Re: Sitting at the coputer

March 28, 2012

Dear All

Sitting with arm raised in front of myself is something I can only tolerate

for a limited time. Same thing for doing the dishes!

I have slowly developed lots of the symptoms of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome,

which I can only ascribe to being secondary to muscle spasm and possibly

tight ligament bands in the neck/shoulder area.

Anyway, that has caused me to look into all the things that could help.

*I find it is crucial to get the right height (for me quite high so my eyes

are just above level with the screen).

*I have a high back chair which gives neck support AND very NB it also has

adjustable armrests. I find if I can rest my arms it helps the neck muscles

to not tighten up so quickly.

* I sit with a hot water bottle behind my lower back and a warm wheat bag

draped around my neck.

* My computer 'warns' me every 20 minutes to take a break and then I get up

and briefly do some stretching especially of the scalene muscles (I Googled

it).

* I am on a mission to learn touch typing so that I will not have to look

down at the keyboard.

*On really bad days I try to avoid the computer.

* On other bad days I have the option of using voice activated software and

'speak' to my computer but I still do not have the hang of this one.

Anyone else with: Arm pain and heavy arms with patches of dense numbness in

the morning on waking, late onset Raynaud's phenomenon (my hands go white

when I put then in cold or very hot water), my pulse at the wrist

disappears if I lift my arm.

I have had tethered cord surgery, have EDS, hydrocephalus and

syringomyelia, with neck spinal stenosis and some disc pathology and Chiari

0 (this got better after TCS).

I am so grateful for this site.

Best wishes

Trudi

Recommended Posts