You work at a computer all day and your elbow suddenly causes you pain when lifting things. Someone suggested it could be tennis elbow, but you don’t play tennis or any other racquet sport for that matter, so how could that be? Can computer work cause tennis elbow? In a word, yes.
Lateral epicondylitis
Better known as tennis elbow. It causes pain in the back side of the elbow and forearm, along the thumb side when the arm is alongside the body with the thumb turned away. It is caused by damage to the tendons that bend the wrist backward away from the palm.
Repetitive injury
This kind of repetitive injury can be caused by sitting at a computer and typing all day. If you have bad posture or habits in using a mouse and keyboard, your elbow tendons can become inflamed and painful. By doing a few things you can feel better and keep tennis elbow at bay.
At the computer
When sitting at the desk and using the mouse or keyboard your upper and lower arms should be at a 90 degree angle. Adjust your chair up or down to make sure you have the right angle. Also use a mousepad and gel wrist rest on the mousepad and keyboard to prevent your wrist from over extending and keep it even. Keeping your desk neat and organized will also keep you from having to reach or over extend.
Sit with your shoulders relaxed
If your shoulders are tense that tension can radiate down your arms. Take a break every half hour or so and stretch out your fingers. Constantly keeping them curled around a mouse, pen or pencil will exacerbate the issue. Get up and walk around with your hands down at your sides to encourage blood flow.
If you have pain in your elbow wear wrist and/or elbow supports
These will keep your elbow or wrist in the best position to heal. Another good idea is to try and use a split keyboard. This keeps your hands and wrists in a neutral position, and keep that keyboard flat instead of raising up the top of it.
