Tired of recurring wrist, neck, or back pain from spending hours at your computer? If so, then this article is for you.

Most college students spend the majority of their days and nights at a computer (either typing assignments, responding to e-mails, or talking on IM while browsing through Facebook or other sites).

Throughout these hours of computer time, we probably do not pay attention to such things as our posture, including the way we sit in our chairs or the placement of our wrists on our keyboard. And we certainly do not pay attention to the height of the screen in relation to our eyes or the level of our keyboards. We most likely do not think to take regular breaks while working at our computers either.

Unfortunately, the negative side effects of not paying attention to all of these things are wrist, neck and back pain that can keep us up at night or become so severe that we have to seek out medical care to relieve the pain.

There are simple solutions to these associated problems that may alleviate the pain, possibly saving us a trip to the doctor and ensuring a good night's rest. If these solutions do not seem to help, we suggest you consult your health care provider to obtain a referral to the Physical Therapy Department.

Lower Body Alignment

Knees should be slightly below the level of your hips with feet uncrossed either flat on the floor or supported by a footstool. Buttocks should be all the way against the back of the chair and you should lean against the chair back to help you sit up straight. If there is a space between your lower back and the back of the chair take a small towel, fold it in half and roll it up and place it to fit the curved area of your lower back comfortably, while keeping your mid back supported on the back rest.

Upper Body Alignment

Head and neck should be upright, not jutting forward. Shoulders should not be slouched forward, but aligned under your ears. If you are having trouble getting into this posture or maintaining it you can try pulling your chin towards your spine sporadically throughout the time you spend at your computer.

Keyboards

External keyboards are recommended with all computer use, particularly with excessive laptop use. Wrists should be as neutral as possible with your middle finger in line with your forearm, and your knuckles even with your wrist. You do not want your palms to be exactly horizontal to the keyboard.

There are three types of external key-boards that studies claim will help im-prove wrist posture which may alleviate wrist and neck pain. The three types are:

-- Keyboards with separated halves, which helps reduce the inward slant of your wrist.

-- Keyboards with a slope angle, which helps reduce wrist extension and keep the wrist at neutral.

-- Keyboards with a tilt angle, which helps keep the wrist from being horizontal to the keyboard while typing.

The studies on these different types of keyboards show that in a matter of minutes a typist can adjust and type at pretty close to the same speed as those who use conventional keyboards. Padded or gel wrist rests should only be used when at rest, NOT while typing.

Mousing

When using the mouse, make sure to move it with your whole arm and not just your wrist. Arms should be supported to ensure that wrists stay as neutral as possible.

Monitor Level

The top of the monitor should be eye level. When looking at the bottom of the screen, adjust your eyes and do not drop your head. If you have a laptop, it would be best to get an external keyboard and then to put your laptop on something that will raise the monitor to eye level. Last but not least -- take some breaks!

Two to three minute breaks are recommended for every thirty minutes you are sitting at your computer. During these breaks you should stand up and stretch or walk around.

Using correct posture and remembering to take breaks during prolonged periods at the computer is essential to avoiding or alleviating unnecessary wrist, neck, or back pain.