It’s Not Carpal Tunnel

How many times an hour do you make the same hand and arm movements at work? Dozens at least. And you have a certain way that you sit, move the mouse and position yourself in front of the keyboard.

If your work position isn’t in proper alignment, then you are gradually creating a Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI). This kind of injury is caused by repeated movement of hands, arms and shoulders that can become a source of chronic, debilitating pain.

Over time the tendons move improperly against the ligaments and bones and become you know it, the tendons become inflamed and painful.

In a worse case, you might develop a pinched nerve in the neck or lower back. Day after day of repeating these movements turn a simple pain into a serious problem that might need surgery to correct.

The first signs of a Repetitive Stress Injury are aching muscles or cramped feeling in the arms, shoulders or wrist. Even when you stop typing or working, your muscles still feel tired.

You may also have a pain that seems to run up the arm to the shoulder like waves. Or you may feel a tingling sensation or numbness in one area. This is particularly awkward when your typing speed is impaired by numbness in the fingers.

As the pain increases, it does not stop even after you leave work. Anything you do around the house becomes painful. The numbness and pain waves can also interrupt your sleep. Gradually you stop doing things you enjoy, like cooking, sewing, woodworking or playing sports. What was a pain at work is now a pain all day long.

The time to deal with Repetitive Stress Injury is at the first sign of pain. Start by sitting up straight in your desk chair. Leaning or slouching is bad for your back and puts you out of alignment to the keyboard.

Arrange your keyboard height so that your elbows are bent and wrists are not bent as you type. Get a gel filled wrist rest at an office supply store to help keep you wrists in proper position.

You can even get a smaller gel wrist rest for your mouse. And please, don’t use your mouse on the desktop or anyplace that is higher than your typing position. That’s really rough on your shoulder joint.

When you aren’t typing, avoid hovering your hand over the mouse or keyboard. Take a minute at least once per hour, twice is better, to exercise your wrists. Move your hand up and down, than bend your elbow to move your arm up and down. You can find RSI exercises online.

If you don’t take quick action to change your posture and work position, Repetitive Stress Injury will get worse. Take this problem seriously before it becomes carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis or bursitis. RSI is more than a pain, it’s a leading cause of workplace disability that can be avoided or delayed.