Image of an X-Ray of a person using a computer incorrectly, damaging their neck.

In this article, I will share three steps to avoid injury. I am an expert at getting injured because I’ve collected so many injuries over my life. They came from many years of working in tech, getting wrist, shoulder, and neck issues from using my monitor, mouse, and keyboard incorrectly. I’ve also developed injuries from both playing the cello and upright bass and from playing basketball and running.

Because of my own history with so many injuries, I’ve collected a series of certifications on how to heal and avoid injuries. I am an ATG-certified coach and a yoga teacher. My husband is an Alexander Technique teacher, so I’ll draw on some of his expertise as well.

Whether you use computers, play instruments, or play any kind of sport—this is going to be relevant for you. And you may be wondering, why is this showing up on my Substack and not on my health blog? Well, actually, I’m putting it on both because I really want to make sure everyone hears this important information.

Number 1: You need to build the muscle around the area that you’re using. So let’s say, for a runner, you want to have strong feet, work on your plantar fascia and all the muscles of the ankle and calf, and strengthen the muscles around the knee, hips, and even the core to help you run without injuries. This is excellent news for people who use a keyboard: you need to build strong wrists. If you are a violinist, you need to build your neck muscles, your arm muscles, your finger muscles. How do you build a muscle? Click here to read my blog that summarizes the best evidence we have on muscle building.

Number 2: You need to have good form. Everyone who starts something usually has bad form. I see people all the time sitting at their laptops in a cafe, looking down at their screens, using their built-in keyboards and trackpads. This is the best way to destroy your neck, your shoulders, and your wrists. You cannot use bad form for something you do multiple times a week.

If you use your computer a lot, hire a posture coach/evaluator, like an Alexander Technique teacher, to observe you while you’re at your computer and using your mouse. And you need to use an ergonomic setup, even if you are sitting at a cafe.

I use a Roost laptop stand ALWAYS. I recently received a second portable lightweight laptop monitor that is a game-changer. It’s called StandOut and I met the founder at a tech conference recently.

I love it so much I asked him to give me a coupon code, and he did give me one! You can buy it yourself using my discount code BETT at his website. If you love moving around with your laptop, you should consider this product. This is not a paid sponsorship. I just love good products that help us live healthy lives.

I can set this portable laptop monitor on the side giving me two side by side monitors

My cat also loves my portable laptop monitor.

Portable laptop monitor helps me be productive where ever I go.

I have also suffered from improper posture playing my instruments: first with the cello and now with the bass. I did not use proper form; instead, I held my left wrist at an awkward angle and hurt it. I also held my bow incorrectly and hurt my right wrist. Good thing I only have two wrists, or I’ve injured another!

Over time, I’ve both fixed my form and strengthened my wrists.

My husband has learned this the hard way from playing the violin incorrectly. And then also playing the guitar at the wrong angle. The more we do something, the more likely we are to get injured if we’re not doing it correctly. Proper form is critical.

How do you learn this? You need to hire a coach. If you are a musician, you need to hire a music teacher.

I remember when I played the piano as a kid, my teacher was drilling me all the time on curving my fingers and having the right form with my wrists. She chided me, “You’re going to get destroyed in your wrists if you keep not using your wrists correctly.” Music teachers drill this into you as a student. And this is why we need to be so serious about everything we’re doing.

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If we’re running, we need a coach to watch our gait. Running incorrectly will damage knees, hips, and feet.

This also includes doing yoga poses. This is why it’s really important to go to class—even if you love your YouTube yoga or other online platforms—going to class with a teacher who can come around and make sure you’re doing things correctly is critical. Until you know that you have mastered the yoga poses, I highly recommend you have a teacher look at your form and make sure that you’ve got it correct. Otherwise, you could be injuring your body. People are continuously damaging their shoulders by doing chaturanga incorrectly. This is one of the top injuries in yoga.

Number 3: Remove unnecessary tension: become aware of the extra tension that you are bringing into your posture and unclench your body. Tension creates injury. You need to gain subtle awareness of everyday tension that you hold. If you’re holding your wrists at a weird angle and very tightly, you are going to damage them. If you’re running with tension in your lower back, you will injure your body.

There’s a book by F.M. Alexander, who created the Alexander Technique, which is all about The Use of The Self. This little book is about how we use our body with or without mindfulness. He never used those words because they weren’t part of the cultural vocabulary back then. But that is exactly what he was teaching. When we have these unrealized tensions in our body while we’re using it, we can cause a lot of damage. And so, if you haven’t heard of the Alexander Technique, I recommend that you find a local Alexander Technique teacher who can help you determine whether you have unconscious tension in the movements you’re making. Understanding the tension you bring to your life is critical.

Number 4: What I want to teach you is that if you ever do get injured, there are totally ways to get uninjured. First, there is a researcher, Professor Keith Baar from UC Davis, who studies how to heal joints. This is incredible research, and I’ve used this personally. It really works. In my health blog article, I summarize a protocol to heal any joint injury in 6 weeks based on his research.

I am also an ATG coach because of the challenges I’ve had with my knees. Ben Patrick, founder of ATG, has developed all kinds of exercises to heal your knees, hips, elbows, and shoulders. Ben puts his exercises on YouTube for free. You can also hire an ATG Coach to build you a custom plan and ensure you are doing the exercises correctly. Check them out. Joints are fixable, but it definitely takes focus, willpower, and time. We’ll probably all have injuries here and there, and it’s important to know how to treat them when they happen.

I’ve met so many folks with these nagging injuries, and I see people hunched over their laptops getting ready to have a new injury! I think this material is critical for living our best lives. Please share this with someone you care about to help them avoid injury or fix one if they have one.