RSI Demystified
Repetitive Strain Injury, better know as RSI, is the leading occupational hazard in the United States, and a growing concern across the globe. It is a pain syndrome which affects the muscles, nerves, and tendons of the hands, arms and upper back. RSI is becoming more common in conjunction with the increase in computer usage.
There are many disorders that can result from RSI and they typically develop because of poor posture and repetitive motions while the body is kept tense for an extended period of time. Some of the disorders that are considered to be a direct result of RSI are:
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is diagnosed from symptoms such as tingling, pain, coldness, and even numbness of the hand. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is the most diagnosed musculoskeletal condition pertaining to RSI, and is caused by the median nerve of the hand being compressed by the surrounding tendons in the wrist.
- Tendonitis is, quite simply, the inflammation of the tendons. Tendonitis can be a very painful condition.
- Tenosynovitis is the inflammation of the synovium. The synovium is the sheath that surrounds the tendon, and once it inflamed, it commonly causes the above described tendonitis.
- DeQuervain’s Syndrome is tenosynovitis or carpal tunnel of the two tendons that move the thumb. Difficulty gripping, numbness of the back of the thumb, and pain and swelling of the thumb side of the hand are also indications of DeQuervain’s Syndrome. This disorder is commonly diagnosed to typists because of the repetitive use of the thumb on the keyboard.
- Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) encompasses a group of distinct disorders that affect nerves in the brachial plexus (the nerves that run from the arm to the neck). Also, blood vessels and nerves between the nap of the neck and the armpit can be involved in TOS. Generally, these disorders have very little in common other than the area in which they are exemplified. Each disorder is complex, and sometimes poorly defined. They all have individual signs and symptoms which affect the upper limb.
- Trigger Finger/thumb is a form of stenosing tenosynovitis that restricts the movement in an affected thumb or finger. Symptoms include painful joints, particularly when bent. Often, soft cracking sounds accompany the irritating movement.
- Intersection Syndrome, often confused with DeQuervain’s Syndrome, is a painful condition affecting the thumb-side of the forearm. Intersection Syndrome occurs when two muscles cross over two underlying wrist tendons unnaturally.
- Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSDS) is a complex regional pain syndrome. It is a chronic condition characterized by incredible burning pain, changes in the affected bone and skin, profuse sweating, tissue inflammation, and unusual sensitivity to touch. RSDS is currently thought to be a variant of causalgia, and not necessarily caused by trauma.
Therapies are typically prescribed once physicians have diagnosed a musculoskeletal disorder. Unfortunately, many times the prescribed remedies are ineffective for a variety of reasons.
Ergonomics
Posture is key to understanding the mechanics of RSI. Poor posture is a major contributing factor to the development of Repetitive Stress Injuries, along with sitting without breaks for long periods of time. These practices along with the arms being out from the body, flexed for typing, are major components in the development of RSI because of the strain placed upon many muscles throughout the body. These muscles can shorten and become denser, which leads to a decrease in circulation to the shoulders, neck, and arms.
RSI is commonly ignored until debilitating pain is apparent, but there are many signs that one is developing this common disorder as early as four to five years before any real inconvenience is noted. Back, shoulder and neck pain create tension in the muscles, and after years of continuing poor ergonomics, this tense state becomes the default condition. This is RSI. The good news is that a person can completely prevent RSI, and can also reverse it by improving their posture and following a few simple rules while working.
Standing Posture
Poor posture is an unnatural state that one’s body adjusts to by tensing nearby muscles to regain a certain balance and control. This causes constant stress on these muscles.
Poor posture that is practiced over a large span of time (months or years) interferes with the natural movement of the body. The muscles which are affected in turn affect blood vessels and nerves. Once one has developed RSI, improving posture is integral to overcoming the disorder.
