Chiropractic Health & Wellness in San Diego

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Headaches and Computer Work

My Chiropractic Clinic in San Diego sees many patients with work related injuries. Most of the injuries are classified as repetitive stress type injuries with obvious contributing factors. Tendinitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Trigger Finger are the more common types of repetitive stress injuries that we provide treatment for.

I think that one of the more common stress related conditions that we see that isn't usually associated with work is headaches. There are many different work related contributing factors for headaches that we will examine in this post.

The most obvious type of stress that contributes to the onset of headaches is postural stress. A poorly designed computer work station causes the PC operator to keep their neck in flexion for extended periods of time. This prolonged flexion is due in part to the computer monitor sitting too low relative the level of the operator's eyes. Prolonged flexion of the neck causes muscle tension in the neck and can easily trigger the development of a muscle tension headache. In order to relieve this stress, make sure that your monitor sits directly in front of you and that the top 1/3 of your monitors viewing area is level with your eyes when you are gazing straight forward.

Another important contributing factor in the development of headaches is dehydration. Statistics indicate that upwards of 75% of us suffer some level of dehydration. Statistics also indicate that we tend to consume less water while we are at work. This is a straight forward problem. Considering that dehydration causes headaches and as a population we tend to run on the dehydrated side and we tend to drink less water while at work, you can see how this is a perfect formula for the development of a headache.

One last headache instigator that we will discuss here is related to lighting of your work space. Ideally, lighting should come directly from your left and right sides and overhead. This lighting set-up prevents shadows in your work space and reflections off of your monitor. Eye strain and fatigue are major contributors to headaches and must be addressed. Proper lighting can reduce eye strain which often leads to muscle tension headaches.