How many times an hour to you make the same hand and arm movements at work? Dozens at least. And, very likely, you always pretty much sit, move around the computer and move the mouse the same way every time.
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.
The initial symptoms of RSI are sore muscles or cramps in the arms, shoulders or wrist. You would still feel achy even after you stop the movements. The pain you experience could feel like a wave moving up to your arms and shoulders. Some people have reported feeling tingling and numbness in one area instead. This is particularly awkward when your typing speed is impaired by numbness in the fingers.
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.
The time to deal with repetitive stress injury is at the first sign of pain. You shouldn't sit in any other way than straight on your chair. Leaning or slouching is bad for your back and puts you out of alignment to the keyboard. Arrange your keyboard height so that your elbows are bent and wrists are not bent as you type. You might want to purchase a gel filled wrist rest from an office supply store. You can even get a smaller gel wrist rest for your mouse. Beware of placing your mouse anywhere higher than your keyboard, since those movements put a lot of stress on the shoulders. That's really rough on your shoulder joint.
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.
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.
The initial symptoms of RSI are sore muscles or cramps in the arms, shoulders or wrist. You would still feel achy even after you stop the movements. The pain you experience could feel like a wave moving up to your arms and shoulders. Some people have reported feeling tingling and numbness in one area instead. This is particularly awkward when your typing speed is impaired by numbness in the fingers.
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.
The time to deal with repetitive stress injury is at the first sign of pain. You shouldn't sit in any other way than straight on your chair. Leaning or slouching is bad for your back and puts you out of alignment to the keyboard. Arrange your keyboard height so that your elbows are bent and wrists are not bent as you type. You might want to purchase a gel filled wrist rest from an office supply store. You can even get a smaller gel wrist rest for your mouse. Beware of placing your mouse anywhere higher than your keyboard, since those movements put a lot of stress on the shoulders. That's really rough on your shoulder joint.
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.
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