Workplace Ergonomics
A guideline to preventing repetitive strain injury
What is RSI?
RSI is an acronym for repetitive strain injury. This is a condition where pain and other symptoms occur in an area of the body which has done repetitive tasks (usually the arms or hands).
How can you get RSI?
- Having to hunch your back for a long period of time
- Not exercising your body after a long period of time
- Not having good body posture while remaining static (e.g. Typing on a computer for 6 hours)
These are some ways you could get RSI.
What are the stages of RSI?
1. RSI's first stage is considered to be mild. This stage consists of:
- Pain
- Aching
- Tiredness of the body parts during work, which improves overnight.
This stage may last weeks or months, but is reversible.
2. RSI's second stage is considered to be moderate. This stage consists of:
- Recurrent pain
- Aching
- Tiredness occur earlier in the working day, persist at night and may disturb sleep.
Physical signs may be visible, such as swelling of the tendon areas. This stage may last several months.
3. RSI's third and final stage is classified as severe. This stage consists of:
- Pain
- Aching
- Weakness and fatigue are experienced even when person is resting completely.
This stage may last for months or years. Sometimes it is irreversible and the person never gets back full use of the affected part of their body.
These are the 3 stages of RSI
What are some symptoms of RSI?
- Frequent self-massage (subconsciously)
- Chronically cold hands
- Weakness in the hands or forearms
These are some examples of RSI symptoms. For more symptoms please click this link http://web.eecs.umich.edu/~cscott/rsi.html##symptoms
Some Ways a Person Can Prevent RSI
Adjust the Height of Your Chair and Keyboard
- Try to keep some space between your legs and the desk
Adjust Your Chairs Backseat
- Your lower back should rest slightly against the backrest
Adjust Your Monitor
- When seated, the top of your monitor should be or slightly below eye level
Exercise Your Body
Here are Some Examples of Exercises
"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary,"
- Vince Lombardi
and the place where we all work is in our offices. So to achieve success we need to be able to work to the best of our abilities, and the best way to do that would be by creating an ergonomic workstation, because an ergonomic workstation helps prevent RSI, allowing us to work to the best of our abilities without injuring our self. Want more information on how to create an ergonomic workstation? Well here is a video to help you out. This video walks you through how to adjust your office cubicle without spending a nickle.
Works Cited
2 May 2016. <http://web.eecs.umich.edu/~cscott/rsi.html>.
"RSI in the Office." RSI Repetitive Strain Injury. ODM UK Limited , 2007. Web. 4 May 2016.
<http://www.rsi-solutions.co.uk/documents/49.html>.
"Ergonomics." Damon Soraya. N.p., 2015. Web. 4 May 2016.
<http://www.damonsoraya.com/ergonomics/>.
"Physiotherapy for a complex shoulder fracture." Shoulder Fractures. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2016. <http://www.shoulderfractures.info/physiotherapy-of-the-shoulder>.
Holliman, Casey. "Desk Workers: Part 2 – Postural Exercises" Performance Body Work. N.p., 2013. Web. 4 May 2016. <http://pbmassagetherapy.com/desk-workers-part-2-postural-exercises/>.