5735

"THE HEART OF THE MATTER"
a special program of the National Emergency Medicine Association (NEMA)

Week: 573.5

Guest: Sandra Hall, Phys. Therapist, Southwestern Medical Ctr. Dallas
Topic: Workstation tips
Host/ Producer: Steve Girard

NEMA: A healthy workstation...coming up...

SPOT: The best emergency? The one that doesn't happen. The National Emergency Medicine Association. Visit us at www.nemahealth.org.

NEMA: If your workstation...at home or work...is set up properly, you can avoid neck back and vision problems. Sandra Hall is a physical therapist at Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas...and everyday, she sees the result of computer screens at the wrong height...

HALL: The screen height, the top of the monitor should be at or just below eye level, and if it isn't you need to raise or lower your monitor until its at the proper viewing height.

NEMA: And how far away is your screen?

HALL: The distance from the screen, from your eyes to the screen, should be anywhere from 18 to 30 inches or about an arms length away.

NEMA: And you should make sure your monitor and keyboard are right in front of you...

HALL: You shouldn't have your keyboard in front of you and your monitor off to either side because then you're keeping your neck turned and you're gonna get that's not the way your muscles are set up to work in a static position so you're gonna end up with a lot of neck strain.

NEMA: A couple more notes from Sandra Hall...watch out for glare on your screen, which will make you keep your head in one position, and if you click a mouse all day, get a mouse tray you can put right on your chair's armrest. I'm Steve Girard at The Heart of the Matter.