You may pay attention to the elbow in office only to nudge your friend when a colleague gets a hearing from the boss or when an attractive person joins the company and sits right across you. With the growing incidence of computer usage at workplaces, the elbow has a bigger role to play and hence needs good care.
One of the common problem areas for the elbow arise when there is Repetitive Stress Injury caused by the increased usage of computer mouse. At the base of the palm of your hand is a tight canal or tunnel through which tendons and a nerve going from your forearm to your hand have to pass, to get into your hand. When this area is strained, it results in tearing of tendons and causes discomfort and pain.
The most common symptoms of elbow problem is primarily pain, tenderness and tightness on the outside of the elbow and upper forearm region. Pain increases substantially when you make a fist, grip or squeeze tightly on an object. Even shaking hands with someone can be painful. And opening the lid on a jar, is almost impossible without experiencing elbow pain.
Prevention is better than cure and more so in case of strain injuries.
So, here is a quick check-list of things you should avoid doing as well as some things that need to be included in your work life:
- Keep moving. It means every once in an hour make an effort to move around the space a little and give your body small breaks.
- Don’t maintain a fixed posture every few minutes even when you are seated.
- Your computer’s keyboard and mouse should be next to each other avoiding any strain due to stretching of your forearm.
- If you carry laptop bags, carry it appropriately and for longer journeys carry a wheeled version.
Let the office hours be comfortable and productive.
