Coding Bootcamp and A Pain in the Neck.
By the title above you might be led think that I’m actually referring to my time at Flatiron as a “pain in the neck”. While it has been challenging, that’s not what I’m here to discuss. I’m here to discuss something far more serious that extends way beyond coding into every office and every home office in the world. Ergonomics.
“Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance”
Ok…that’s wordy and completely unnecessary for what we need to talk about here. This is more about how proper posture, especially for someone sitting at a desk for 10+ hours per day will eventually feel the impacts of their habitual slouch.
I was about 3.5 months into my coding journey when I went to the gym after a couple of weeks off. I went in ready to go, pumped up listening to a playlist called “Beast Mode” on Spotify. I loaded up some heavier weight for my barbell row because I was feeling good. The minute I row I feel a nasty twinge in my neck/upper back.
What happened in the gym that day, was that I got a slight tear in my trapezius. No amount of rest over the next couple of weeks would fix it, because I was constantly slouching over my desk for hours and hours on end. A few weeks later I go to some doctors, they confirm my injury, and I get myself a proper set up with lumbar support a headrest to allow my neck muscles and my trapezius.
Over the next couple of weeks the pain simply wouldn’t go away. It would get better when I’d sleep a good bit, or spend time with my neck muscles relaxed. It would get considerably worse after sitting at my desk working on code. This pain and immobility put me out of commission for almost an entire week before I got myself a neck brace and pushed through it so I could study for my Phase 3 code challenge.
What was happening, was my slouch was basically putting the weight of my head on my trapezius and neck muscles, not allowing them to heal at all. Then, when I’d go to the gym, my traps were still overcompensating. Every time I did any exercise they were working overtime because they had been stuck in that position all day before the gym. Once I got my new office setup and corrected my posture, things started improving.
So if you want to save your neck and your back some serious trouble, take a look at this diagram above. Buy yourself a decent standing desk (yes, there are some reasonably priced ones out there), an ergonomic chair (I have this one), and a monitor so you’re looking straight ahead of you instead of down.
You really don’t need to spend $3k on a setup, although you most certainly can and quickly. But a little investment will go a long way, especially if you plan on working from home for the time being, or the rest of your career.
Most importantly though: Get up, walk around, exercise, and stretch. Every single day.
Happy coding, and happy necks everyone!