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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.