OVERVIEW
Computer disease, also known as video display terminal syndrome, is caused by using computers for too long, unscientific placement of computers and poor environment in the computer room. The main manifestations of computer disease are neurasthenia syndrome, i.e. dizziness, headache, fatigue, insomnia or nightmares, memory loss, and depressed mood.
Causes
Computer, as the modern office of the most relied upon office supplies, is a “double-edged sword”, can bring us unlimited convenience, but also in the silent eating away at our health. Studies have found that almost all long-term computer users have different degrees of health problems or health risks. People refer to this condition as “computer sickness”, which is caused by long-term computer use. Although the scope of “computer disease” is very wide, but has not yet attracted enough attention. Medical professionals pointed out that, if this is left alone, over time will accumulate small problems for the big disease, posing a great danger to health.
Symptoms
1. Neck, shoulder and waist strain
Symptoms: head, neck, shoulder pain and other abnormal sensations with corresponding pressure points, lumbar pain, stiffness, or with leg pain, numbness, weakness.
Causes: As the operation of the computer must maintain a sustained sitting position, the arm always maintains the upward posture. This requires the neck, shoulder and waist muscles to maintain a constant state of contraction. Muscle tension for a long time, blood flow is reduced, oxygen supply is insufficient, the accumulation of metabolic products, it produces muscle discomfort, soreness and other symptoms. If not improved in time and the condition progresses, muscle stiffness and spasm will occur.
2. Mouse hand
Symptoms: pain and numbness in the index or middle finger and muscle weakness in the thumb, which may lead to nerve damage in the long run and then cause muscle atrophy in the hand.
Causes: Repeatedly typing on the keyboard or moving the mouse, wrist joints long-term, intensive, repeated and excessive activities, causing peripheral nerve damage or compression, resulting in nerve conduction is blocked, resulting in the palm of the hand sensory and motor disorders. In addition, the elbow is often lower than the wrist, while the hand is raised high, the nerves and tendons are often compressed, the hand will begin to numb, the fingers lose dexterity, and often joint pain.
3. Dry eyes
Symptoms: Dryness of the mucous membrane of the eyes, redness, inflammation and pain in the eyes. Some people’s eyes will experience soreness and a feeling of trachoma.
Causes: We tend to stare at a certain point for a long time when watching the monitor, rarely blink, and the working environment is closed, low humidity in the environment, the computer constantly emits heat, in a dry environment, the tear layer evaporates in a few seconds, and it becomes an important cause of dry eye syndrome.
4. Electromagnetic radiation
Symptoms: insomnia, endocrine disruption.
Causes: the display heat is too high, so that the air is ionized, and constantly produce positive charges (positive ions). Negative ions more beneficial, positive ions more harmful, long-term in the environment of too many positive ions, they enter the lungs through breathing, and then with the blood circulation is transported to the body’s tissues, so that people’s blood, body fluids are acidic, delaying the body’s normal metabolic function. This can cause insomnia, decreased immunity, and endocrine disorders in women.
5. Lower limb discomfort
Most of the clerical staff sitting work, but if the sitting time is too long, coupled with the bottom of the table space is too narrow, it is difficult to straighten the legs, so that the lower limbs of the blood circulation is not good, feet are easy to paralyze. Prolonged overlapping of the feet can lead to strain of the ankle or knee ligaments due to fatigue.
Examination
CT examination of the cervical spine is of great value in degenerative diseases and cervical spine injuries. High-resolution CT can clearly show the morphology and structure of the spine, intervertebral disc lesions, ligament calcification and hypertrophy of the ligamentum flavum, as well as the morphology and structure of the cervical nerve roots and spinal cord.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis can be made on the basis of etiology and clinical manifestations.
