Back specialist are speaking out on the ill effects of laptop use. According to experts in the field, the huge boom in laptop sales has led to millions developing skeletal and muscular problems from hunching over their computers.

Chiropractors are seeing girls as young as 12 with nerve damage from computer use. And back experts estimate that as many as four in five patients have chronic nerve damage caused by working on portable PCs. Doctors are asking for more research to be done on the subject, including London-based chiropractor Michael Durntall who says:

“I see many people in their twenties and thirties with a dowager’s hump – a rounding at the base of the neck – after only a few years of looking down at a small screen while sitting slumped on a chair for long periods.”

There is no doubt in my mind that ones posture is totally compromised when working on a laptop or any computer for that matter. It’s just too easy to slump forward, creating a “hump” in the upper back and pushing the head forward. The problem is that by sitting this way the muscles that support the spine start to adapt to the bad posture, ultimately changing the shape of the spine and alignment of the vertebrae. Plus, it’s painful!

Here are some quick tips to improve postural alignment at any computer:

1.) Sit in a supportive chair: Use a chair that supports your lumbar region (lower back) so the rest of the spine has a good base to stack on top of. Make sure to sit all the way back in the chair to support the spine and prevent you from leaning forward.

2.) Align the screen to your eye level: With a desk top computer just stack some books under the screen to bring it up to your eye level while sitting in your chair.

3.) Use a separate mouse and keyboard: For people that work long hours on their laptop place the computer on a solid surface with risers so that the screen is at eye level and attach a seperate keyboard and mouse. There is really no way to get around how ergonomically horrible the laptop was designed.

4.) Take breaks: Every 20-30 minutes get up and walk around to give your back a break.

5.) Remind yourself: To sit up straight and with your head aligned on top of the shoulders and the shoulders right over the hips. Sit with legs at a 90 degree angle with feet flat on the floor. Tip: Imagine you have a string attached to the top of your head that is helping you lengthen your spine.

For more tips on how to fix your desk setup so you can have great posture and work more effectively, click here.

Happy typing!