Laptop Ergonomics and Neck Pain

“I work on a laptop and my neck and shoulders are stiff and sore.”

So many of us love the convenience of using our laptops – we can take our work most anywhere!

But for many, even a short time working with the head craned forward or arms at an odd angle can
bring pain to the neck, shoulders, or back. Ideally what it takes to make a laptop ergonomic is an
external monitor or an external keyboard.

Note the difference between poor posture and proper posture for working on a laptop:

Important Details:

• The top 1/3 of the monitor screen should be at eye height.
  In order to do this, either use a separate monitor OR put your laptop up on a pile of phone books (who uses those anymore anyway?) and get a separate keyboard.
• Head should be comfortably balanced over the spine, and not forward.
• Forearms should be horizontal to the floor, or even a little downward, with the elbows tucked in, not extended away from the body.
• Feet should be flat on the floor or on a box if your feet do not reach the floor when sitting upright.
• Lower back should be supported by the chair or a towel (lumbar support).
• Use an external mouse that you keep low and close so that you are not reaching for it.

If you travel or you are at clients’ locations and you do not have an external monitor, keyboard, or mouse:

• Stand to work with the laptop on a counter, with elbows in. Push the screen way back so your head is not so far forward and not tilted too badly.
• If the work surface is higher than your arms, raise the chair or stand. You do not want your shoulders hunched up into your ears. That is the number one priority.
• Sit with your back as flat as possible

Make sure you MOVE; don’t get locked into a position. If you are working for several hours you need to move and stretch your neck muscles and shoulders.

Try this move:

Shrug and Roll

If you work at a desktop computer instead of a laptop, these same general principles still apply:

• have the monitor set so that the top 1/3 is where your eyes land when you are sitting upright
• make sure your keyboard is at the correct position where your forearms are level

IF your keyboard is on the desk and therefore too high, here are some options:
1. Acquire a keyboard tray for under the desk.
2. Raise the chair so your arms come out to be parallel to the floor while on the keyboard. Most desk chairs are height adjustable; you may have to then raise your monitor accordingly.

Paying attention to what might seem like small details has HUGE effect up the road. You want to get set up correctly as soon as possible.

Call or email self-help back pain specialist Dot Spaet for a free Get Out of Pain phone consultation:
415 892-6605   |     Contact Dot