/Voorpagina /Mensen /Nieuws /Opinie /Cultuur /Studentenleven /Achtergrond /English page /Onderzoek /Reportage /Bestuur /Ruis /Ranzigt /Colofon

/Faculteits Berichten /Vacatures /Mensa /Oude cursors /pdf formaat /TUE /Zoeken:

jaargang 43, 8 maart 2001 English page

TU/e Declares War on RSI "Repetitive strain injury or RSI is a misleading term. It should really be called PC cramp," says physiotherapist and sports teacher Frits Niemans. He was one of a number of speakers at the kick-off of the TU/e-wide anti-RSI campaign earlier this week. A rapt audience alternated between recognition and surprise as experts talked about causes of and solutions to RSI. About one hundred people at TU/e suffer from a serious form of RSI, say TU/e's health services. But this is not the whole story. According to other estimates, at least 30 per cent of computer users will contract some form of this painful complaint. Experts have found that 90 per cent of all computer workers have incorrect work posture and are therefore at risk. In a combined campaign, TU/e's company doctor, health services and Student Sports Centre want to try and prevent long-term injuries among staff and students. Invisible "Although there has been a lot of publicity about RSI, the medical profession still doesn't know very much about it," says TU/e's company doctor Ben Martens. "Someone may be almost totally incapacitated and have no visible nerve damage. RSI cannot be proven the way that a tennis elbow can and our solutions are not yet satisfactory in all cases." Martens explained that the most common form of RSI is caused by the continual tensing of muscles in neck, arms and shoulders in concentration while working at a computer. This can result in a kind of cramp that can cause nerve damage and long-term injury. A second form of RSI is induced by endlessly repeating a certain movement. This form of RSI is more common for sports people like tennis players, or for factory workers repeating the same movement. Responsibility Theo Melgers of AMSO urged everyone to take responsibility for a correct posture by making sure of a comfortable workplace. "Our furniture is built for average people. But I've never seen an average person," he said. "I'll list the basic things we need. Adjustable chairs. Desks of at least 80 cm in width, as modern 17 inch computer screens should be at least 60 to 70 cm distant from your eyes. Enough leg room. And correct visual aids. Bi-focal glasses are especially harmful. I've seen people squinting downwards from extremely weird positions trying to get their computer screens in focus." Special glasses are a solution to this last problem. Computer specs are a kind of reading glasses adjusted to your ideal distance from the computer screen. Normal reading glasses will not serve, as they are adjusted to normal reading distance. If you need these special glasses, they will be paid for by your health insurance. Relax and Move! Another aspect in prevention is making people aware of their posture as they concentrate on a computer screen. Many of us tend to adopt the same posture for far too long, and we tense up. The best, relaxed posture is sitting up straight with support in our backs. Keyboards should be flat on the desk, a tilted keyboard makes for more tension in the arms. It's better to make broad, sweeping gestures with your mouse - as opposed to fast, minute motions. It's therefore more comfortable to set your mouse to a slow speed. All the experts agree computer users need to move around as much as possible. Special computer programs can help. "If you are one of those people who get extremely irritated by the Workpace program, you are a prime candidate for RSI," says Ben Martens./. Workshops The first RSI workshops are planned for the evenings of March 19 and 26. These will be held in Dutch, anyone with a reasonable knowledge of the language is welcome. Physiotherapists at the Student Sports Centre are also offering special training sessions. The first RSI workshops in English are planned for April, dates will be published later in Cursor. A general information meeting in English will also be held April. Anyone already suffering symptoms of RSI should contact TU/e's health services at extension 4200 and e-mail www.tue.nl/tue-algemeen/amso for help. Workshops are free, a sports card is necessary for the special training sessions.

New Architecture Building Inaccessible to Handicapped It looks like the new 'B-hoog' Architecture department will be partly inaccessible to the handicapped and will therefore not receive the POG (Provinciaal Gehandicaptenbeleid) seal of approval. There will be four sub-floors in B-hoog, which will be connected by stairs only. Installing extra lifts would cost at least one million guilders. TU/e's real estate department already fears the budget for the new Architecture building will be insufficient, and says installing extra lifts is not feasible. The Executive Board has therefore decided to leave the plans as they are, without extra lifts for the split-levels. TU/e's committee for facilities for the handicapped says this is a disgrace. "We're talking about the Architecture department, where the architects of the future are educated. A department that says functional construction is one of its most important principles. This is unbelievable," says ir. Wim Lelieveld, the committee chairman.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]