Computers have become more involved in our everyday lives through work, education and recreation.  This means we need to be more aware of the hazard of repetitive strain injury (RSI), which can result from the use of the keyboard and the mouse. RSI can be a very serious and painful condition that is far easier to prevent than to cure.  It is not uncommon to become permanently disabled and unable to do simple tasks such as driving or dressing yourself.

 

 

What is RSI?

 

Repetitive Strain Injury is an umbrella term used for a number of ailments affecting the hand, wrist, arm, neck, upper back and shoulder.  Muscles, tendons and nerves can all be affected. 

 

Common injuries include:

Carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, bursitis, tenosynovitus, trigger finger/thumb, thoracic outlet syndrome and others.

 

 

RSI is caused by:

• Repetitive movements

• Strenuous movement, whether great or small

• Poor posture

• Lack of movement

• Stress

• Work pressure

• Layout of your workstation

 

The complexity of RSI makes it a difficult syndrome to understand.  It is hard to come up with a good and effective course of treatments, as a diagnosis is often hard to make.   In addition, the treatments administered often only focus on curing the symptoms rather than the cause. If you wish to effectively combat RSI, your approach needs to focus on preventative measures against the causes. 

 

Phases of RSI

 

The symptoms of RSI can be classified in three different phases:

 

Phase 1

• You suffer from pain at the end of a working day - the next day it is gone.

• Muscles and tendons are sore or irritated

• Affected area is fatigued

• Feeling of heaviness in the affected area

 

Phase 2

• Complaints in phase 1 become more pronounced

• Ability to work deteriates

• Irritation

• Pain even when the muscles are static

• Swelling

• Tingling, numbness or loss of sensation

• Difficulty carrying things

• Sometimes color of skin gets lighter

 

Phase 3

• Constant pain (even when not making repetitive movements)

• Swelling becomes more wide-spread

• Color and/or temperature of the skin may change

• Lack of control or coordination

• Difficulty using hands

 

Only the symptoms from phase three are called RSI complaints. The symptoms from phase one and two are classified as RSI related complaints.

 

How do I prevent it? 

 

Each individual works differently.  This means the preventative measures needed will vary from person to person.  You need to consider if you are:

 

• Using a good typing technique

• Working with a good posture

• Using the right equipment setup

• Taking Micro-breaks between computer work

 

Good work habits are much more important for prevention than ergonomic gadgets like split keyboards, or palm rests.  

 

 What are Micro-breaks?

To break the effects of static pressure, it is important to take short breaks. These are called micro breaks.  In general, a break between 30 sec and 2 minutes are enough to give the muscles a moment of recovery that will improve circulation.

 

It is even better to actively recover in a micro-break, by doing exercises.  In doing so, the “muscle pump” is being activated.  By contracting muscles and then relaxing them, blood can flow in and out the muscles more easily.