saik
mr.nobody
posts : 242
| educ8 the n8z. both my hands, selected fingers, a lot of my forearm, and a lot of my joints are getting a bit sore now. first person to make a wanker joke wins .5p . i put this column up because it was an easy copy and paste and because people asked me about it on irc, so here's the deal.
what is rsi?
rsi is a general term for a wide range of injuries to the hands, wrists, arms, elbows, shoulders, neck and back.
the medical names for these injuries include tenosynovitis, tendonitis, peritendonitis, bursitis, carpel tunnel syndrome, epicondylitis (tennis elbow) writers cramp and diffuse rsi.
all start off as seemingly harmless aches and pains but can develop in a relatively short period into serious and painful disability.
what causes rsi
rsi is caused by a build up of pressures and strains on muscles and tendons as a result of a variety of factors, including:
poor environment and workstation conditions, causing bad gaming posture
excessive time spent on the keyboard and mouse
lack of regular breaks, giving muscles and tendons no time to relax
monotonous and stressful tasks, causing muscle tension which increases the risk of injury
how to recognise rsi
the symptoms of rsi can include:
tingling sensation/pins and needles
tenderness/numbness
feeling of heaviness in fingers/wrist/arms
muscle weakness
crackling feeling in joints (crapitus)
swelling or cyst-like swelling (ganglion)
loss of movement/restricted movement in joints
pain in fingers, hand, wrist, arm, shoulder, neck or back
dealing with rsi
urgent action should be taken at the first sign of rsi so that the condition is not allowed to develop.
how to prevent rsi
proper rsi prevention is considerably better than a cure applied after it has developed.
the first step in rsi prevention is the establishment of proper gaming habits. maintaining correct posture and taking frequent breaks greatly reduce the risks of developing a serious rsi condition. the following tips can help:
use proper exercise and stretching techniques like the prayer stretch.
alter work routine to include breaks and rests.
use correctly designed, ergonomic furniture.
breaks regular breaks should be taken. these should be short and frequent rather than longer and more infrequent. the rsi association recommends a five minute break every half hour and that breaks be taken before the onset of fatigue rather than after.
workstation another key factor in preventing rsi is to ensure your workstation is safe:
your desk should be low enough to keep your forearms level (your elbows should be at 90 degrees) and high enough to allow your thighs underneath it. it should be deep enough to have the screen at a comfortable distance and to give you space for your papers and work.
your chair should be high enough to let you sit comfortably over the keyboard and must be adjustable and able to swivel. you should be able to sit upright with your back firmly against the backrest and your feet should be flat on the floor (or on a foot rest).
your screen should be straight in front of you (sideways can twist and damage your back) and should be at a distance which is comfortable to read. the top of the screen should be level with your eyes, should be kept clean and should have no glare or reflected light.
your keyboard should be moveable and adjustable and should be kept flat on the desk. your hands should be straight when handling the keyboard.
your mouse should be kept on a clean surface and the ball should be kept clean. you should not have to stretch to reach the mouse.
attendance to all of the above guidelines is important if you are to avoid
rsi. and avoiding rsi is by far the best way of dealing with it.
i've no idea where rsi.txt came from on my desktop so i dunno who deserves the credit for this.
if you want to know more about this exciting subject don't hesitate to use google.
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