Your Body Almanac

Graphic designer

Mouse, stylus and big screens, often against a deadline.

Design work is precise, sustained screen and mouse work. Small, repeated hand movements, close visual focus and hours of sitting are the core strains, often with late-night deadline pushes on top.

01

Mouse and stylus hand strain

Precise, repeated mouse and pen movements, often with a tight grip and bent wrist, load the tendons of the hand and forearm. Aching, tingling or numbness in the fingers is a signal to change something.

SourcesComputer workstations eTool — Keyboards (OSHA)Repetitive strain injury (NHS)
Check your desk setupAs neededSet chair, keyboard and screen so you can work in a relaxed, neutral posture. Stretch your wrists and forearmsDailyGentle wrist flexor and extensor stretches for hands that type, grip or tap all day. Do tendon glides for your handsDailyMove your fingers through five positions to help the tendons slide smoothly through the wrist. Vary your grip and postureDailySwitch hands, tasks and positions so the same muscles and tendons are not loaded for hours.
02

Eye strain

Detailed visual work holds your focus close for long stretches, and you blink less while concentrating. Dry, tired eyes and headaches are common.

SourcesComputer vision syndrome (American Optometric Association)
Follow the 20-20-20 ruleDailyEvery 20 minutes at a screen, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Get a comprehensive eye examYearlySee an optometrist or ophthalmologist every one to two years, and every year once you are 65 or at higher risk.
03

Neck and shoulder tension

Leaning in toward the screen to check detail pulls the head forward and hunches the shoulders, especially with a mouse arm reaching out to the side.

SourcesComputer workstations eTool — Monitors (OSHA)Neck pain (OrthoInfo, AAOS)
Do chin tucksDailyGlide your head straight back to counter the forward-head posture that screens and desks encourage. Stretch your chest in a doorwayDailyOpen up chest and shoulder muscles that tighten from hunching over desks, steering wheels and phones. Extend your upper back over a chairDailyGently bend your mid-back backwards over a chair to counter hours of rounding forward.
04

Long sitting and late deadline nights

Crunch time means long seated sessions and late screens, which push back sleep. Short sleep and long sitting both carry health costs over time.

SourcesHealth Risks of an Inactive Lifestyle (MedlinePlus)Sleep deprivation and deficiency (NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Get up and move every 30 minutesDailyBreak up long stretches of sitting with a few minutes of standing or walking. Set a screen curfewDailyTurn off phones, laptops and TV at least 30 minutes before bed, and longer if you can. Keep a consistent sleep scheduleDailyGo to bed and get up at the same times every day, weekends included, and aim for at least 7 hours.

When to see a professional

See a doctor or hand therapist for numbness or tingling in your fingers, especially at night, pain that spreads up your arm, or hand pain that lasts more than a few weeks. See an eye doctor for vision changes that don't settle with rest.