We get it…for twenty years I have asked computer users if they have ever experienced shoulder, neck, arm or back pain that they associate with computer use and a vast majority of them have unequivocally said yes. Now, most of them would also say that their pain or discomfort is not bad enough to file a workers’ comp claim or go to the doctor but it is bad enough for them to live in discomfort, stop playing the sport they love, play with their kids or grandkids, cook, clean and or work in the garden. Basically they tell me that they have given up the best parts of their life but the pain is not bad enough to seek medical attention yet. While it's ludicrous to me that someone would give up the ability to play the sport they love, cook or garden it is also somewhat understandable.

So why do people ignore computer related pain
• The pain comes on very slowly so they don't realize how bad it has gotten. The pain associated with most RSIs (repetitive motion injuries) take years and even decades to come into full expression.
• People don't believe that holding a mouse can cause pain in their elbow. Many people do not correlate the pains in their body with their posture or computer usage.
• One word: Denial. I've worked with one of my contracted companies for 15 years and I've seen more than a few "office turtles" go from slight pain to full blown pain all the while denying that their chronically rounded shoulders and forward head posture have any effect whatsoever on their shoulder or neck pain. In their heart of hearts they know that their posture is the cause of their pain but they don't want to change and it's easier not to change if you lie to yourself about what's causing your pain.
• They minimize the pain by saying, “it’s not that bad” or “it will go away” and decide to suck it up and deal with it. The problem with the “suck it up and deal with it” strategy is that computer related pains and strains at best continue to be bothersome and cost companies productivity and at worst grow into full blown chronic pain that can be debilitating and cost a company a small fortune in lost productivity and medical expense.
• They believe that if they do seek medical attention from their doctor that he or she is most likely going to give them a prescription for a pain killer that won't work (they're actually right about this) or send them to PT that they don't want to do.
• They also do not want to submit a workers’ comp claim for a multitude of reasons including: "It's not bad enough yet", "I don't want to spend the time", "they are just going to give me a pill or make me do PT which doesn't work"

Computer related pains and strains will often:
• Start out as mild discomfort that “comes and goes”
• Continue to “come and go” until they decide to not “go” and become consistent and persistent.
• Take months and years and even decades to develop into a full blown debilitating pain syndrome

Now at some point even the hard core deniers realize that their computer related pain or strain has grown beyond what they can handle and they seek help from either their primary care physician or through their employer's occupational medical provider. However, at this point it will be much more difficult to remedy and even if a fully recovery is realized they are at much higher risk or recurrence.

Therefore, the earlier computer related pains and strains are treated the better. These conditions are easily treated in the "pre-injury" or discomfort phase with minimal effort and conservative therapies. The risk of recurrence or "yo yo-ing" in and out pain is also minimized.

Two Worlds Workplace offers a variety of clinical and onsite programs that manage computer related pains and strains fully and completely before they grow into expensive chronic injuries. Call us or click the Schedule A Consult link on the home page for a free assessment of your company with a written report of findings and solutions.