over & over again

Vegetarian Times, May, 2001 by Trisha Blanchet

Stretch It Out

As frustrating and painful as RSI can be, it's preventable. "Examine your day," Prokopiak says. "If you work 10 hours, how much of that time do you spend working purposefully to counteract repetitive motion?" He suggests stretching for at least two minutes every hour, whether your day is spent typing, answering a phone, operating a drill press or leaning over architectural drawings. "Stand up every so often and swing your arms in a big circle," Prokopiak advises. If you tend to lose track of time while working, wear a watch with an alarm set to go off every hour to remind you to stretch your fingers, arms, neck and back. "Doing yoga at the beginning or end of your day is also good," Prokopiak says. "It helps you move your entire body and is a wonderful daily stretching routine."

No-Nos

Plenty of experts feel that RSI can be avoided. They caution against balancing the phone between your shoulder and ear, hunching over your desk and hitting the keyboard harder than necessary. Ergonomically correct typing techniques, furniture and accessories that align your body in a natural, nonstressed position can go a long way in avoiding RSI (see "Office Ergonomics," p. 66), as can voice-recognition software that translates your speech into words onscreen and reduces time spent on the keyboard.

Only an estimated 1 percent of RSI sufferers can't find relief. For the rest, myriad treatments and lifestyle changes can speed the healing process. "It's not hopeless, not by a long shot," Dunleavy says. "I had one patient who just wanted to hold a fishing pole again; another woman couldn't cook dinner because she couldn't lift the frying pan. When I help someone with RSI, it's like getting them out of prison." And into the light at the end of the carpal tunnel.

office ergonomics

The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health provides these typing tips for preventing repetitive strain injury.

* Position your keyboard about one inch above your knees so you can type with your forearms parallel to the ground. Even though most keyboards are designed with the spacebar at the lowest position, you should tilt the keyboard slightly away from you, with the spacebar in the highest position.

* Look down, not up, at your monitor. The top of the screen should be two to three inches below eye level.

* Make sure your chair provides back support. Sit with your feet flat on the ground and your back straight.

* When typing, keep your wrists straight end your fingers relaxed.

* Don't rest your wrists on a pad while typing; this forces the small muscles and tendons to do the work. Instead, let your whole arm carry the burden by letting your hands "float" over the keyboard. When not typing, rest your hands in your lap.

* Don't stretch your fingers to reach faraway keys; lift and move your arms. Use two hands to perform double-key operations, such as using the shift to create a capital letter.

TRISHA BLANCHET is a writer and editor based in Monroe, Conn.