How do you deal with back/neck pain?

Community Community & Industry Discussion
1

Well hello there all of you strained UE4 users!

How do you deal with the neck/back pain that comes along with sitting in a chair all day? Went to the doctor and he said it was because of the time I spent at the computer, but I can’t really just quit doing that :wink:

Do you do any specific stretches or have the most BADASS chair/cushion available to humankind?

This probably isn’t the best place for this, but it’s general discussion and I’d rather hear what developers doing the same job as me have to say. Lemme know down below, and happy devving :slight_smile:

2

Badass chair for the win and while you at it toss in an ergo-mousepad.

Also plenty of water on hand. Dehydration is a know cause of muscle cramps which can = back pain.

3

Usually you visit chiropractor or whoever practices Manual Therapy in that case and then they try to fix your spine.

Also, you need to check your sitting posture and make sure your monitor is positioning at the right height, etc. You shouldn’t HAVE any sitting-related back pains to begin with, if you’re sitting correctly.

4

Whats your setup?

5

Basically try to follow as much of this as possible:

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/workplacehealth/Pages/howtositcorrectly.aspx

6

Regardless of chair you should adjust it correctly. This image covers it pretty well. Elbows should be able to rest on some support at all times, back should be straight and feet should be able to reach ground completely. Eyeline should be as in image. Remember that you might have to adjust your table also (or get elevation to your feet if you can’t adjust the table).

7

Definitely helps, my neck and shoulders are burning at the end of the day. Hopefully with some self control and those links I can get that under control

Thanks for the replies :smiley:

8

Also remember to take breaks regularly. Get up and walk around for a bit and stretch out for a bit. Rotate your shoulders, back and head around for couple of minutes to get the blood flowing trough them. As a bonus I regularly get ideas how to solve some problem when I step away from it for a while :slight_smile:

You can also consider taking regular massage to prevent the back/shoulder pain. Hope you get it solved.

9

This is called Repetitive Strain Injury(RSI) and there many ways that you could possibly reduce the risk of such injuries. You need to just do a little research on ergonomics and find good equipment to deal with it. One thing I am going to say that if you are constantly getting in pain then it could cause permanent damage, so consult your DR. It sounds obvious to me that your chair is in a bad position for you to relax… I fall victim to bad posture all the time in favour of being able to control the PC better lol… Humans are not designed to sit down all the time, so you shouldn’t really be sat down a lot and you need to get up and do something. But seriously, if it is frequent then you should consult a DR as you can cause permanent damage…

10

Probably the hardest and most neglected thing for a developer (definitely in my case). But honestly it’s a life saver. Take a break, go make a cup of tea, walk around the block, just get mobile for a few minutes.

11

I’ve found using a trackpad for some clicking can help.

12

Its sounds naff, but i sit on a pillow.

Then mid-day i go for a bike ride :smiley: :slight_smile: :cool:
That most certainly helps!

13

I usually try and walk for 20 min every hour or so.

16

A good basic rule is lower the keyboard, raise the screen. (So your wrists and shoulders are relaxed and at a good angle, and your back is straight, and head is up. Not easy if you are using a laptop!

17

Adding to list of advises above I’ll say take breaks regularly , get up from chair and walk around a bit , stretch the body some , or indulge yourself in other activity a bit for short time .

18

I take a small break every 3-4 hours, plus I work out at the gym almost every day and I’ve never had any sore muscles from sitting in front of the computer.