Prevention and Treatment of RSIs

Prevention and Treatment of Repetitive Stress Injuries

Prevention of RSIs

• Good Posture – Sit up straight and all the way back in your chair with your shoulders relaxed. Your feet should be flat on the floor with ankles, knees and hips bent at 90 degrees. If your feet do not reach the floor, use a footrest. Do not lean forward to read your monitor, pull it closer to you if necessary.

• Rest/Stretch Breaks – Every 20-30 minutes you should get up and walk around to increase circulation. This is a great time to do some stretches for the muscles you’ve been using. These breaks don’t have to be long, one or two minutes will suffice.

• Neutral Wrist Position – Arms should be relaxed at your sides and elbows should be flexed at 90 degrees. Your forearms and wrists should be parallel to the floor, with fingers curved to touch keys (like playing the piano). Do not rest your palms, wrists, forearms, or elbows on any surface while keying – if you need to do this, your chair may be too low and/or your desk may be too high. Keep your mouse close to your keyboard and use a light touch.

• Personal Fitness – Maintaining an exercise program that involves cardiovascular exercise, strength training and flexibility can increase the health of muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

Treatment of RSIs

• If symptoms are present, early and proper management of RSIs can prevent progression of injury and permanent loss of function.

• Initial treatment involves resting the area as much as possible, ice therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, immobilization at night, and job modifications.

• If initial treatment is unsuccessful, local anesthesia and steroid injections may be needed. Surgical intervention may be appropriate if all of forms of treatment have failed to relieve symptoms within several months.