Journal - RSI! Can you believe it?!
Well, the other day I noticed unusual pains in my arm. It didn’t take long to work out they were RSI. I think mouse related, so I’ve ditched the mouse or using it left handed. The pains are not intense but very annoying and distracting.
Why is this happening to me? Try spending up to 17 hours a day at the computer for six months… It’s obvious why!
It’s a nice lesson though. I do have to get off the computer more. A lot more.
A lesson there for all of us.
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Yeah, be careful there. A lot of people don’t realize RSI injuries can end up being permanent if you don’t catch them fast enough. (13 years and counting for me…) Simply switching arms can just wreck your other arm (that’s what I tried at first), so definitely, follow your instincts and take more breaks!
Thanks, Heather! My arm has significantly improved. In the end I made myself spend less time on the computer, switched to a trackball, and took up activities that used the arm differently - like writing with pen, and playing guitar.
13 years? What has been the long term affect for you?
CRS: Computer-Related Syndrome: The Prevention and Treatment of Computer-Related Injuries. By Richard Dean Smith, MD and Steve T. Garske, MS, PT.
The computer workstation must be considered a potentially hazardous place. Computer keyboard workers are akin to armchair athletes subject to the same stresses and injuries experienced by athletes. Our purpose is to alert keyboard workers to early warning signs, explain how to best arrange workstations, provide both preventive and therapeutic exercises, and enable workers to ‘train’ for computer keyboard work. With drastic cutback of workers compensation insurance benefits, prevention and early intervention is especially important.
Link: Prometheus Books. richardsmithmd.com.