If you work in an environment where you spend a great deal of time on the computer where you’re typing incessantly or staring at a computer screen or both, you could be causing damage to your muscles. Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) are not uncommon to find among those who work in this type of environment. RSIs occur due to repeated physical movements (i.e. typing at a computer) which causes damage to tendons, nerves, muscles and other tissues. People who typically suffer from RSI are those in the computer/Internet industry, meatpackers and musicians.

A Rising Epidemic

Just the other day, I was finishing up something for work. I had been typing for the better part of four hours straight. Later on, when I went to make myself something to eat for dinner, I realized that my hands were actually tired (if you can believe it). Not only were they tired, but when I went to check my email (as I often do several times a day), I found that it caused me a great deal of pain to even type. Now, who would’ve thought that I would be experiencing this sort of problem. Immediately, I thought of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). With the type of career that I’m in, being diagnosed with CTS would be devastating for me. My solution to the problem? I took a break for about two days from typing all together, and by the time Monday rolled around, I was good as new.

However, other people aren’t so fortunate. A lot of people conduct business online and still, even more people use the computer as their main source of business and/or work. Not to scare you, but CTS is pretty small on the scale of other problems that you can develop by doing repetitive movements such as typing. Some of the other injuries associated with RSIs include:

• Tendinitis
• Bursitis
• Trigger Finger/Thumb
• Myofascial Pain Syndrome
• Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)

Prevention is Better Than Cure

If you can learn to recognize some of the preemptive symptoms associated with RSIs, then you can save yourself the trouble of doctor’s visits, time lost at work and overall misery. Some of the symptoms include:

• tightness, stiffness, soreness or burning in your hands, wrists, fingers, forearms or elbows
• tingling, coldness or numbness in your hands
• loss of hand coordination
• back, shoulder or neck pain

So, knowing these things, how do you prevent it? One of the key things to always be conscious of while you type is your posture. Additionally, you want to make sure that your computer, keyboard and other equipment such as the desk and chair are all set up in a way that is conducive to preventing any sort of strain. For example:

• While you are typing, your wrists should not be resting on anything.
• When you take a break from typing, rest your hands anywhere else except the keyboard.
• Increase the font size on the screen while you are typing to prevent eye strain.
• Type lightly; do not strike the keys hard.
• Take frequent breaks to stretch and relax.
• Keep your hands and arms warm because colder muscles are at greater risk for injury. This is especially important, seeing as how most office environments use way too much air conditioning.
• Do not talk on the phone while you type unless you put the person on speaker or are using a hands-free headset.

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