Seating Posture
The monitor must be positioned between 18” and 24” from the body. This is about an arm’s length. The monitor should also be about 15 to 30 degrees below your line of sight. Make sure there is no light shining directly in your eyes or on the computer screen. The screen should be directly in your line of vision. A 90 degree angle should be formed between the forearms and the spine. Likewise, the thighs should create a 90 degree angle, or L, with your spine. A well-made, adjustable chair is essential. Also, padded, adjustable arms are ideal. A wrist pad is a good idea when not typing. Place feet flat on the floor.
Lighting
There should not be a glare on the screen, nor light directly reflected into the typists face. Lighting that is too bright may create a glare, so use drapes or a shade to help control the amount of lighting in the room.
Ventilation
It is imperative to have plenty of fresh air circulating throughout the workspace. Also, one should maintain a comfortable temperature in the work area.
Noise
Stress that causes muscle tension (which contributes to RSI) can be a direct result of loud noise in the work space. Therefore, ensure that your computer is stationed in an area of relative quiet, and perhaps play soft music to block out annoying sound such as a drippy faucet.
Taking Breaks
Most qualified professionals agree that taking breaks is essential to recovering from/preventing RSI.
Eye breaks are essential to the typist. These entail simply looking away from the computer screen every so often (every 15 minutes) and focusing on a distant object or picture for about 30 seconds. Constantly looking at a computer screen impedes blinking, which in turn affects the amount of lubricant added to the eye. Rapid blinking every 30 minutes or so will also clear away any accumulated dust and refresh the tear film of the eye.
Micro-breaks are taken between the natural short bursts of active typing and may include standing up, stretching or moving around. All of these techniques are not meant to pull you away from your work, but simply to create a pause in the repetitive nature of it. Micro-breaks are very important to the prevention of Repetitive Stress Injury.
Rest-breaks are also suggested for the typists looking to prevent RSI. Every hour to hour and a half short breaks of at lest two minutes should be practiced. More time may be taken depending on strain. Movement is highly recommended during these breaks to help with blood flow. Exercises to relieve strain are very important, because they allow other muscles to work while relaxing the muscles used to type. The person who already experiences RSI complications should certainly be vigilant in timing their breaks. See how long it takes before pain, tingling, or numbness ensues and subtract 10 minutes from that time. That is the maximum amount of time that should be worked before a break is taken.
Typing Technique
Proper typing technique is essential in preventing or helping RSI. While typing, one’s wrists should always be straight as opposed to broken. In addition there are those RSI sufferers who have converted to a DVORAK keyboard, in which the letters are rearranged to be more user friendly.
Mouse Techniques
Avoiding using the mouse whenever possible is the first and foremost way to improve mouse use technique. Hotkeys will allow the typist to do this without much hassle. Other tips are:
- Move the cursor in circles on the screen.
- While moving the mouse, keep wrists straight. Avoid resting arms or hands.
- Hold the mouse gently.
- Keep all fingers down when using the mouse; particularly the pinky.
- Click with patience and calm…it may take a minute, but giving the mouse button a workout won’t speed things up.
- Ergonomic Software is also available to aid in mouse technique.
Voice Recognition
A newer technology that is being increasingly implemented is voice recognition. Voice recognition allows the typist to do less typing by taking the said word and transforming it to words on the screen. This obviously aids relieving the stress placed on one’s body while typing. There are still some kinks in the system, as there are those people that have frequent issues with voice recognition. For example, those with accents, voice recognition is not a ready asset because it transposes their words incorrectly. However, voice recognition is something that can help and aid many fighting RSI.
Surgery
Unfortunately for those with intense, prolonged pain where traditional treatments have failed, surgery may be required. It may also be used if a doctor detects muscle deterioration or loss of sensation due to long term computer use. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, trigger fingers and arthritis have surgeries in place that can help alleviate or help discomfort. Success varies from person to person with 30% of people claiming poor to fair results. 57% of patients report that they return to their preoperative pain symptoms. While surgery is an option, it may not be the most effective or the most cost efficient.
