What are the symptoms of RSI - and what do you do about it?

Do you suffer from your wrist, arm, neck, shoulders or other parts of the body? It can be this.

The last day of February is, like every year, the International Day against RSI (Repetitive Strain Injuries). You probably also know RSI as a mouse arm. The International Day against RSI was created to inform people about the risks and thus to reduce the number of RSI patients.

 

What is RSI?
RSI can occur if you repeatedly perform a repetitive procedure and it occurs after a long, static load on your muscles. That muscle is then tense, but hardly moves. As is the case with computers. When you move your mouse, you tighten your muscles, but the muscle moves with small fractions. This creates small contractions in your muscles that can cause pain. When you often make the same movement or are in a twisted or uncomfortable position, RSI can also be lurking. When you maintain these static movements, the pain can get worse, you can get cramp and you can even lose strength. 
 

 

How does RSI arise?
Now that we are increasingly living with screens, the possibilities to develop RSI are almost endless. RSI no longer arises purely on the work floor, but can simply be created on the toilet if you use your smartphone ( so guilty ).
 
In addition to the aforementioned factors, personal factors (age, gender, physique), environmental factors (work stress, quality of management / management, social life) and activity-related (number of working hours, working in an uncomfortable position, lack of variety in activities) also affect the risk of RSI.


What are RSI symptoms?
RSI manifests itself in many different, and also divergent, symptoms. Thus, it manifests itself in various forms of pain. Think of headaches, neck pain, pain in the shoulder area, arms, wrists, hands and when rotating or bending movements.
In addition, you can also suffer from muscle tension, stiffness, tingling and you can go through your wrists or drop things out of your hands due to loss or loss of strength. Because your skin can discolour, you can even see it with the naked eye when you suffer from RSI. This is not always the case.
 
Reacting more emotionally, being sensitive to heat or cold and being sensitive to touch can also be symptoms of RSI.
 

What to do against RSI?
RSI is especially common in people who always make the same movement. But the degree of stress can also influence the chance to develop RSI. Make sure you interrupt your work often enough. Go for a walk, take a trip around the department, get coffee for your colleagues, it does not matter what you do, if you interrupt that static, monotonous movement. Keep your general fitness under control and keep a good working posture under control.
 
Your employer can also help in the fight against RSI. Very good indeed. For example, he can provide the right equipment and equipment. What else can you do at work to reduce the amount? Make sure your monitor (with the top) is at eye level, that your knees are slightly below the height of your hips when you are sitting. Make sure that your forearms can make an angle of 90 degrees in relation to your upper arms, that you are upright, that you alternate the computer work with something else, that you do not sit too long and take many micro breaks. So go pee if you have to and drink if you are thirsty. That sounds very logical, but so many people who postpone it as much as possible.