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Office Syndrome - prevent RSI

If you are one of the many people who spend their working day desk bound, you may be at risk from repetitive strain injury. Here’s how to identify and prevent this common problem

Having a desk job may not seem hazardous, but it comes with its risks. Sitting in a fixed position while making small repetitive movements for eight hours a day or more can cause muscle fatigue, discomfort and aches and pains in the arms, neck and back – a condition commonly known as repetitive strain injury (RSI).

However, according to a report in the British Medical Journal, the term RSI is misleading because it’s not just repetitive movements that put us at risk of developing these aches and pains. Factors such as posture, stress and bad working habits also play a big part. Experts prefer to call it ‘work-related, upper-limb disorder.’

‘RSI is an umbrella term given to 20 or more conditions affecting muscles, tendons and nerves,’ says Andrew Chadwick, director of the RSI Association. ‘It usually affects the upper limbs and neck but can affect any part of the body,’ he says. It starts off as aches and pains that go away when you stop working. After a while, if you don’t do anything to correct your working habits, the aches and pains may only go away at weekends. If you carry on, you may get to the point where the symptoms only disappear when you’re on holiday – and get worse when you return. Chadwick re-iterates that RSI says more about how you got your pains rather than the pain itself. ‘It’s not a diagnosis,’ he says.

For details on RSI treatment options, visit The Repetitive Strain Injury Association.

As ever, the best treatment is prevention. ‘Anything that encourages you to adopt the most relaxed posture when you’re working can help prevent RSI,’ says Chadwick. You can minimise your chances of developing aches and pains by setting up your workstation in a way that encourages better posture. You should also take frequent breaks and adopt a posture-promoting and stress-busting exercises such as yoga or the Alexander Technique.

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