Combating iPad shoulder and other tablet injuries

As technology advances and continues to produce smaller devices, individuals throughout Colorado and the United States are seeing an emergence of new health problems resulting from their long-term use. If these problems are caused by ergonomic issues at work, employees may be able to receive workers’ compensation. Terms like “iPad shoulder”, “iPad neck,” and “Blackberry thumb,” have even been coined to refer to repetitive stress injuries caused by tablet use.

With so many workers in Denver spending their work days perched in front of a computer, why are new concerns about the impact of using a tablet in the workplace cropping up? Handheld tablets are proving much more harmful because using them tightens the chest muscles and while standing, a tablet user is unable to keep his or her hands at his or her sides, making handheld tablets one of the worst culprits for causing musculoskeletal problems.

Employees who are required to use hand-held tablets for all their work can develop changes to their posture in less than a year. Use of the devices causes major strain on the neck and changes to the natural curvature of the spine and neck. Long-term users’ movements will be altered such that they lose their natural fluidity and appear awkward and clumsy.

What can Denver employees do to prevent health issues like repetitive stress injuries? The best solutions are to mount the tablet on a stand at eye-level or taking regular “break exercises,” which can help to prevent repetitive stress injuries. It is recommended that employees do five minutes of break exercises for every hour of tablet use.

Source: Deccan Chronicle, “These ‘tablets’ cause more pain,” Anisha Francis, Sept. 12, 2012

Find out more about repetitive stress injuries by stopping by our website.

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