what can i get to increase the height of laptop keyboard keys
How you set upwardly and use your laptop tin can impact the amount of stress placed on your cervix and back. Here are 10 ideas for keeping your spine hurting-gratis while being productive on a laptop.
i. Take the laptop off your lap
Even though it'southward called a laptop, you may not want to employ information technology on top of your lap.
This position frequently requires you to slouch down and jut your head forward to encounter the screen, loading your cervical spine with dozens of extra pounds of pressure.1 If you practise need to work without a desk—while on a train, for example—try propping the laptop on your computer bag or briefcase to drag the screen.
See How Poor Posture Causes Cervix Pain
2. Raise the screen higher
The platonic laptop height and angle lets you view the screen easily without bending or rotating your neck. Drag the laptop a few inches above your desk-bound, placing information technology on a stable support surface, such every bit a laptop stand or a stack of thick books. Your eyes should naturally striking the top third of your screen when you expect straight alee.
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3. Use a split keyboard and mouse or invest in a split screen/monitor
When y'all work on a laptop for an extended menses of fourth dimension, it is recommended to do one of 2 things: 1) Utilise an external keyboard and mouse and properly position your laptop screen at heart level or 2) Apply an external monitor at middle level and position your laptop keyboard at a height that allows your shoulders and artillery to relax. Your elbows should be at a 90-degree angle, tucked shut to your body, and your wrists should be in a neutral position when typing. This posture helps keep y'all from rounding your shoulders and pulling your neck muscles.
See Posture to Straighten Your Dorsum
4. Upgrade screen size
While laptops are designed to be portable and easy-to-utilise, be certain that your laptop'southward screen is big plenty for your needs. A smaller screen may crusade yous to strain to meet text and objects. If you detect yourself hunching forwards to read from your screen, you can also increase the font size.
v. Put your feet upwards
If you have to heighten your chair to position your arms and wrists comfortably, check to come across how your legs are angled. Your feet should be flat on the floor, and your knees should exist at an even elevation with your hips. If your hips are besides loftier or your feet don't achieve the flooring, use a footstep or block to support the bottom of your feet. This can assist you maintain a neutral lumbar spine and reduce strain on your lower back.
Watch Video: 5 Overlooked Tips to Protect Your Lower Back
6. Discover an ergonomic chair
The type of chair you sit down in while using your laptop is critical. Any office chair that is fully adaptable and has lumbar support may work, only you need to be sure to set information technology upwardly correctly. If your chair does not have adequate support, you may need a lumbar curlicue. Remember to sit down all the way back in the chair so when you rest confronting information technology, the lumbar support is helping to maintain the natural curve in your lower dorsum. As for your neck and head position, your ears should always be above your shoulders, non in front.
Run into Choosing the Right Ergonomic Office Chair
7. Have breaks
Fix a reminder on your phone to take a brief break every half hour or so. Get your eyes off the screen and let them balance on something in the distance. You can exercise simple stretches at your desk, such as stretching your cervix, shoulders, arms, and legs. Every hour, leave your desk-bound to walk around to become your blood flowing and muscles loose. If information technology is not possible to walk, at least stand, stretch and move. Humans are mobile beings and not meant to sit even so all twenty-four hour period.
Scout 4 Easy Stretches for Neck and Shoulder Hurting Video
eight. Stand up upward
For people who spend long hours working on laptops, try to spend an hour or two each day using your laptop while continuing rather than sitting in a chair. You will need a dissever keyboard and mouse and a multilevel setup to do this without straining your cervix. Continuing desks are pop options. Desktop converters enable you lot to keep your desk and temporarily convert it to a standup desk.
See Workplace Ergonomics and Neck Pain
9. Travel light
If you typically lug your laptop between work and home, purchase a duplicate power cord and other laptop accessories—that style you lot tin can go out them in each identify instead of carrying the extra load back and forth. You may also want to employ a backpack with dual-padded shoulder straps to avoid draping the bag over but i shoulder. If your laptop and accessories experience likewise heavy, a curl-along carrier may exist the best choice.
Come across Pain-Free Travel Tips
10. Consider a posture app
Plough engineering science in your favor by using your laptop to monitor your posture and requite y'all helpful reminders. Many posture apps are available for Mac and PC that can perform various functions, including:
- Utilise your laptop photographic camera to monitor your posture and alert y'all when to sit upward straighter.
- Remind you when to accept breaks.
- Guide you through simple stretches and exercises at your desk-bound.
Wearable devices are also available to measure out your spinal posture and send the information to an app on your phone or tablet. While some people may find benefits from posture apps and wearable devices, it is of import to note that some people may non and more research is needed to determine their effectiveness.ii
Pay attention to how you set your laptop. Careful consideration goes a long style to easing and preventing back and neck pain.
Larn more than:
Ten Tips for Improving Posture and Ergonomics
Ergonomics of the Part and Workplace: An Overview
References
- i.Kapandji IA. The Physiology of the Joints, Volume 3. 6th ed. London: Churchill Livingstone; 2007.
- 2.Simpson 50, Maharaj MM, Mobbs RJ. The role of wearables in spinal posture analysis: a systematic review. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2019; 20:55.
Source: https://www.spine-health.com/blog/10-best-ergonomic-laptop-setup-tips