When you spend long hours on a tablet, you run the risk of neck and shoulder pain. Your neck angle makes all the difference in the world. When you spend a long time working on the tablet playing games or surfing the internet, you might experience pain in the cervical and shoulder region. However, you leave your work, so why not change the viewing angle which will provide relief.
Working continuously for many hours o a tablet or any computing device for that matter affects your head, neck, shoulder, back etc. The more distance you place it , you will have to bend your cervical area down to work on it. Placing the tablet at wrong viewing angle can lead to strain on the neck and shoulder muscles. When you place the gadget farther down, your neck flexor muscles will be affected, as you will have to flex your neck to the extreme to look properly at the tablet screen and when you place the tablet high above your eye level, you will have to look up high, thus straining your neck extensors. So you need to place the tablet at your eye level and balance the flexor and extensor muscles of your neck.
Problems that occur with tablet use and solutions to these problems
Neck is placed on top of the spine in the vertebral column which is called the cervical vertebrae. abnormal viewing angle can disturb the natural curvature of the cervical vertebrae. Research shows that when you hold a tablet or PC at a very low angle, it can force the cervical vertebrae to be positioned at a very low angle too which causes strain and injury to the cervical muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves and the cervical vertebrae and inter-vertebral discs. However, studies show that when research subjects placed the tablet on a tablet case and viewed at it with a proper neck angle the neck strain and pain and discomfort that occurred normally has disappeared.
So what should you do when you are using a tablet? First things first, buy a case for your tablet and place the tablet in the case and make sure that you view it the correct angle, so that you do not have to either flex or extend your neck too much. Your neck deserves a significant break from all the bending and turning. Change your position for every 10 or 20 minutes. Transfer your body weight, change your hand to operate the tablet, sit down or up or walk for a few minutes.
Tips for using a tablet in a healthy way
• Buy a case for your tablet and place the tablet in its case at an angle you are comfortable with.
• Give your neck and eyes a deserving break for every 15-20 minutes.
• Shift your position, change your posture, do a few sit stand exercises.
When you are using laptop and desktops follow the same tips listed above and:
• Relax your shoulders, to ease of the tension. While you are working keep your hands near your body to prevent strain.
• Keep your upper limbs that is hands, forearm, wrists and lower limbs that is thighs, and feet parallel to the ground.
For those who use desktops and laptops, irrespective of the device your are using, you need to maintain a proper posture while you are working on them here are some tips.
• Sit comfortably and keep your head straight, do not bend forward to reach the gadget. Position the laptop or desktop at a reachable distance and just below the eye level.
• Sit comfortably in a good chair that provides support to your lumbar region. It should offer you good back support and neck support and also good cushioning to your buttocks.
• Use ergonomic chairs at office and home when working on the computing devices. If you do not have such chairs then place a pillow to support your back.