Computer usage has brought about a boom in Repetitive Stress Injury cases, and that has brought about many techniques to help correct and prevent the problem. Major discomfort and decreased efficiency are only a couple of the issues that RSI brings to those who use computers for work. Yet, there is help.
EyeProtectorPro is eye care/RSI prevention, stretch break reminder software, ergonomic break reminder software, computer rest reminder, stress buster ergonomic. It reminds you to take breaks while you work on your PC and can protect your eyes from damage caused by long hours of PC use. Guaranteed RSI prevention and fewer headaches and dry eyes caused by PC use.
How it works
Designed for Windows 7/Vista/XP/ME/2000/98
Features |
|---|
 Pauses and Breaks - "Pauses" are micro breaks for 10 to 20 seconds and "Rest Breaks" are long breaks which last for 5 to 10 minutes. You can always customize. |
| Hourly Break - Take breaks hourly for 10 minutes or customize as you want. |
| Blacken Screen (Black screen in break or pause) - Make the computer screen black, so your eyes could rest. (Optional) |
| Presets Low, Medium and High Modes- Predefined work time, pause time and rest break time in 3 one click settings for RSI Prevention and recovery. |
| Custom Work Time - Define how long you want to work without any break. |
| Custom Pause Time - You can define time for small breaks which are called "Pause" which can be for 10 to 20 seconds. |
| Custom Rest Break Time - You can define time for Rest Breaks which are long breaks which can be 5 to 10 minutes. |
| Life Time Free Updates |
| Custom Sounds - You can pick your own sounds .wav format supported |
| Quick Resolution Switch - Change resolution of your monitor with one click. |
| Break Settings - 1. Time Cycle 2. Time Cycle Triggered by Computer Use 3. Smart Time Cycle(Senses Continues Use) |
| Look Away Reminder - Reminds you to look at-least 20 feet or 6 meters away. |
| Light Exercises Reminder - Shows you office exercises you can do while on chair and work place to prevent RSI. |
| Show Quotes or Custom Messages on (black) rest break/pause screen. |
| Eye Drops Reminder - shows you any image to put eye drops to keep your eyes moist, You can use any eye drops (we recommend using organic or natural eye drops) |
| Reminders (Multiple) - Custom reminder popup, you can write custom message on each reminder. You can set when reminders appear.
On a date, Everyday, Hourly You can set frequency as you like. Repeated Reminder Pop up will have option to "Delete Reminder" and "Stop Reminding for today" |
| Countdown (Multiple) - Count year, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds till specific date. Example countdown to New Year, Birthday or an event. |
| Clock (Multiple) - create multiple clocks with custom flags of all countries to keep the track of time in different countries. |
| Timer (Multiple) - It works like a kitchen timer, set 10 or 15 minutes and it will show you progress and when over it will show you pop up with custom message. |
| Stopwatch (Multiple) - Just like stopwatch you can count time easily and pause and reset button. |
| Screen shots - Take screen shots randomly (between 10 min) or on regular intervals(You can set when to take screen shot) and email digest of screen shots with work log. |
| Settings Password Protection - It gives ability protect settings of EyeProtectorPro with password. |
| Work Log - Complete graph of time worked and time spent on breaks. Log of when the pause/rest break was taken or ignored. |
If you have dark circles under eyes, they might be because of long hours of PC use without rest breaks. EyeProtectorPro reminds you to take rest breaks and it also reminds you to look away from PC screen, which helps to rest the eyes and eye muscles/veins around the eyes. If you use EyeProtectorPro every time you work on your PC, it can help you to lighten your dark circles.
You can easily setup work and read modes on your PC with EyeProtectorPro. You can have a standard(high) resolution with small fonts as most PC have and Other mode you can have with lower screen resolution making it easy for your eyes to see and read text.
