Back, neck, and shoulder pain in Finnish adolescents: national cross sectional surveys
BMJ 2002; 325 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.325.7367.743 (Published 05 October 2002) Cite this as: BMJ 2002;325:743
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Editor,
As I write, I’m using a computer, and I am aware of developing a pain
in my neck – possibly in readers' necks also.
The reason I have this pain is because this university based public
computer, has it’s visual display unit (monitor) mounted on top of a five
inch thick slab type computer, thus raising the height of the monitor to
favour the young myopic reader, rather than the middle aged (me),
relatively presbyopic reader. Other presbyopic readers can be seen
around me using computers, all with their jaw thrust unnaturally forward,
contracting the muscles in the back of the neck, as they strive to use
the higher magnification in the bottom part or their bi-focal corrective
lenses.
The reason for having this higher position of the monitor, is
partly because the university doesn’t use tower type computers which sit
like small office buildings beside the monitor, not underneath it(as with
the slab type). I’ve tried adjusting the height of this pneumatic office
chair to the maximum, so that I can gaze comfortably downward [1], but
that just meant my feet had no contact with the floor. So that’s out. I
could increase the fount size, but then everyone around me could read my
letter from a mile away. So I’m sticking with 12 point type.
In a better world, the computer would focus what I can see on the
monitor relative to my eyesight, which would eliminate the task related
need for reading glasses, and enhance privacy by making this letter
temporarily invisible. At least to myopic readers.
Phillip J. Colquitt. Independent Technical Advisor. New Farm..
Queensland. Australia.
[1] Saito S, Miyao M, Kondo T, Sakakibara H, Toyoshima H.
Ergonomic evaluation of working posture of VDT operation using personal
computer
with flat panel display. Ind Health. 1997 Apr;35(2):264-70.
Competing interests: No competing interests
Hakala et al are to be commended for their interest and research on
adolescent back problems. However, I'm surprised by their suggestion that
back problems are more likely due to increased computer usage rather than
due to heavier backpack loads (or other causes) for European (and
American) school children. Their assertion, "..children often carry heavy
loads during their school day, yet no change in these loads was evident in
the 1990s...," is unsupported by the cited WHO reports. There is however,
a growing body of evidence for the damage done to children's backs by
heavy, textbook-laden backpacks (cf. Negrini S, Carabalona R, Sibilla P in
Lancet 1999; 354 (9194) Dec 4:1974). There is also anecdotal evidence
from publisher catalogs that required textbooks have gotten larger and
more numerous.
Furthermore, if technology usage in Finland follows the observed
patterns reported by the rest of the world (cf. Balka, E., (1996). Women
and Computer Networking in Six Countries. Journal of International
Communications, v 2 #3.), computer and internet usage amongst adolescent
girls is probably lower than for boys. Thus, computer and internet usage
is an unlikely explanation for the higher levels of reported back problems
for Finnish girls over boys.
Competing interests: No competing interests
Increases in musculoskelatal pain is multifaceted
Although computer work and increases in watching and playing games on
TVs likely contributes to this issue I believe that additionally three
factors may be relavant to future health care costs due to increases in
pain (in adults and children): 1) proinflammatory diets in combination
with lack of essiential fatty acids. 2) over use of cox inhibitors (all 3
types) 3) adverse biomechanical developement of the cervical and upper
dorsal musculature and boney structures resulting in cervical kyphosis and
anterior weight bearing of the skull in relation to the torso (caused from
not enough belly time and too much time in car seats as an infant and then
further aggravated by heavy school packs)
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests