Thursday, November 11, 2010

Repetitive Stress Injuries

By Ashley Houston

If you were asked to estimate, how many times do you think you repeat the same movements of your hand and arm in an hour while you are a work? A conservative estimate would probably be a few dozens at least. And it is probably true that you also always sit a certain way, move in front of the computer and move the mouse.

Unless you take measures to be in complete alignment while you work, you are likely to develop a repetitive stress injury (RSI). This injury is usually caused by repeatedly moving your arms, hands and shoulder in a certain pattern, and it can be very painful.

When you make the wrong movements, even slightly off alignment, the blood flow to the muscles is reduced. As this pattern sets in and continues to repeat, tendons move over ligaments and bones, and they become inflamed. In the worst case scenario, you could develop something called a pinched nerve in your lower back or your neck. The repetitive pattern has the power to turn a small pain into a full fledged problem that could become serious enough to require surgery.

If you have RSI, the first symptoms would be acute pain in the muscles of your shoulders, wrists and arms. The condition would continue even after you have stopped the activity. You may also have a pain that seems to run up the arm to the shoulder like waves. Or you may feel a tingling sensation or numbness in one area. This aspect is scary, especially if your fingers going numb affect your typing speed.

As the condition progresses, the pain remains even after you stop working. Even small tasks become a painful chore. The feelings of pain and numbness can become severe enough to affect your sleep. Gradually you stop doing things you enjoy, like cooking, sewing, woodworking or playing sports. What was a pain at work is now a pain all day long.

Medical attention is best sought after the onset of the first pain. You should sit up straight in your chair. If you lean or slouch, you can get out of alignment with the keyboard. You should position your keyboard I such a way that will allow you your arms to bend and your wrists to not bend as you type. Office supply stores sell a gel wrist rest which can be very useful. Gel wrist rests are now even manufactured for your mouse. And please, don't use your mouse on the desktop or anyplace that is higher than your typing position. Your shoulder joints would suffer greatly.

Try to remove your hand from the mouse or keyboard when you are not typing. Once or twice each hour, you should exercise your wrists for about a minute. Try moving your hand up and down, and bending your elbow to move your arm. Other RSI exercises can be found online.

If you don't take quick action to change your posture and work position, repetitive stress injury will get worse. Take this problem seriously before it becomes carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis or bursitis. RSI is more than a pain, it's a leading cause of workplace disability that can be avoided or delayed. - 42574

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