Writers, and everybody who sits on their tail end for long periods of time using a computer, run the risk of damaging their eyes, joints, muscles, and general skeletal alignment.
Lucky us — the good folks at the Freelance Switch blog have an annotated list of ergonomic tips for writers:
As a freelancer, you also spend your days doing activities that risk your health: sitting on a chair, typing, using a mouse, and looking at a monitor. Fortunately, the risk of injury when doing these seemingly safe activities for a prolonged time is becoming better known. And like those more dangerous jobs, there is equipment and techniques that help you minimize the risk.
They examine five areas in detail:
- sitting on a chair
- typing
- using a mouse
- looking at a monitor
- other important advice
I’ve definitely had times when my wrists bothered me, and also my lower back. These are important guidelines we all should follow.
Have you had any health problems related to writing? How have you deal with them?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for sharing this, John. As a writer with poor body posture, I often feel back and neck pains after a long day’s work.
I usually deal with this by having my back massaged and taking regular breaks. It can be a bummer to stop writing sometimes but we all need that.
Cedric Solidon’s last blog post..How to Become What You Want to Be
Cedric, I suggest you consciously focus on relaxing your neck and shoulders while you write, and also being sure your spine is straight. Your frequent breaks are an excellent idea, especially if you move all your major joints through their ranges of motion while moving around.
I do tai chi, so I pay a lot of attention to posture, movement, and relaxation.