Posture Tips
for the Head & Neck

This is the start of a series of posture tips for the head and neck. I'll keep going until each aspect of the computer work station is adjusted to meet your individual needs.

#1: Head Upright

Working with the head tilted down can contribute to neck and upper back strain. Position the monitor so that your eyes look 20 degrees down from the horizontal to the are of the screen that you use most. Looking up to the screen will dry the eyes and after a few moments, you will start to tilt your head back. Looking down at the screen will quickly result in you bringing your face lower by hunching the upper back.

Documents should also be placed on a sloped surface. This applies to reading and writing as well as reference materials used at the computer.

• Look slightly down at contents
• Place documents on an inclined surface
• Hold the phone to your ear or use a headset

#2: Head Looking Forward

You wouldn't walk down the street with your head turned to the side - so why would you work with your head turned to the side? Working with the monitor even slightly to one side (or with the documents off-centre) requires the muscles on one side of the neck to maintain a contracted position. Over time, this will result in one side of the neck being stronger than the other. This kind of muscle imbalance is strongly associated with neck and shoulder pain.

Start by moving the monitor so that it is centred in front of you when you are centred between g and h on the keyboard. If you can't do this because the back of the monitor is too deep, try moving the desk away from the wall. (Those wonderful new LCD screens eliminate this issue because they have such a small footprint). If the keyboard is too close to the monitor, you will end up reaching forward to the keyboard in an effort to distance the eyes from the screen.

Then bring your documents to the centre so that they are between the keyboard and the screen. Find some way to prop them up so that they are not flat on the desk. Flat documents will make you lean forward to read them. One simple method is to place an empty binder (4", 3 ring) between the keyboard and the screen. At my own computer I have propped an old table top document holder between the keyboard and screen. Several manufacturers now make document holders for this location including HumanScale, 3M and VuRyte. If this isn't an option, make sure the reference materials are equally balanced on both sides of the screen so that your neck movements are balanced.

• Monitor centred on your nose
• Keyboard lined up with g & h at your belly button
• Documents angled up between keyboard and screen
• Documents equally balanced on either side of screen.

More Posture Tips Focusing on Standing Postures...