It’s no secret. People with careers in the computer industry tend to be unhealthy. This may have a lot to do with the sedentary lifestyle of their profession. The real fault of poor health is our education system. In school, we learned how to play sports in our physical education classes and very little attention was placed on personal health. Becoming an expert in dodge ball doesn’t give you the life skills to maintain good health. A better approach in these gym classes would be teach students how to exercise and eat well instead of constantly playing team sports.

One health issue which confronts computer users are repetitive stress injuries (RSI). I find that most people use a mouse incorrectly. This may lead to pains in your wrist, hand, or arm while using a mouse or later when your not. When the pain becomes bad enough, a quick solution seems to be switching to a track ball or touch pad. This isn’t necessary. You can continue using a mouse if you use it correctly.

A common way of using a mouse is resting your wrist or forearm on the table and moving it with your hand. A mouse should never be moved this way because it will lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. Instead, you need to move your entire arm when you move the mouse. I have to admit that its difficult initially but it can become a natural action if you keep doing it.

You can switch to a different pointing device, but will every computer you use have it? Mice are everywhere and you will be using them, so its important to learn how to use one properly and not ruin your health.

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