Computers that really are a pain in the neck

Computers that really are a pain in the neck

Physiotherapists are warning that they are seeing an increasing number of people with back and arm problems from using laptops for too long - as more of us are using portable computers to work from home or when we're travelling.

Men have even been warned that placing warm machines on their laps for long periods may be making them sterile.

We've all seen people hunched awkwardly over laptops on train journeys or who have used a kitchen table as a temporary office - but there are warnings that over-use of laptops in uncomfortable positions can cause serious long-term damage.

Taking a computer home can mean more flexibility, saving on commuting and letting you work more convenient hours - but it also can mean spending hours bending your neck over a screen that's too low and using a keyboard designed for size rather than comfort.

Even though laptops have become standard issue office equipment, they are less likely to appear on the health and safety radar than other types. While computer users in offices will have the benefit of adjustable chairs and health assessments for the layout of keyboard and monitor, when people take the office laptop home they are unlikely to have such protection.

"Laptops can be a nightmare," says Jacqui Smith, chairman of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Occupational Health and Ergonomics.

"They're really useful, light, flexible and convenient. But people tend to use them in poor postural.....continued below

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positions. And it's really not a good idea for prolonged use. Companies have been issuing laptops left, right and centre, as a way of keeping people accessible. But now they're realising the problems.

"There is a clear association with the rise in laptop use and the rise in problems," which she says can affect people's back, neck, shoulders, arms and hands. And such disorders can become chronic unless people change their computer habits.

Ms Smith says the danger signs are clearly visible. For example, there are sales representatives, who after long hours of driving, will be "twisted and hunched" over a laptop in the service station car park, with a mobile phone wedged under the chin.

Because such problems build up over time, she says that people can underestimate the ill-effects of misusing computers. It might not seem much of a risk to be sitting behind a laptop or a PC, but the level of back problems among office workers is similar to people working in heavy carrying jobs.

For people working at home who regularly use laptops, Ms Smith says that there are ways to improve the ergonomics, such as getting a stand to make the height adjustable and plugging in a separate keyboard. Ms Smith warns that they shouldn't be used without a break for more than 20 minutes, too.

The scale of work-related back strains and repetitive-strain injuries (RSI) was emphasised by the TUC recently, as these two problems were identified, along with stress, as the most common workplace health hazards. The survey reported that 56% of union safety representatives had colleagues with stress problems, 37% worked in places affected by RSI and just under a third had colleagues with work-related back problems.

The survey also showed that a large majority of organisations were carrying out their legal obligations to have risk assessments - although there were a few areas, such as local government, in which compliance was more patchy.