In 1977, Kenneth H. Olson, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, said “There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home.”  30 years ago, maybe no one could have predicted that computers would be everywhere. Not only in the home, but in schools, coffee houses, hotels, and one on every desk in the workplace. The upsurge in the numbers of computers has been accompanied by an upsurge in the incidents of repetitive stress injuries (RSI). Injuries so serious that, in 2003, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says workers with tendonitis lost an average of eleven days of work. 

Most people only think of carpal tunnel syndrome in terms of repetitive motion injuries to hands. Many conditions actually are included in the RSI category such as:

• Tendonitis
• Tendonosis
• Tenosynovitis
• Bursitis
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Cubital tunnel syndrome
• Trigger finger/thumb
• Myofascial pain syndrome
• Thoracid outlet syndrome

These injuries cause pain and make even the easiest of daily tasks difficult. Not to mention the struggle it becomes to type on a keyboard. And the keyboard is the number one culprit when it comes to the causes of RSI.  

Buying an ergonomically correct keyboard is a great investment into the health of your hands. You can see immediately how they differ from a conventional keyboard. Instead of being flat, ergonomically designed keyboards slope upwards to accommodate a more natural hand position. These user friendly keyboards are wider, too. This means the typist’s arms can hang more normally. Getting a well designed keyboard doesn’t mean breaking the bank, either. The price range starts at about $29 and goes from there.

Next on the hit parade of likely causes for RSI is our little friend the mouse. Users tend to grip the mouse too hard or twist their wrists. Mice designed to reduce strain on the hand come in all sorts of interesting shapes and styles. Some of them are “vertical” in nature. This means your hand doesn’t have to be always held flat, as with a traditional mouse. The thumb resting on top of the mouse makes for a less forced wrist position.  Some ergonomically correct mice look more like joysticks. There’s even a Zero Tension Mouse. (Gee, wonder if you could order a Zero Tension Life with that!) One thing they all have in common, though—they look very cool.

Since the hand bone’s connected to the arm bone, you want to consider how your arm is supported as you work at your computer. There are lots of nifty types of arm supports available. Using one of these will keep you from constantly tensing your arm and shoulder. They easily attach to your desktop or chair. For as little as $19.95 you can save yourself a lot of aching muscles.

In addition to using well designed equipment, taking good care of your hands is key to avoiding RSI.

• Stretched to the limit: add hand stretching exercises to your breaks. The soft tissues stay in limited, rigid positions as you type. To keep those muscles, tendons, and ligaments flexible, stretch them often.
• Warm is better than cold: soft tissues are more vulnerable to injury when they’re chilly.  Keep those hands toasty and happy.
• Your main squeeze: don’t hold the mouse in a death grip. What did it ever do to you?
• Lighten up: easy on the keyboard should be your rule. Save the wear and tear on your fingers.

 Mr. Olson may not have predicted how widespread computers would turn out to be; that people would spend hours at work and at home using one. But despite all those hours, with the right equipment and practices, you can predict healthy hands for years to come.