"I'm a laptop reviewer, meaning I spend most of my time hunched over a new laptop, obsessively testing the display, keyboard, and performance. I'm also 6'2" and often find myself at tables designed for eating, not working. I don't always have daily access to the laptop stands and ergonomic accessories that fill my home office. Throw in my young kids that I'm always chasing around our house, and surprise, surprise: I've got some lower back pain."
"Turns out, laptops were never designed to be our go-to home office computers. They are mobile devices, meant to support use in a diverse set of scenarios, and they are excellent at that. But as your primary device that you use for eight hours a day? That could be a recipe for disaster for your health. So, I spoke to a number of ergonomics experts to dig deep into why working exclusively from a laptop is such a bad idea."
"You probably won't be surprised to hear that the main problem with working on a laptop is that it forces you to hunch over. "Laptops are convenient but ergonomically challenging," John Gallucci, a licensed physical therapist and athletic trainer, told me via email. "When adjusting to see the laptop screen, people hunch forward, tilt their heads down, and round their shoulders-this places extra stress on the neck and spine.""
Laptops force users into a hunched posture that stresses the neck, shoulders, and lower back. Low built-in screens make people tilt their heads and round their shoulders, increasing pressure on the spine and risking forward head posture, rounded shoulders, kyphosis, and chronic pain. Prolonged daily laptop use can produce neck and shoulder pain, lower-back pressure, fatigue, and potentially permanent postural changes. Preventative ergonomic adjustments and accessory use are necessary to mitigate these risks. Mobile device design optimizes portability and varied scenarios, not long-duration stationary work, so alternative setups or ergonomic aids are recommended for primary daily work.
Read at WIRED
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