Spend Time on Your Laptop without Feeling the Pain

Working on a laptop, while convenient, may come with its sets of aches and pains, but researchers at the University of North Carolina have released some tips on how to combat some of the effects.

Aching necks, throbbing heads, and tingling fingers are just some of the side effects from spending long hours on a laptop, according to the researchers. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is also a well-known symptom related to computer typing.

How computers are designed, especially laptops, almost inevitably leads to poor posture, said Kevin Carneiro, DO, a doctor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, in a press release. Debilitating physical problems can result form incorrect posture and computer overuse.

Carneiro recommends that while sitting at a computer the body should form 90-degree angles at the elbows, knees, and hips and the eyes should look straight ahead at the top third of the screen. Laptops cannot be positioned independently for typing and viewing, since they are attached. This causes issues.

"When you use a laptop, you have to make some sort of sacrifice," Carneiro said, in a press release.

The incorrect posture associated with laptop use can lead to muscle pain in those areas. Carneiro recommends buying a docking station that links a laptop to another monitor and keyboard or to a stand that raised the screen to a higher level. Additionally, a FireWire or USB can be used to connect the laptop to an extra monitor or keyboard.