How to Reduce Your Risk for Repetitive Strain Injury

In this age of computers, the risk of Repetitive Stress Injury, or RSI, is greater than ever. The constant typing, hunched over a keyboard, causes wear and tear on your hands, wrists, back and neck, leading to carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, writer's cramp, osteoarthritis and other nerve and circulation disorders. Reducing your risk factors can help you avoid a lot of this sort of pain in the future.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Reduce your computer usage.
2. Drive less. Try carpooling to work or have a relative drive you to run errands.
3. Play video games less. Video games might help build some finger dexterity and hand-eye coordination, but too much will harm you in the long run.
4. Improve your posture. Don't lean too far forward or slump too far backward for extended periods of time. Your bones could end up misaligned.
5. Change the way you type. Don't hit the keys harder or press them down longer than is necessary. Don't contort your fingers as you type; for instance, "hunt and peck" typers who lift a pinkie or thumb and they type with their index fingers. Don't grip a mouse too tightly, and DO NOT rest the butt of your palms on a wrist pad.
6. Reduce your stress and fatigue. Avoid working in cramped, noisy surroundings and high-pressure workplaces.
7. Improve your diet. Cut down on salt, which can aggravate nerve problems and caffeine, which increases fatigue. Increase your intake of antioxidants, which can help you heal more quickly.
8. Reduce your alcohol consumption. Alcohol can increase fatigue, aggravate tissue injury due to dehydration and counteract the body's natural painkillers, like endorphins.
9. Stop smoking. Nicotine impeded the circulation of blood in your body, potentially leading to muscle disorders and countless other problems.
10. Lose weight. Being overweight increases the pressure on your arms as you type.
11. Cut your fingernails. Long fingernails tend to force your hands into more unnatural positions as you type.
12. Pay attention to the activities you do other than typing. Driving, video games, lifting weights, playing a musical instrument, carpentry, gardening, playing tennis and even sewing can lead to RSI.