Ergonomics

How to prevent and deal with repetitive stress injuries caused by computer work

Office workers of all kinds have to deal with repetitive stress injuries (RSI). Those of us in the printing and publishing industries do a lot of typing and mousing, which put us at risk for RSIs. Prevention is a big part of the answer for dealing with RSIs. Just as important as prevention is recognizing and dealing with an RSI right away. While we can help educate you with some tips and advice, it must not replace the diagnosis and proper treatment from a trained health professional.

What Causes Repetitive Stress Injuries?

Repetitive Stress Injuries include a bunch of different problems, including carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome and tendonitis. As the name implies, RSIs are caused by making repetitive motions in combination with holding a static posture for too long, not taking enough rest breaks and/or having a poor workstation setup. They are also caused by using too much force to accomplish repetitive tasks. As all of these conditions are common in an office environment (typing, mousing, etc.), computer workers are particularly at risk for RSIs. Playing musical instruments, knitting and other tasks that require repetitive motion can also cause RSIs.
As the name implies, RSIs are caused by making repetitive motions in combination with holding a static posture for too long, not taking enough rest breaks and/or having a poor workstation setup.

How to Prevent RSIs

For computer users, typing causes most problems. To prevent typing RSIs, you must set up your work area correctly and take lots of rest breaks. The most important trick is to keep your wrists straight. Wrist rests are not to rest on while you type, they are to show you when you are bending them too much. If you touch the wrist rest while typing, you are bending your wrist too much. Keep it off the wrist rest except when you are resting. You should also keep your keyboard as flat as possible, or even tilt it back, not forward. Tilting it back will keep your wrist straight and allow your fingers to comfortably type straight down. In addition, your feet should be flat on the floor or flat on a footrest, your thighs should be parallel to the floor, and your back should be straight and supported by your chair.

Rest breaks are also very important. You should rest often, before you feel any pain or irritation. For experienced typists who don't have problems, 10 minutes every hour is recommended. If you have any discomfort while typing, make sure to rest before pain or irritation occurs.

Other Environmental Issues

In addition to RSIs, computer workers also face problems with eyestrain. Again, prevention is half the battle. Place your monitor at least 16 inches away from your eyes and a little below your head, so you look down at it slightly. Adjust your monitor resolution so that you are not squinting.

Next, reduce the amount of glare off the monitor. Place monitors in front of windows so that sunlight does not bounce into your eyes. Then turn off overhead lights or place a cardboard glare shield on top of your monitor to reduce glare.

Other Resources

In addition to your local doctors and physical therapists, there are a number of good resources available to give you more information about prevention and treatment of RSIs.

On the Web:

• The Typing Injury FAQ (www.tifaq.com) is full of information about RSI prevention, treatment and related law.
• The U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (www.osha.gov) contains general information about ergonomics and is a source for technical guidance.