Ergonomics simply means fitting a job to a person, or in other words, adjusting the working conditions to improve a person's ability to do their job. As it relates to workplace injuries from computer use, ergonomics usually refers to ways in which a workstation can be outfitted to help lessen the strain of repetitive activities and thereby reduce the possibility of repetitive stress injuries.
Workers in office environments who use computers are vulnerable to a number of different repetitive stress injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger (also known as tendosing synovitis), tendinitis, and other conditions. Other physical problems resulting from frequent computer use include eye strain and eye fatigue, back pain, and shoulder pain, as well as headaches (usually resulting from muscle tension in the neck).
Basic changes that can help reduce these potential injuries can apply to work habits as well as work stations. Changes to work habits could include taking frequent breaks, looking out the window or at something in the near distance occasionally to reduce eye strain, stretching the hands and fingers occasionally, and standing and walking around to keep the circulation flowing and the muscles moving.
Work station changes might include making sure proper lighting is used, having a workplace that is sufficiently warm (as cold can make muscles vulnerable to injury), having chairs adjusted to be at the proper height, using a cushion the provides lumbar support, and using specially-designed ergonomic keyboards that cause lessened strain while typing, utilizing a "mouse" that is larger or rounder (such as a tracking ball mouse), and voice dictation software that lessens the need for physical typing of text.
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