CMD Blog

Avoiding RSI and other injuries

14th, February 2012

Many jobs now consist of employees sitting at desks in offices as business has moved away from manual work and more towards office based work with employees staring at computers. As the majority of people now work at computers there is an increased possibility of developing repetitive strain injuries and other complications associated with sitting for long periods looking at a screen and typing. There are a number of simple but effective things that can be done to avoid developing any problems or complications from working at a computer for prolonged periods of time.

Staring at a computer screen all day can start to have an effect on your eyes and you may notice that you start to suffer from eyestrain or other problems with your vision. Many people find that they may require prescription glasses for computer work and if you are having problems with your vision then it is worth visiting an optician to see if you would also benefit from glasses. It is important to remember to take breaks from looking at a computer screen and give your eyes something else to focus on. As well as eye problems, neck problems can often be experienced when working for a long time at a computer. This problem is very often caused by the monitor not being set up at the correct height for the user. Everybody will have different requirements and so it is important to use an adjustable monitor stand so that the monitor can be set up at the appropriate eye level for the user.

Everyone will occasionally complain about suffering from various aches and pains and many of these can be associated with sitting at a desk all day and generally not moving around enough as well as suffering from bad posture. Having good posture when sitting down all day is very important as it can prevent any aches and pains from developing. To aid good posture it is beneficial to make use of adjustable chairs and height adjustable desks so that everything can be arranged at a comfortable height and level to minimise any strain. One common complaint that employees suffer from is repetitive strain injury which is often connected to typing at a keyboard or prolonged usage of a mouse and frequent clicking. The best way to combat RSI is by taking sufficient breaks and switching to other tasks which don’t require the same repetitive actions.

It is not just at your place of work that you can be prone to repetitive strain injuries and other joint and muscle complaints. If you regularly use a computer at home then you need to make sure that you take the same precautions that you do at the office and remember to take sufficient breaks away from your computer. If you have to use your PC or laptop for a long time then make sure that you use an adjustable monitor stand or use a chair or desk which can be adjusted to the correct height.