Once a malady of meat cutters and factory line workers, repetitive stress (or strain) injuries can cause a lot of unnecessary pain and potentially make simple office talks impossible. As more and more of us spend time on the Web and doing e-mail, the incidence of RSI is rising.
But the effects of the condition can be controlled, slowed or reversed. Before your employees start gobbling down aspirin on a daily basis, take the time to educate them and make changes to work habits before problems -- and insurance costs -- mount.
Review workstations and make changes if necessary
Outdated desks will need keyboard trays, and monitors must be high enough to meet eye-level, or poor posture will quickly lead to pain.
I recommend: Get the lowdown on the right set up for your office workstations at
Healthy Computing, the U.S.
Occupational Health and Safety Agency, and the
Centers for Disease Control. General health site
WebMD also has detailed explanations.
Consider updating office equipment
Some fixes are simple, like adjustable monitor arms or keyboard trays. Others are more complex and of debatable value, but seeing the variety of ergonomic options can help you plan your space.
I recommend: Some online sellers of ergonomic office furniture include
Anthro,
Relax the Back and
Herman Miller. Most new flat monitors are VESA compliant, meaning they can be easily mounted on highly adjustable swing-away arms. Some dealers include
Atdec and
Ergomart. Laptop users should consider detachable keyboards and an ergonomic stand, perhaps from
APC or
Griffin Technology.
Build in breaks from computer time
The source of repetitive strain injury is in the first word, "repetitive." In some cases, just stopping on a regular basis will keep the condition at bay.
I recommend: Consider software designed to stop work every so often to give your hands, back and neck a break, like
WorkRave,
Break Reminder or, for Mac users,
AntiRSI.
Make things easier using your own computer
One of the reasons for bad posture is having trouble seeing small fonts. People lean forward and, pretty soon, the back and neck pain sets in.
I recommend: Besides stopping on occasion, one easy fix is to adjust the fonts larger. This can be done in Windows computers through various
accessibility settings. Mac users also have a number of
special settings for accessibility. Also, often, holding down the "Ctrl" key while rolling a mouse wheel will increase or decrease fonts on the fly.
Learn the signs of repetitive strain injury and how to head it off early
People who are injured slightly sometimes think they can "walk it off" or overcome the pain by just working through it. Nonsense. Pain is your body saying "Knock it off!"
I recommend: Harvard's
RSI Action site is complete yet easy to digest. The
Typing Injury FAQ page is packed with detailed data and research.
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