Do You Suffer From iPad Neck Disorder?

Are you one of the millions of people worldwide who use iPads, tablets or reading devices such as the Kindle? If so, you may be or soon will be suffering from a multitude of musculoskeletal pains and strains. The use of these devices has exploded over the 12-18 months. It’s commonplace for me to see them used whenever I’m in coffee shops as well as when I’m visiting business clients. Initially they were used for personal entertainment and convenience compared to a laptop but now businesses large and small are adopting them. They haven’t replaced the desktop or laptop computer but they are being used in addition to and in some cases, have become the primary “computer” for certain user groups. So, just what is the effect of these devices on the users? Do they increase productivity but at the expense of the human body? Are they worse than using a standard laptop? Harvard School of Public Health is in the process of doing studies that look at the human impacts of tablet use. They just completed and release their first study on the use of touch-screen tablets and the effect on neck angles based on different configurations using the support case. The results of the study were not a bit surprising to me. Head and neck angles were greater than those previously reported for laptop and desktop computers.

The result on the users is a definite “pain in the neck!”. The study did compare different ways in which users hold or place the tablets and the various case designs. How the tablet was held and/or how the supporting case was angled changed the viewing angle and therefore the amount of head and neck flexion. The optimum viewing angle occurred when the tablet was placed on a table (not on the lap) and through the use of a case that angles into “movie viewing”. This configuration is good for viewing things such as a movie, but it is not practical when needing to actually touch the screen

repeatedly, i.e. searching the internet, typing emails, etc. Similar to laptops, a separate keyboard would be needed to achieve a good viewing angle and hand/wrist angle.

Safe Tableting?

Is it possible to use tablet devices safely, i.e. without negatively affecting the human body? I don’t believe the risk can be completely eliminated due to the design and size of the tablets without the use of external accessories (separate keyboard/mouse, platform to raise the “monitor”). However, there are some things users can do to minimize the strain and pain on their bodies.

Limit the amount of time spent using the tablet each day. There are no studies on length of time but based on experience with laptop users, a maximum of 2-3 hours/day would be advised. (The tablet should not be your primary computing device.)
Use a separate keyboard and mouse if the tablet will be used for long periods at one time or if it will be your primary computing device
Take frequent breaks and change postures, i.e. every 15-20 minutes. The more you move the better!
Perform neck, back, shoulder, arm and hand stretches to counteract the “tight and hunched” posture that occurs during tablet use

Tablets Increase Productivity?

The adoption of tablets by more and more businesses produces an assumption that tablets are another method of increasing productivity. I know from experience that it is much easier and convenient to carry a tablet instead of my laptop. But is convenience alone the reason why businesses are using tablets? Does convenience directly correlate to increased productivity? Unfortunately, the use of tablets in business is relatively new and I could find no studies on this topic. Do you use a tablet for business? What was the driving force behind this decision? Have the results been what you/your company expected? Your personal experience and feedback is very much wanted.

So what’s the next step in tablets? Reports say that the Harvard School of Public Health intends to do more research on the physical impact of tablets on the wrist and hands. I believe the results of that studying will be quite interesting, although probably not surprising similar to this study. Like laptops and smartphones, tablets will not be going away. We will need to find a way to make this man-machine interface as comfortable and safe as possible.