Computer time can add up to some painful injuries for computer users of all ages, experts say. Long periods of working at a computer – especially if your hands, wrists, arms and back are not properly positioned – can cause injuries that range from carpal tunnel syndrome to tailbone discomfort and even loss of vision.

Giving up your desktop or laptop is out of the question, and many of us find reducing our time online is nearly impossible. If you can’t cut back on computer time, how can you avoid computer-related injuries? Prevention is the key, says Aurelia Koby, president of Imak Corp. and an expert on ergonomically designed computer accessories.

“It’s important to achieve and sustain an ergonomic, body-friendly position whenever you use a computer,” Koby says. “Computer users who find themselves stuck in front of the screen for long hours should also practice simple exercises to help relieve the stress placed on their bodies by repetitive motion and prolonged sitting.”

Here are some simple ways to practice healthy computer use this fall.

Sit up straight

Slouching, slumping or allowing shoulders to roll forward places strain on a number of body parts, including the back, shoulders, arms, neck and even the muscles in your posterior.

Keep your back as straight as possible and your shoulders back and squared when using the PC. Pick a seating situation that facilitates this posture—such as an ergonomically designed chair adjusted to the appropriate level, paired with a comfortable desk. The keyboard should be positioned at a height that allows you to rest your elbows at your side, and sets your forearms parallel with the floor at the level of your keyboard.

It’s all in the wrist

Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common ailments associated with computer use. Improper positioning of the wrist and arm while typing is a leading cause of computer-related pain. If you use a laptop a lot, you’re even more likely to experience improper positioning since the closeness of the keyboard to the computer screen and the touchpad make it nearly impossible to achieve healthful hand, wrist and arm position.

To minimize the risk of injury, connect an external mouse to your laptop and use wrist-positioning accessories.

Those are the breaks

Take regular breaks, whether you’re working on a PC or laptop. Stand up, stretch and go for a walk. If you can’t spare the time to leave your desk, swivel your chair away from the computer screen and practice a few simple stretching exercises in your seat.

To minimize eye strain—another common computer-related ailment — frequently look away from the screen and focus on faraway objects. Make sure your primary light source never shines directly in your face or on the computer screen. Eliminate reflections or glare by tilting the monitor or using a glare-reducing filter. The screen should never be too close to your face and should be positioned at eye level or slightly lower.

—Courtesy of ARAcontent

Odelia Mirzadeh wants to help people communicate.

At Innovative Speech & Language Pathology, a company she founded a year ago, Mirzadeh works with people  with speech impediments, such as disorders or delays in speech, language, cognition, fluency, stuttering, voice and social pragmatics and auditory processing.

Children sometimes don’t speak as early as their peers, have limited vocabularies, get stuck on one word or forget words; and Mirzadeh has numerous techniques to treat these  delays.

For people suffering from neuropathy—those who feel like their feet are on fire; or numb, like they are walking barefoot in the snow—Greg Cox, physical therapist and owner of the Light Therapy Center, can help.

Lipotherme, the latest European liposuction technique is now available locally.

Dr. Vivek Bansal, an internationally recognized expert in the laser lipo technique is now offering the procedure at the Miracle Mile Outpatient Center on Wilshire.

Lipotherme, the result of years of research by a team of European researchers, targets unwanted fat “zones” and eliminates them from the body.

With the Lap-Band Adjustable Gastric Banding System, there is hope for weight-loss success for the significantly overweight.

These are the people in the population whose BMI or Body Mass Index, a calculation that takes into account height and weight, determines that they are severely obese.

When patients initially come to the Miracle Mile Outpatient Surgery Center they are asked to list on the intake form how they’ve tried to lose weight. A recent patient, a 47-year-old woman, listed 15 attempts at dieting including, pre-made meals, powders, pills, support groups and medically supervised programs, for more than 20 years.

Everything they do at the Rejuvalife Vitality Institute is devoted to helping patients look and feel great, says Dr. Andre Berger, founder.

“We work to accomplish that, and at the same time, avoid invasive procedures and undesirable down time,” Berger said.

Jasmina Medenica makes it easy for people to look and feel great.

She brings her pampering  spa treatments directly to her clients, transforming their living space into spas—and making the whole experience private and hassle-free.

The Beverly Hills Wellness Center is a unique and innovative health center, specializing in whole-body wellness. “Our philosophy is that your health is more than an absence of disease,” said Edgar A. Guess, M.D., FACOG, the center’s medical director. “It is the presence of well-being with an optimum health existence. Our goal is to provide our clients with the service, knowledge and resources to achieve and maintain their best personal health. We offer healthy lifestyle choices, wisdom and understanding for use of traditional and alternative medical practices. We are truly an integrative wellness center.”

Sought-after personal make-up artist Kéla Wong helps her clients look their  best. A make-up artist for 20 years and known in the fashion industry as Miss Wong, her brushes have touched the faces of such celebrities as Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jennifer Lopez, Paris Hilton, Alicia Keyes and Sandra Bullock.

At JB Natural Foot Massage, John Boehm and Wei Li have created a modern, eco-friendly environment specializing in relaxing foot massages—reflexology—and full-body massages.

Extremely popular in China, reflexology involves massaging areas on the feet that correspond to specific organs, glands and even the brain.

“People are on their feet all day,”said Boehm, a former commercial real estate agent with the Klabin Company and small business owner. “And reflexology is a logical first step to relax and become invigorated.”

Traditional MRIs are not always the best at detecting back and spine problems, says Dr. Arthur Kreitenberg, a general orthopedic surgeon.

At Dynamic Upright MRI. he and other doctors use the Stand-Up MRI to help diagnose disc bulges or herniation, spinal instability and other problems.

Though the technology has been around for a few years, there are relatively few of the machines available, says Dr. Kreitenberg.

Dr. Nanaz Pirnia, a psychotherapist and clinical director of The Mind Therapy Center, is excited with the high success rate and results   she is seeing with her clients.

BridgePoint residents feel great because they know they’re home. “The staff  does everything to support that belief,” says Michael Lowenstam, executive director. “We know that if it wasn’t for the residents, we wouldn’t be here.

Dr. Sanford Siegal is getting used to being called “The Cookie Doctor.”

Since 1975 he has used his hunger-controlling cookies to help patients stick to a reduced-calorie diet.

Century Cosmetics Medi- Spa, located in the heart of Century City, is re-opening its doors, and will once again be under the supervision of renowned board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Peter Fodor.

For people suffering from neuropathy—those who feel like their feet are on fire; or numb, like they are walking barefoot in the snow—Greg Cox, physical therapist and owner of the Light Therapy Center, can help.