How to Prevent Repetitive Stress Injury in the Work Place

What is Repetitive Stress Injury?

Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) is a name given to a number of disorders that arise from too much stress being placed on a joint. In the modern workplace, the major cause of RSI comes from sitting and working at a computer all day.

The most common types of RSI are tendonitis (inflammation of a tendon) and bursitis (inflammation of a bursa). Tendons are the fibrous tissues that attach muscle to bone, bursae are small sacs filled with fluid that lie between tendons and bones in joint areas.

When stress is put on a joint, it pulls the tendons that connect the muscles to the bones in that joint. This puts pressure both on the tendons and on the bursae of that joint. For normal activity our joints are able to handle this stress. When we perform the same action over and over for extended periods of time, however, this stress continues building up without allowing proper time for our joints to heal. This results in the various forms of repetitive stress injury.

RSI is the most common cause of work related disorders today. According to the National Bureau of Labor Statistics RSI is responsible for 34% of all workday injury and illness leave, and costs about $20 billion annually. A study by the National Academy of Sciences concludes that $50 billion are lost by businesses annually due to repetitive stress injury disorders from decreased productivity, sick leave and medical expenses.

Warning Signs of Repetitive Stress Injury

• Tightness, soreness, stiffness, and inflammation of joints, particularly in the wrists, elbows, fingers and forearms.
  


• Coldness, tingling and numbness.
  


• Clumsiness and lack of coordination, particularly in the hands.
  


• Pain in the shoulders and upper back.
  


• Pain or numbness when lying down.
  

Ways to Prevent Repetitive Stress Injury

One of the facts of RSI is that it is much easier to prevent than cure. In today's modern workplace it is impossible to stop working at repetitive tasks completely, however there are ways to relieve the stress on your joints.