How to prevent tech-related injuries

Tech-related injuries are an increasingly common sight in today’s world. Everything from “BlackBerry thumbs” to sore necks caused by tablet usage to Wii injuries are an unfortunate but preventable consequence of technology’s presence in today’s world.

Every day, users use a plethora of devices for work, fun, and everything in between. As more technology continues to be an integral part of everyone’s lives, users need to ensure that the way they use technology is safe and comfortable. Technology-related injuries aren’t new but as technology replaces many of the things users currently do offline or in a non-digital way, users need to be aware of the issues that arise and address them to ensure they don’t hurt themselves or others.

One example of technology creating a hazardous circumstance started over 30 years ago with the release of Sony’s Walkman: users wearing ear/headphones were frequently oblivious to their surroundings, often leading to dangerous situations. Looking around today, this hasn’t changed much and has multiplied given the success of Apple’s iPod. A new US study recently released says that injuries and deaths related to ear/headphone use have tripled during the 2004 to 2011 study period.

Technology injuries are generally categorized into three areas: repetitive motion injuries, posture/force-related injuries, and eyestrain. With a few simple tips, users can enjoy their technology while ensuring they don’t injury or damage their bodies.

First up: repetitive motion or strain injuries (RSIs). These types of injuries are caused when users do repetitive motions for extended periods of time, often in ways that aren’t natural to human movement. The most common RSIs are those related to keyboard use and practically all new keyboards come with instructions on proper use to avoid these types of injuries. These tips include positioning the keyboard level with your arms so your elbows are at a 90° angle as well as using a palm rest.

Second are injuries and disorders caused by unnatural postures or applications of force. These injuries are caused by bad seating positions and unnatural postures and uses of force such as with a touchscreen. The body parts typically hurt are the neck, arms, and back. A common example is with the use of a monitor. The monitor and chair should be positioned so that the centre of the screen is at eye level when the user is seated properly with good posture (and support). This prevents the user from slouching or craning their neck to see the image. For applications of force, this typically involves devices such as tablets and smartphones. Users should use them at an angle that doesn’t force them to strain their necks at an unnatural angle. If handheld, they should be held in a position to evenly distribute the weight to prevent strain. A common scenario where this occurs is for users using their tablets on a couch or in bed and are holding them at a low angle or above their heads when lying down. This position causes undue strain on the arms and wrists.

Lastly are issues related to eyestrain. Growing up, most were told not to watch television in a dark room or sitting too closely. While this has been proven to not raise eyeglass prescriptions, it does place strain on the eye by causing it to constantly have to adjust to varying levels of brightness. Eyestrain can be prevented by using your smartphone device in an area with ambient light so that your eyes do not constantly have to adjust to large changes in brightness. This was the idea behind Philip’s Ambilight technology which lit the area behind their HDTVs to help reduce eyestrain. Also, monitors should be placed or angled to reduce reflections and glare, which cause the eye to have to strain and focus more.

Check out the video below for more tips on how to use your technology safely:

[Source: InfoWorld.com]