You hear so much about how to treat RSI (repetitive strain injury), carpal tunnel syndrome, and other VDT users'physical injuries and complaints these days. What about PREVENTION? Isn't it better to do something before rather than "after the fact?" Do you want to take preventive measures to insure you will
not end up with a painful injury that could cost you in many ways. For one, an injury that has gone on for too long without being treated, could put you out of work. You might have to give up on you current career.
Did I give you an idea!? Seriously, injuries will take away from the quality of your life. Suppose you love to play tennis or write, a serious RSI injury would keep you from doing it. Before telling you how to avoid stress and injury, I'd like to give you some information about RSI and CTD (cumulative trauma disorders). A computer operator can make more than 12,000 strokes per hour; causing strain and swelling of the tendons in your wrists and hands. That inflammation can pinch the main nerve that runs through a passage in the wrist (the carpal tunnel). The symptoms are: now-and-then or constant tingling and numbness in the hands, loss of feeling, muscle strength, swelling, pain or clumsiness while using your hands or intense pain in the fingers, wrists, forearms and shoulders. That pain can cause a permanent disability if you procrastinate seeing your doctor or practitioner. So, see your doctor upon the earliest symptoms. Catch it before it's chronic, you may even be able to reverse it. It can drastically affect finger coordination, also, Some men are unable to grasp their wallets sufficiently enough to get them out of their back pockets.
Extreme cases require surgery to cut the carpal ligament. Using VDTs' can lead to eyestrain (concentrating on the screen reduces blinking, which dries your eyes, especially if you have contacts), irritation, blurred vision, headaches and discomfort in your neck, back, shoulders and joint pain. Women are two to five times more at risk to suffer from CTS than men. "Cumulative Trauma Disorders have become the nation's leading cause of occupational illnesses." says Sharon Danann, research director of 9 to 5, the National Association of Working Women. And in the 1990's, they will account for one half of all job related disorders." Approximately a fifth of the LA Times' editorial staff have had CTS symptoms. We aren't physically equipped to handle thousands of repetitive motions an hour.
Not just computer-users are at risk. Anyone who uses their hands in the same way for a long time are. Retail and grocery clerks, mail workers, gardeners, musicians, and factory assembly line people have CTS complaints. These injuries often respond to heat and ice treatments, massage, physical therapy and rest if caught soon enough. Stretching and exercises focusing on flexibility and strength building may be effective. Braces or wrist splints can protect injured tendons and force larger muscles to carry more of the load.
If you have any RSI symptoms, all the experts say to REST. Either take time off from your job, or drastically lessen the workload. So far, no one knows if the electrical field around computers can cause biological damage. The radiation your VDT emits, however, is said to be in the "safe" range. Still, "buyer beware". Here are some of the health problems that are linked to extensive computer use. Pregnancy disorders A possible increased risk of miscarriage or birth defects. Radiation and on the job emotional and physical stress has been suggested to be a possible explanation for this. Very controlled studies have not confirmed the connection, although. Cataracts Radiation from your computer screen has not been found to cause them. The levels known to cause cataracts are 10,000 times higher than those coming from a VDT. Just four hours per week is sufficient enough to cause a significant injury if you are working at a poorly designed or
adjusted workstation.
According to numerous sources and research, the single most prevention technique is to simply take regular breaks. With the old timey typewriters, there were natural breaks, like putting in new paper and carriage returns. Today, it's non-stop and high-speed; which puts more wear and tear on hands and wrists and there is no recovery time. There are existing computer programs that will interrupt your work to let you know it's time to rest and stretch. You can set your digital watch or clock to go off at regular intervals.
During your break, it is extremely important to RELAX your hands. Let them go limp, shake them out, massage them, anything but bending, twisting or straining your wrists or fingers. NOTE: use your entire hand while picking things up, not just the thumb and forefinger. Palms should be kept up off the keyboard. Use wrist rests. Position your tilting keyboard pan so your elbows are bent at 90 degree angles and your wrists at 10 to 20 degrees from horizontal. The middle row of the keyboard should be at elbow level. Also, hit the keys as lightly as possible. It doesn't take great force to depress a computer key. Situate the computer screen 15 to 30 degrees below eye level; NEVER above eye level. Put it 22 to 26 inches from where you sit. Stay at least four feet away from the back sides of other monitors in your workplace. No one yet knows just how harmful VDT radiation is to users' health. Anti radiation screens can help but only block electric fields at very low frequency levels and extremely low frequency levels. They do not block magnetic fields, which is thought to be a more serious danger. Instead of laying papers flat, use a document holder next to the screen. Take a 15 minute rest after two hours under a moderate workload, and after one hour if a high workload. Keep your neck relaxed, your chin slightly down and tucked in, your head straight ahead.
Most importantly: DO NOT STOOP! It compresses the spinal nerves, unduly stresses the spine, cause muscle tension, headache strain, foggy thinking, and fatigue. Have someone who knows about posture show you how to sit "properly", if neceesary. Slouchy posture and poor body mechanics while word processing, probably causes more muscle/joint pain and problems than anything else.
While computerizing, be sure the lighting is correct. Bad lighting can cause irritating glare. Anti-glare filters that fit over your VDT screen, indirect lighting, non reflecting glass screens can prevent glare and minimize eyestrain. Remind yourself to blink frequently to keep your eyes moist and comfortable during long stretches of work. Tell yourself: "Let my gaze be soft", or anything else that will help you to not stare the computer down.
Every hour, palm your eyes. This is done by first getting into a reclining or lying down position, rubbing your hands until heat is generated, then by placing your palms over your eyes, your right hand slightly over your left. Leave them there while breathing naturally, deeply and fully for 3-5 minutes. This is very calming. Relaxing the eyes relaxes your body and mind. Your chair should have an adjustable seat pan, so that there is more of an angle between the thigh and spine. For people working with keyboards for extended time periods, it's best to angle the seat down in front. Arm rests should be adjustable and removable. The chair should swivel and move. The seat height and the backrest needs to be adjustable. These should also be laterally adjustable. When purchasing a chair, ask a lot of questions and be sure you don't have to be an acrobat to adjust the darn thing! While sitting in your brand new fancy
chair, check your posture periodically, making sure lower back is firmly against the chair back, take breaks regularly, and keep your feet flat on the floor. If you can't reach, use a foot rest. And, remember to breathe deeply in a natural manner (have proper ventilation so you can). Remember if you are experiencing any numbness, pain or tingling, see your practitioner or physician immediately! You will gain by saving yourself pain AND $15 to 20 thousand dollars (CTS surgery costs)! It always pays to prevent.