Treatment
1. For cervical and lumbar spine
Adhere to the natural and upright sitting posture, maintain the normal physiological curve of the head, neck, chest and waist, and do not operate the computer in a hunched position. Adjust the height of the computer desk and chair so that it suits your body, generally the computer desk is not higher than 70 centimeters is appropriate. Use the computer every hour should take a break of 5 to 10 minutes, stand up and walk around for a while, or in the seat to move a few head and arm.
2. For wrists and fingers
Reasonable placement of the mouse and keyboard position, the mouse should be placed in a slightly lower position, equivalent to the height of the elbow when the person sits with the upper arm perpendicular to the ground, and the keyboard position is about the same, which is conducive to the human body’s physical health. Next is to choose a suitable mouse pad, help the strength of the dispersion, of course, when the mouse keyboard moderate strength better.
3. For the eyes
When using the computer eyes and monitor distance of not less than 70 centimeters, adjust the monitor brightness and refresh frequency. Indoor office to pay attention to the room’s light and screen brightness consistent. Eye fatigue, can be used to light tea water boiled wet wipes for a few minutes eyes, will quickly eliminate congestion and fatigue, but also the appropriate use of artificial tears products to reduce and eliminate the symptoms of eye discomfort caused by dry eye.
4. Against radiation
To do a good job of cleaning the office, because the positive ions will be firmly adsorbed in the dust particles, the more dust, the more positive ions. Wash your face regularly to prevent skin irritation from radiation waves. Green beans can clear heat and detoxification, diuretic swelling, often need to stay up late workers or eliminate irritability is very helpful.
5. For the lower limbs
Once found legs soreness, suffocation and swelling, to consult a doctor in a timely manner. Every hour to stand up to do 10 times a simple squatting exercise to improve the venous return of the lower limbs.
Prevention
1. Low back health care
The best choice for office chairs is to have a backrest, oil pressure and roller design. Chairs with backrests, such as sitting too deep, can be added to the back cushion to support the lumbar back, so that the lumbar back to maintain a normal curvature, reducing the pressure on the spine and muscles. The chair has a hydraulic design, which can adjust the seat height, so that the feet can be placed flat on the ground. And the chair has a roller design, you can sit and adjust the angle of body twisting, thereby reducing lumbar strain.
2. Mouse and keyboard
The height of the keyboard and mouse should be moderate, the height of the keyboard should be placed in the elbow flexion in 80 ° ~ 100 ° appropriate. The height of the mouse should be placed at the same level as the keyboard, for those who are used to using the right hand, the mouse should be placed on the right side of the keyboard. Prolonged use of the keyboard and mouse, easy to induce tenosynovitis, this time in front of the keyboard with a wrist cushion or a towel with a homemade wrist cushion, which can support the wrists and reduce the height of the wrists up. Mouse position can also be used as a towel pad.
3. Computer screen
The screen should be adjusted to the upward tilt of about 15 °, sit down, the first line of the screen and the eyes into a horizontal angle. The screen should not face the window, at least 90 ° angle with the window to reduce the refraction of sunlight. Add filters to the screen to reduce radiation and static electricity. In order to make the line of sight and the screen balance, to avoid the head often hanging down and neck repetitive movements, can be added to the folder, but note that the folder should be able to switch positions at will, in order to avoid the head for a long time twisted to one side, caused by muscle overwork. Set up a good computer, does not mean that the isolation of the neck and shoulder pain, the use of computer bad habits, as may bring pain distress. Adopt good habits, away from pain, use the computer every hour should rest 5 to 10 minutes, do soft exercises or local massage, and at the same time to develop a regular exercise habits, for the shoulder and neck, upper limbs for stretching and muscle training, in order to increase the softness and muscle power.
4. Relaxing neck and shoulder exercises
Chest up, left and right, can maintain the muscle tension of the cervical spine, spine, ligament elasticity and flexibility of the spinal joints, is conducive to enhance bone metabolism, enhance the cervical spine, spine compensatory function, not only does not damage the vertebrae, but also prevent the degeneration of the vertebrae and ligaments. Sports such as kite flying and swimming are available.