With a late night project to finish and roommates taking up the whole couch (my usual "desk" space), I was lying on the floor to get my work done. It was all fine and dandy until this morning, when I woke up with sore shoulders. Under the jump, we'll see some common laptop positions that can cause strain like mine, as well as one that doesn't cause any strain at all. And we also want to know: What's your favorite position?
So laptop owner, you bought a sleek notebook computer so you could take it around the house and leave it anywhere without it looking like tech took over the room. But since you're living the desk-less life and don't want any bulky ergonomic accessories for your laptop, you're now stuck trying to find a comfortable position to actually use the thing.
Well it turns out that among a whole slew of uncomfortable, joint-stressing positions you and your computer could get into, there's one that won't have you sore the next morning. In a case study by Dave Malouf on Freescale Netbook Design, he discovered the most comfortable position that doesn't but any unnecessary stress on the joints is "lying down in bed with the device on the thigh when the knees are kept up."
So is that your favorite position? Or can you usually be found in one of the other, more uncomfortable positions? Or do you have another non-traditional position that keeps the pain away? Let us know in the comments!
(Image: Flickr user Alice Harold under license from Creative Commons.)
Andy & Andrew's Vintage Modern
Before & After: No More Wasted Wall Space in This Home Office
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Eileen Fisher Washe...
15 Essential Building Blocks for Quick Weeknight Meals
Summer Recipe: No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake
Comments (20)
Doesn't that "perfect" position leave you with a lot of neck stress?
don't leave your laptop on the bed like in the photo either. Wonder why your laptop is always hot of it sounds like an 90 year old man gasping for air? It's because you keep on laying it on soft surfaces, obstructing fans, and causing it to not cool itself. Plus it might then suck up something into the fans and lodge in your heat sink. I have pulled chunks of crap out of peoples fans in the past. Not only does it make your laptop hot, but it could start a fire. With soft flammable dust bunnies in there and 175 degree temps, it's just asking for trouble.
I have tried some of the positions depicted here and I'm proud to say I arrived at this (mostly) perfect position all on my own. It is pretty comfortable for me.
I could tell when I first did this that neck stress could be a factor- I mitigate that by alternating with pillows and no pillows. Just whenever my neck is getting tired, I switch. Also I've managed to devise a sort of wedge, a pyramid of three pillows, which seems to be the best overall.
Not perfect, but darn close.
Nice post! I could see this being a real problem for people- it was for me.
This position is NOT good for your spine. Please, don't do it. Don't do your work on the couch either. You will assume the same "slouch" position. Sit in an upright position on a supportive seat and at a surface that puts your computer at eye level. The concept of going "deskless" may sound great for small spaces, but habitually slouching on soft surfaces weakens the muscles and ligaments that support your spine. I live in a small studio with no desk. I sit on a cushion on the floor, with my back against the couch for support (it props me up all the way to the neck). My coffee table puts the computer almost at eye level and I can rest my elbows on it without feeling like my shoulders are shrugging.
Of course, once in a while you will have a situation like the blogger did, but for the most part you should protect your spine. Once a ligament is overstretched, there's no reversing it. It will stop sending signals to your brain that it isn't supporting you. That slump posture you have when you work will be how you walk around, too. This can lead to chronic pain, surgery, you get the picture. Your spine does so much for you, treat it right!
The preceding was a public service announcement from a dancer who believes in healthy bodies.
Yes, that is my fave position, but after reading @aums' PSA above, I might be changing my ways... at least some of the time. :)
I like lying in the hammock with a pillow under my knees.
I'm definitely using a combination of those at this very moment.
I used to have a desk to work at...but I'd get so restless sitting there. So I got rid of it and now use my bed, couch, floor, or kitchen table. Usually the bed or couch. (:
I can't stand that position, whether I'm reading or using my laptop. My most comfortable position is legs semi crossed, with the laptop resting on my feet. It allows some air to circulate beneath the laptop, and something about my torso to leg length ratio keeps it comfortable for me.
Yes, the lying down position. Which also happens to be just about the best ... position ... for sleepinzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...........
I've tried that so-called "perfect" position, and it doesn't work at all if you need to type. The laptop is not going to stick to your legs and rest high up like they show in the picture. Even if it is a mac air, it is going to slide down into your waist, and make you tilt your wrists at a crazy angle to type.
Going desk-less? Sure, ok. But every house, no matter how small, should have some sort of table/chair combo where the table is above waist height when seated.
Ah yes. I tried that exact recommended position during a heavy lit/writing semester and gave myself tendonitis in both shoulders. Elbow/arm support is a must for long typing sessions.
I have this wonderful old 60's electric chaise that tilts up by sliding on a half-moon track. I put about 3 bed pillows (the thing is as big as a twin bed across) and a couple of throw pillows on it. I use the throw pillows to prop my elbows, and rest myself on the bed pillows and chaise, and use a travel neck support for optimum positioning while using my laptop. I agree that the position shown can cause strain, but a tilted chaise with pillows seems the perfect compromise between sitting and laying reclined. This coming from an permanently injured former dancer and current avid bicyclist with a bunch of herniated discs.
@ Phoebe: The computer will actually stay up if you're using a netbook. That's what I use and the keyboard is so damn small that you can hold the computer up with the heel of your hand at the same time you're typing. Works for people like me with skeleton fingers :(
A little over two years ago, I learned the hard way that spending long periods of time with your laptop in a non-ergonomic position is a really bad idea. I woke up in the middle of the night with the sensation that I'd slammed my right hand in a door (I hadn't, but I had done a 3-day marathon session with my laptop on the couch), and ever since, I've had chronic shoulder and neck pain, and numbness/extreme sensitivity to cold in my hand despite ongoing physical therapy. It probably took me a good 10 years to reach the breaking point, but sometimes I wonder if I'll ever be pain-free again.
Wow, what a great post. Thanks to dxdt and aums, I think I have been scared into working on changing my laptop viewing habits. I usually sit on the couch with the laptop on my lap for at least a couple of hours a day. My shoulders and neck are a bit sore and stiff but I attributed my soreness to my bed pillows and work.
Since I'd rather not suffer the negative long term effects mentioned above, I think I'm going back to viewing a laptop on a desk--and taking breaks every 20 minutes or so.
Yes this is my personal favorite position, but I still wouldn´t call it perfect. I guess the position mostly depends on the person itself and how their own body feels better.
I would just like to point out that the "perfect" position is very stressful on your computer's hard drive. Yes, laptop hard drives are more rugged than they used to be, but repeatedly forcing it to run in a slanted orientation can cause physical damage.
I have been spending a lot of time with my laptop on the couch since I've been off work for 2 months now. The "perfect" position is pretty good, but it puts stress on my lower back. My lower back has been terribly sore and I know it's from spending so much time with the laptop on the couch. I need to spend way, way less time on the computer anyway. I have a kitchen table, and a desk (though my old desktop pc is still on the desk). I should just stick to important matters on the computer and work at a table.
There is no ONE perfect position for ANYTHING. I have design a set of revolutionary workstations for several positions like lounging, laying on your tummy, standing, and sitting at www.bodyfriendlyfurniture.com You will get tired of ANY position it doesn't matter which one it is. But these work stations take all the stress out of the joints and put the body in comfortable positions. That's why variety is the key.
I have a board that from an old table that I put my laptop on. I usually lay on my back with two pillows behind me and my blanket behind my neck for support. I put two pillows on my lap then the board and my laptop on top of the board. The laptop is about eye level and its also on a hard surface so it doesn't over heat.