretch every 15-20 minutes. Try to change the sitting position slightly frequently, too. There is no such thing as "ideal sitting posture." Your body doesn't want to be in the same position for hours on end!!

Sorry to hear about your chronic upper back pain,

I felt compelled to respond to your post because your problem mirrors one I am having as well. Not only do I spend a lot of personal time online, my job also requires I sit in front of a computer. I have chronic intractible migraine, disc problems, TMJ, and post trauma syndrome to the neck. I recently started seeing a new physical therapist (two appointments so far).

A few years back I used to see a physical therapist for my decrepit neck. For one thing, I had lost muscle tone and strength according to the physical therapist. I built it up over time. It was important to use the thera-band and religiously do all of the exercises I had learned. Just doing the exercises and being cognizant of my health enabled me to lose 50 lbs. But more importantly, I learned I was slouching and had horrible posture.

I recently had my pain intensify to the point my medications weren't helping much and my job was in jeopardy due to severe migraines and aura. My pain is so bad I have to give myself Toradol injections (an NSAID) and take multiple medications and vitamins. My primary care doctor said my neck was very stiff and ordered physical therapy again.

It appears over time I forgot all the good habits I learned in physical therapy. Many people (like myself) unconsciously slouch our heads and in general have horrible posture. When I was in my 20's this didn't seem to cause as many problems.

Like the OP, I'm in my early 30's and it seems years of bad posture associated with computer use has taken its toll. My new physical therapist says my neck, head, facial, and back muscles are in serious need of strengthening and are very tight. Things have gotten so bad she even told me I shouldn't swim (my neck is too weak). I am doing deep massage and re-doing physical therapy with the hope it has some utility. I don't want to do more trigger point injections, epidurals, surgeries, etc.

Nevertheless, here's real take home message: it's extremely beneficial to be cognizant of your posture. If you're younger and don't feel negative effects yet, just wait until you get a little older. You should have your computer monitor adjusted in such a way that you are not slouching. Also, be aware of the height of your keyboard. As mentioned previously, you should also consider stretching at timed intervals. Getting up and walking away from the computer now and then isn't a bad idea either.

If you're having substantial stiffness, headaches, back pain etc. I would highly recommend seeing a physical therapist (ask your doctor for a referral if need be). My physical therapist claims chiropractors can be of help as well (they didn't work for me but your milage will vary). In retrospect, I wish I would have been cognizant of good posture when the pain was in its infancy. Had I known to see a physical therapist then, I would be avoiding a lot of physical and economic pain now.

JeffreyREBT "Wherein I don't promise to make you rich without trying, or even trying very hard; I do promise to say things that will make you FEEL rich." [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Allinlife]

how about arm/wrist pain?

my whole arm and wrist kind of feels .."tinkley" (which I've read as CTS symptoms) after today's 5 hour session.. kind of irritating me

I got a mousepad with wrist support, logitech mx 1k mouse, but I dont know what more I can do to stop pain?

[zaphod]

Playing at Party? Try this one MTH

Playing somewhere else? Try Autohotkey.

Both these programs allow you to play poker without using your mouse.

[theRealMacoy]

allinlife,

try switching hands often.

as soon as one gets sore at all.

keep switching and move/stretch your rest hand.

this seems to do the trick for me.

you can also try alternaive input devises

cheers,
sean

[Rudbaeck]

Get a left handed mouse. Preferably you want a vertical mouse for both your left and right hand. Evoluent manufactures my favorite.

Get a good chair with lumbar support. Make sure your knees bend at a 90 degree angle when the soles of your feet touch the floor. Your eyes should be about two thirds up the height of the monitors screen area. Your upper arm should be hanging nearly vertically, with a 90 degree bend in the elbow when you grip the mouse.

Now, all the above is perfectly obvious, but lets go on.

Move your keyboard to the side and put the mouse pad straight in front of your belly button! You don't use the keyboard at all, and use the mouse all the time. The most used device should be straight in front of you. (Which is why the keyboard is 'normally' there.) We are built to work in front of the body, not somewhere out to the side.

Talk to your doctor, then start going to the gym. Get a PT to help you set up a program to get in shape and stay that way. No need to try and become an athlete, but for the rest of your desk riding days you'll be going to the gym a minimum of three times a week.

[afk]

Bwana, could you or Funkymunky post some of the stretches you do? I'm 22 and I've been told my posture could be better ... I'd like to get that sorted out, as I know it can't mean good things for my spine when I'm older!

[ QUOTE ]
Bwana, could you or Funkymunky post some of the stretches you do? I'm 22 and I've been told my posture could be better ... I'd like to get that sorted out, as I know it can't mean good things for my spine when I'm older!

[/ QUOTE ]

PM me with your e-mail and I can send you some examples of what I give my clients.

It really is simple stuff. Generally, you sretch each joint in the OPPOSITE direction that sitting at a keyboard forces you to stay. In anatomical terms, sitting at a keyboard promotes a slouched, head-forward posture, protracted shoulder girdles, internally rotated shoulders, tight hip flexors, poor circulation, etc, etc, etc.

[bwana devil]

[ QUOTE ]
It appears over time I forgot all the good habits I learned in physical therapy. Many people (like myself) unconsciously slouch our heads and in general have horrible posture. When I was in my 20's this didn't seem to cause as many problems.

[/ QUOTE ]

this was exactly me. when i was in my 20s i knew i had bad posture and i just thought there was nothing to be done about it. now that coupled w/ how heavily i drop my head forward has added up. and it is really a hard habit to break. while reading the responses in this thread i caught myself doing it twice. what a hard habit to break.

thanks for all the responses in the thread. and that's great a PT is able to give his input. appreciate it.

bwana