Office Athlete®, Ergonomics, and You

Interacting with Your Computer

You interact with your computer in two ways--intellectually and physically.

INTELLECTUALLY--This is the process of knowing which keys to strike and which icons to click with your mouse to get the results you want.

PHYSICALLY--This is the process of how you physically interact with your computer--how you press the keys, click and move the mouse, and view the information on the monitor.

Misusing a computer intellectually may hinder you from saving a document or accessing information you have saved. These are annoyances, but they cannot hurt you.

Misusing a computer physically can hurt you. Typing in an improper manner, twisting to see your monitor, repetitive tasks and poor posture are annoyances that, over time, can cause bodily pain, discomfort, and injury. But just as improper computer usage may contribute to repetitive strain injuries, proper computer usage may help prevent them. At the very least, proper computer usage will bring greater comfort.

The Office Athlete® software was developed to teach you how to physically use your computer and to prevent discomfort.

How does the Office Athlete® help?

As people spend more and more of their workday at computers, the ability to physically interact correctly with the computer becomes increasingly important. By adopting the simple ergonomic stretching and health principles in the Office Athlete® software, you can better manage the stress and physical forces in your office. The results are a more comfortable work environment and decreased risk of repetitive strain injuries.

Overworking your body’s muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints without providing enough time for them to rest causes repetitive strain injuries. Professional athletes, daily joggers, and weekend tennis and golf players know that stretching helps increase flexibility and decreases the risk of repetitive injuries such as tennis elbow and shin splints.

Office work is similar to athletics in that it also requires repetitive and forceful motions that may contribute to overload injuries. However, where tennis, running, and other sports like activities require the use of the body’s largest and strongest muscles, office work such as typing uses some of our smallest and most delicate muscle groups. Just as stretching helps professional athletes avoid injury, it can help you prepare for your work and may prevent repetitive strain injuries.

Just how hard are your muscles working at the keyboard?

If you type 30 words per minute, you will press approximately 9,000 keys per hour, or 54,000 keys every 6 hours. The average keyboard requires 8 ounces of force to press each key, or 13.5 tons of force in total, moving through your fingertips every 6 hours. That is enough energy to pick up several cars!

You certainly would not want to do that without stretching first. When you first sit at your computer, stretching will help your body prepare for the work you are about to do.

"The head bone's connected to the neck bone, and the neck bone's connected to the shoulder bone, and the shoulder bone's connected to the rib bone, and the rib bone...”

This is more than a child’s song; it is the truth. Like any other complex machine, your body is a collection of sophisticated parts and systems that work together. Your muscles and bones are designed to distribute your body weight in an even manner. If you do not distribute your weight properly, you can strain one muscle group by making it work overtime to support more weight than it should. This uneven distribution of work can lead to chronic muscle strain.

How long does it take to strain a muscle?

Place a phone book in your open palm and hold it straight in front of your body. The tightening you feel in your shoulder is due to the muscles straining to keep the phone book supported. Chances are you began to feel the strain within 20 to 30 seconds.

To help you learn the basics of repetitive strain injuries, posture and related body parts, and office ergonomics, Office Athlete® has collected and defined the most common and important terms for you to know. We have also provided additional information on the exercises and alternative ways to perform them.

Click the following links for more details:

"The Home of Office Athlete® Software"

Office Athlete®, Ergonomics, and You

Interacting with Your Computer

How does the Office Athlete® help?

Just how hard are your muscles working at the keyboard?

How long does it take to strain a muscle?

Ergonomics and You

Health and Body

Office Ergonomics

Nine Stretches & Alternate Instructions