Can the Alexander Technique Help a Computer Users’ Posture?
This post was written by Mrs. Blog It AllAugust 27th, 2008
A computer user sets up their computer every day, watching the screen with her hand on the mouse. This can be a challenge to one’s posture. Add to this challenge the stress of work or pressured to meet a deadline. You are absorbed in your work for hours and at the end of the day you can very barely move at all. By the end of the day you are wishing that somebody would put you in diffraction just to stretch out so that you could relax. Attention that builds during the day in your shoulders and upper back begin to make your elbows tingle in pain shoots through your arms and her fingers and you go numb. And just to get the work done you ignore the symptoms. Does this sound familiar to you?
The Alexander technique can help a computer user to understand and apply the technique to stop the symptoms. They can use the AT exercises as a method of self-care to avoid or recover from several common problems. Some of these problems are:
Repetitive strain injuries.
- Persistent fatigue.
- Chronic tension.
- Perpetual neck, back and neck pain.
- Tension and migraine headaches.
- Various stress-related disorders.
Office life has been radically changed by the computer revolution. Instead of getting up and going over to the copier or stopping in and talking to a coworker you fax, phone or e-mail. Because of the increase in technology you do more, but you also do less with exercise. You would think that this would be restful, it is not. Technology has given us longer hours without relief by way of body movement with what was supposed to be laborsaving devices. Nearly 70 million Americans are on their way to developing physical symptoms of work-related stress because they set all day pushing little buttons.
And good chair, proper desk I and a well-placed keyboard can reduce most of the strain. But they do not change how you use your body. To do this you would need the Alexander Technique in New York. You can still slump in your chair and compress your spine with every keystroke with top-of-the-line ergonomic equipment. These habits will lead to symptoms that can damage joints, muscles and limit your performance on the job. How you move your body while working to determine the factor in back problems and repetitive strain.
It seems strange that the action of moving your index finger to click the mouse can lead to agonizing and debilitating symptoms of repetitive strain injury. Yet, it has for many people. The source of your problem is probably the way you take care of your body. You may slump over your desk or tense short arm when typing, cradle of phone between your head and shoulder to tightly and you would be unconsciously compressing your joints from your neck down your spine and to your hands.
Your body will tell you what it needs so listen to your body signals. People usually lose themselves in work because they ignore those signals. The Alexander Technique will sharpen your senses so you can listen to your body. An Alexander at that teacher has been trained to be an expert in observing the movements that cause strain and will help you unlearn them. With Alexander technique lessons you can refine your postural ordination skills and learn to listen to your body signals. You can learn to prevent the computer related injuries by learning to:
Sit upright without strain and back tension.
Allow the joints to expand rather than compress.
Release excess neck tension and allow the head to move freely.
Tap the keyboard and mouse lightly.
Stay tuned to your body’s messages.
The Alexander Technique can teach you to use your body and mind more efficiently by improving your concentration and endurance. It will help make you more efficient and comfortable at the end of the day.
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Tags: Alexander Technique, Alexander Technique New York, AT exercises