It has Low Eye Strain Mode to let you change your monitor screen resolution quickly when you are reading web pages/documents etc. You can change monitor screen resolution with one click to switch between high and low resolutions. Which may come handy for power PC users such as designers & programmers.
You can see how our software looks here. We have added plenty of Screen shots of different sections of EyeProtectorPro
Main Software Screen:
Look Away Reminder:
Non Black Screen Pause/Break (Optional):
This option can be used in office environment to avoid unwanted attention from other people. You can move this tiny pause/break window anywhere on screen.
Black out Pause Screen (Short Breaks):
Black out Rest Break Screen(Long Breaks)::
Right Click Menu from Taskbar:
Settings Screen (General Tab) :
Settings Screen (Breaks Tab) :
Settings Screen (Breaks Tab - Timing Cycle Type Options) :
Settings Screen (Daily Work Limit):
Settings Screen (Daily Work Limit – Time Log):
Popup Reminder (Daily Work Limit – Work Limit Reached):
Settings Screen (Sounds):
Settings Screen (Display Settings):
Settings Screen (Breaks – Quotes or Custom Message Editor):
Popup Reminder (Right Posture):
Popup Reminder (Software is disabled):
FREE DOWNLOAD – 7 Day Trial
Wizard (Lets you setup software easily):
Exercises Included Black Screen while Pause/Break:
It helps to decrease pain/strain/headaches caused by PC use.
- Headaches
- Back Pain
- Neck Pain
- Eye’s Pain
- Eye’s Strain
- Tired Eyes
- Hands stiffness
- RSI
Break Reminder Software download:
These days, people mostly do the majority of their work in front of the computer. The digital age that we now live in as made it so that computers have become ubiquitous and an essential part of everyday life from mundane tasks such as making a list of groceries to more serious work oriented tasks. The primary input device used in computers is the keyboard; this is where you will spend most of your time working. Continued Keyboard usage can become detrimental to your health and lead to repetitive Strain Injury, otherwise known as RSI for short.
The most important action one can take to prevent Repetitive Strain Injury is to take occasional breaks when using the computer. Taking a break every half hour or so will go a long way in helping you prevent RSI. Optimizing your work station to reduce strain on your body and increase your comfort while working is also advised. Your posture when working is of utmost importance; make sure to sit up straight and that your chair supports your spine in an upright position. You must make sure to use the best technique and etiquette when using the computer; you hands should be hovered above the keyboard and you must make sure to move your entire hand when maneuvering your mouse. Although these steps are a bit difficult to implement at first, there are a number of ways it can be become easier, such as the use of Eye Protector Pro.
Eye Protector Pro is developed specifically to help you manage your time on the computer and prevent you from the common mistakes and missteps that eventually lead to repetitive strain injury. Eye Protector Pro has built in software that will help the user avoid the common missteps that lead to RSI; the software has a none-intrusive warning system that constantly reminds the user to employ preventative techniques to avoid Repetitive Strain Injury. The software reminds you of when you need to take a break or when your posture needs to be adjusted.
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What are some symptoms of an RSI?
- Headaches or excessive pressure on sides of head.
- Pain arms, wrists and hands.
- Swelling, inflammation
- Numbness or tingling sensation
- Decreased movement of a joint
- Stiffness of body part
- Symptoms worsen with time
What are the results of an RSI?
An RSI can damage tendons, muscles and nerves of the neck, shoulder, forearm, hands, legs and back and in other parts of the body. RSI can cause pain, weakness, numbness and difficulty in grasping objects. Example: Pain during mouse/keyboard use. Headaches are very common problem among computer users. Eye Protector Pro is a software platform that helps you with the prevention/recovery of Repetitive Strain Injury. Download 7 Day Trial
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It reminds you to take breaks and suggests some light exercises for your body and eyes. It has feature to remind you look far from your PC, as eye doctors suggest look at least 20 feet away after few minutes of work to avoid RSI and eyes stress.
This is a great post, I’ll show this to our team at the office.