|
 Computers
have become the modern ‘Pandora’s Box’. In spite of
being extremely helpful in all fields of work, they have
led to a variety of ailment among its users.
All those
working with computers are prone to various problems.
A study conducted by T. Spiritual World Ltd. in various
corporates and MNCs based in Delhi and NCR, showed that
the common symptoms found in the professionals were:
Other common
symptoms were found to be shoulder pain (6%), mental
stress (5.2%) and gastric problems (2.6%).
Back Pain,
Neck Stiffness and Shoulder Pain
Poor posture,
long working hours, infrequent breaks and wrong
furniture all aid to the development of severe low back
pain and shoulder pain. Neck pain due to poor posture,
if neglected for too long, can lead to the development
of cervical spondylosis. To keep these conditions in
check, it is essential to keep exercising and stretching
these muscles in the proper way to relieve them of
constant strain.
Digestive Disorders & Obesity
Many computer
professionals suffer from various digestive problems
like acidity, indigestion, gastritis, and colitis. All
these ailments can be attributed to wrong eating habits,
like eating while working, consuming junk food and no
specified time for meals. These tend to make the system
sluggish, which leads to an overall feeling of lethargy.
All this together with lack of exercise leads to
obesity. One can overcome these problems quite easily by
maintaining regular eating habits, practicing moderation
and doing simple yogic exercises aimed at stimulating
the digestive system. Yoga helps to improve the
metabolic rate, therefore helping you burn your calories
better.
Decreased
concentration and Low energy levels
Both these
problems are due to staring at the computer monitor for
too long, without any breaks. To overcome these
problems, practicing breath awareness and relaxation are
ideal techniques, as they improve the oxygen levels in
the blood making us alert, but at the same time relaxing
the mind.
Computer Related Injuries (CRI)
CRI is a type
of Repetitive Stress Injury. Repetitive Strain Injury or
RSI refers to a constellation of work-related disorders
that is common in (but not exclusive to) computer users,
due to diffuse involvement of muscle, fascia (covering
layer of muscles), tendon and/or neurovascular
structures, typically involving the neck and upper limb;
though any part of the body (including back, legs, jaw,
eyes and vocal chords) may be affected.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
A most
commonly encountered RSI in computer users is Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome. CTS is a condition that may cause pain,
tingling, numbness, weakness in the fingers and thumb,
which may be felt all the way up to the shoulder. There
may be tingling or numbness in the hand and fingers at
night, which disturbs sleep. Its onset can be slow or
sudden. It is because of swelling inside a narrow
"tunnel" formed by bone and ligament in the wrist; the
tunnel surrounds nerves that conduct sensory and motor
impulses to and from the hand, leading to pain,
tingling, and numbness. If the symptoms are treated in
an early stage complete recovery is possible, but if the
symptoms are ignored and the problem persists, permanent
nerve and muscle damage may occur.
Computer
Vision Syndrome
Our eyes are
not well suited to view the computer screen, because of
the lack of focus on the pixels or the tiny dots,
which make up the computer screens. To view clear
images, our eyes have to focus and refocus, causing
repetitive strain to the eye muscles. Also, after
prolonged computer use, the blinking of the eyes
decreases, because of which the eyes dry up and become
sore. This leads to blurring of vision and diminished
ability to focus, which results in headaches.
With so many facets to a single problem, the underlying
fact remains that Computer related ailments are grossly
neglected by the HR departments, and the sufferers are
hardly getting any relief from the situation. |
