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Issue
Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) or Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTD) are the result of the effects of constant and consistent repetition of movement and exertion on particular parts of your body. 

• Warning signs are pain, tingling, numbness or weakness located between the neck and hands. 
• Untreated, symptoms can progress from unusual clumsiness associated with weakening muscles to irreparable nerve damage.
• The result can be Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).

Most experts agree that correcting your posture, so that the elbows bend at a 100 degree angle, and taking frequent rests can alleviate the problem.

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and what other of aliments caused by computer use? Click here to find out.

Prevention

• Keep Keyboard Low and Close
  - the keyboard and mouse should be kept in a position where the elbows form a 100 to 110 degree angle. The elbows should be in at the sides, not reaching forward.
  Tip: If you are sitting up straight in the chair, the wrists will below the elbows. If you recline, they will be about even. The keyboard and mouse should be very close to your lap.

• Keep Wrists Straight
  - the wrists should be straight - if the keyboard angles up, a strain is put on the forearms
  Tip: To get the wrists straight, it is often necessary to have the keyboard negatively tilted. To achieve the proper position, an adjustable computer table, or an adjustable keyboard tray should be used. Keep fingernails short; long fingernails result in awkward wrist posture.

• Keep Wrists Immobile
  - use as little wrist motion as possible
  Tip: Try not to park on the wrist-rests - this causes you to move only from the wrists. If using a wrist-rest, use it as a landing pad - rest gently and glide over the rest while keying.

• Use A Light Touch
  - do not pound on the keys, instead use as light a touch as possible
  Tip: Keep keyboard clean and working properly. The keys should depress to a light touch. Your fingers should be relaxed when mousing or keying.

• Use Free-Moving Mouse That Fits Your Hand
  - mouse should fit the hand well, should not have buttons that are awkwardly placed and move easily. Don't hold a mouse or pointing device too tightly or for too long.
  Tip: Using 1 or 2 fingers to point a device around is not a safe option, as they become over used.

Equipment

Input Devices
- this includes both the keyboard and mouse

• An ergonomic keyboard encourages a straight line from arms to the middle finger.

• Keyboards should offer tactile feedback that makes it easy to gauge when you've completed a stroke.

• The keyboard should be flat, not banked up into a positive tilt.

• If the keyboard has its own wrist-rest, it should not be so large that it creates a reach to access the keys.

Wrist-Rests
- there are wrist-rests for both the keyboard and mouse

• They should be made of medium softness material - not be too mushy so that you sink into them; not so hard that they compress your wrist and the carpal tunnel.

• They should not move. If not built in, the keyboard should sit on the base and holds the wrist-rest in place.

• Make sure that the material that the wrist-rest is made of is easy to glide the wrist over. A rough material can irritate the skin.

Table
- a good computer table should fit the user properly and accommodate many users

• Keyboard tray should be adjustable. There should be enough leg clearance under it to get it very close down to and into your lap without banging the knees into any knobs, or levers. Generally, this height varies from 23 to 28 inches depending on your height.

• Make sure the table is deep enough so that the monitor can be can be properly placed on it.

• If you do a lot of writing or phone work, it is helpful to have an L-shaped table, where the keyboard is on the left-hand desk, and your writing desk is very close to the right (the opposite for left-handed people). This eliminates over reaching to write or answer the phone .

Treatment

If you experience any sort of pain, you should go see a doctor right away. A pain in your wrist, or anywhere else in your body, may indicate larger medical problems. If you believe that your injury is a direct result of working at a computer, then you might want to see an occupational therapist, since misdiagnosis is not uncommon. Only use splints and wrist supports after instruction by your physician or therapist.

Links

UCLA Ergonomics, Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI) or Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD)
http://www.ergonomics.ucla.edu/Ergowebv2.0/wmsd_and_rsi_page.htm
Descriptions of the anatomy behind many of the injuries that can occur to the nerves, muscles, tendons, and joints.

University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Computer Related Repetitive Strain Injuries
http://www.engr.unl.edu/eeshop/rsi.html
Information about preventing computer-related repetitive strain injuries with links to a multitude of other sites.

UC Davis Environmental Health and Safety
http://www-ehs.ucdavis.edu/sftynet/sn-96.html
Tips on safe keyboard and mouse use with photos and suggestions for improving unsafe postures.

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