Repetitive strain injury can also be known as repetitive motion injury or occupational overuse syndrome. You can get repetitive stress injury from constant repetition of tasks, sustaining a singular position or holding yourself in an awkward position, to name a few methods. Most people have heard of repetitive strain injury, although it may go by the name of carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow or tendinitis. One last fact for you now; I have repetitive strain injury, and I got it from constantly being on the computer.
You have what?
I have tendinitis in my forearms, and hypermobility in the joints of my wrists, and it has grown steadily worse over the past few years. This results in pain through my wrist joints and up my forearms whenever I do anything even vaguely arduous with my hands, like opening a push door, typing for long periods, lifting something heavy improperly, practicing the violin and opening jars.
I'm a computer science student. That means I spend hours a day, pretty much every day, typing away on my computer. To do this I sustain a singular, often awkward, position for the entirety of the time that I'm on my computer. I don't have a particularily ergonomic desk, I spend a lot of time coding on my laptop, and I have a netbook, which my physiotherapist says is one of the worst things in the world for my wrists. And speaking of physiotherapists, I devote 100$ and 40 minutes of time attending two physiotherapy appointments a week.
Why are you going on about this?
This isn't a bitch fest. This is me trying to draw attention to the importance of ergonomics for anyone who spends a large portion of their life on the computer. I hope to do this by describing specifically what is wrong with my wrists and what to do to avoid the same thing happening to you.
So, what is hypermobility?
Hypermobility is when the joints, muscles, tendons or ligaments are more fragile and lax than the norm. This results in the ability to move the affected joint in more extreme ways, and can also result in a greater vulnerability to injury and and a proneness to muscle fatigue.
My physiotherapist diagnosed me with hypermobility because of the flexibility of my wrists as well as the clunky movements and clicking noises that my wrist joints can make. I'm sure there is more that helped her come to this conclusion, but I'm no physiotherapist and can only relay to you what I understand about this.The treatment for this, care of my physiotherapist, is taping. As you can see, my physiotherapist tapes my wrists in order to limit the level of movement that I can make with my wrists. Forcing my movements to conform with a more normal range of movement allows my wrists to heal and promote a more normal range of movement, which will in turn lower the likelihood of continued strain.
Having hypermobile wrists is probably an excellent reason for me to have developed repetitive strain injury in my wrists at such an early age. Already weakened joints are going to fail earlier than normal healthy ones. But anyone who causes themselves repetitive strain can develop complications that make the lifestyle they have chosen a painful and difficult one.
What is tendinitis and what does it have to do with typing so much?
Tendinitis is an inflammation or irritation of any tendon in your body. It causes pain just outside of a joint, and most commonly occurs somewhere between your shoulders to your wrists. A dull aching pain and tenderness where the tendon in question connects to a bone as the symptoms of tendinitis. Tendinitis is most often caused by the repetition of a motion, probably related to a person's job or a hobby they have.
In my case, my habit of holding my netbook in my hands in front of me to read causes me to constantly strain my forearms and wrists. Combining this with tensing of my forearms as I type and use the computer in a rather un-ergonomic arrangement and you have a recipe for tense tendons.
What are you doing about it?
To counteract this I have low impact exercises to perform every day to gently stretch and strengthen the tendons in my arms. But most importantly I have needed to completely overhaul the way I use my netbook, laptop and computers. Since I wouldn't stop using my computer as often as I do I need to take frequent breaks whenever I feel strained and I have needed to develop an ergonomic workplace. I cannot carry my netbook around to read, and if I need to use it while walking I rest it on my forearms. I need to be constantly aware of the possibility of straining my wrists, whether it be through carrying a bag or texting at a weird angle.
If I get pain I need to stop whatever task I am doing and rest. Working through the pain isn't a viable option, since the tissues cannot heal without resting. Ice for a short period of time and compression (through the use of an elastic wrap) can help relieve the pain.
In general, through a regimen of low impact exercise and easing into a regular but optimized day to day activity schedule will eventually ease the pain I feel and allow me to function normally, but it will take quite a while to undo all of the damage I've done to myself so far.
How can I be more ergonomic?
First of all, forget about that perfect posture thing. Sit comfortably, use the back of your chair for support, and recline slightly if that is comfortable for you. Sitting ram-rod straight for hours on end won't do you any good.
Don't hold your arms in a position they don't normally rest in. Use an arm rest if you want, and keep your forearms, wrists and hands level with one another and the keyboard.
Take this workspace assessment quiz to evaluate your current workspace. The site is a little stilted but the information is sound.
Consider getting an ergonomic keyboard. I haven't forked over the cash for one yet, but I'm just a poor student saving up for one. You can find all sorts of websites that offer examples of ergonomic supplies.
Use common sense, you'll know what doesn't feel right if you just take the time to think about it.
Lastly, please remember that I'm no doctor, and no physiotherapist. If I misrepresented anything my physiotherapist told me (although I don't think I have), that is my fault; If you blindly follow anything I've said, well, that is your fault. I'm passing on my understanding of knowledge told to me, and compiling it with information on the internet. Use your own mind and do your own research if you feel that this is an issue that could impact you.
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