Are you’re coming home with achy shoulders and neck or after a day at the office?  If so chances are good that you can eliminate much of your discomfort by adopting a few good ergonomic principles at work.  

Ergonomics involve not only using good ergonomic equipment, but it also involves using positive ergonomic principles as you work.  For neck and shoulder pain, the goal is to keep the upper body muscles in a neutral position as you work. Misaligning or holding your neck and shoulders in a set position as you work, stresses the muscles, tendons, and ligaments, thus causing aches and pains. 

One common cause of pain comes from extensive mouse use. Using your mouse sounds like a non-threatening event.  Mouse use can cause more shoulder and neck pain than you may realize because of where and how you’re using it.

When the mouse is too far away you engage your neck and shoulder muscles as you move to reach it.  This constant engagement results in aches and pain from tense over-used muscles.  Placing your hand on your mouse should occur in very close proximity to your keyboard.  Using an ergonomic keyboard with a touchpad is a good alternative to using a mouse.  It helps keep you from stretching and misaligning neck and shoulder muscles.