Articles

By Eran Baniel

 Like so many others, Anna loves working from her office at home – it feels so "homey," so comfortable and secure. Like so many others, she was not aware of an injury working its way up from the wrist to the arm during the long hours she spent at her computer. At first it was a discomfort, than a nagging strain, than a recurring pain until it became unbearable and partially paralyzed her. "This is embarrassing", Anna told her me when we met at a "Working from home" conference, "I can't bring myself to go with this to my Doctor.  I feel like I'd be coming to him with a problem like a nail that grew into my toe." Although it has been recognized by many Western authorities as a modern-day plague, there is a deep confusion as to what should be done and who should assume responsibility to reduce the suffering and the costs incurred by Repetitive Strain Injury. Workplace ergonomics, desk exercises & office stretches are often a service addressed by the HR department or the Employee Wellness department, but how can  those working from home protect themselves or relieve their lower & upper back pain, neck & shoulder pain & wrist pain?

 Recently I was a guest at a lecture given by an ergonomic specialist for some 200 Investment Bankers and their staff at their headquarters. The speaker listed the most common computer injuries such as upper and lower back-pain, neck and shoulder pain, or painful wrists, and then turned towards his audience and asked how many have experienced one or more of those complaints. About a quarter of the bankers lifted their hands. A young participant stood up and said to the ergonomic specialist: "If you want the true answer you should phrase your question in a different way", she turned to her colleagues and asked: "Is there anyone in this room who did not suffer from one or more of those complaints?" No one raised a hand. Why did 75% of the bankers choose not to raise their hands if they all had experienced some form of computer injury?

 Computer injuries are, by definition, a  Repetitive Strain Injury – RSI. They are not accidents happening in a split second, creating drama and drawing attention. They creep up on us ,and when we finally become aware of a problem it often takes a long time to figure out the cause. Like bad habits, we tend to be ashamed of them: we feel it was so silly to have let minor details like the positioning of the mouse or keyboard develop into a  major injury through benign neglect. Not knowing how to protect ourselves against RSI, or how to reverse a developing acute problem, we postpone taking action until we have so much pain that conducting normal activities become difficult.

Computer user guides have only recently started to mention the risk of repetitive strain injuries and how to avoid them, and the warnings are typically buried in the pages of meaningless drivel that also warn against using your computer in the bathtub or while standing in a lightning storm.  Unlike medicines where counter-indications show up quickly  and often dramatically -  clearly indicating the cause, the slow and subversive nature of RSI makes it difficult to see a cause and effect relationship.

The manufacturer sells the hardware and software and can not be held responsible for the use one makes of them. Employers often do not know of a problem and may not want to be bothered by such "trivial" problems like the distance between employees and their keyboards. External advisors are rarely called upon by those working from home and in corporations they are often asked not to put into their reports matters that may incur costs on the corporation. Going to the gym is rarely regarded as a solution for a pain one has developed in the wrist. Physicians will treat the symptoms. They can not be expected to check every patient's work-station, or trace a shoulder problem all the way back to the use of a certain device or a chair that is too low or too high.

The nature and scope of the RSI crisis  suggests that new approaches are needed to deal with the problem.  One such solution combines ergonomic advice and guidance with a program of deceptively simple exercises that can be performed during a 5 minute break at the user's desk.  The exercises are demonstrated by a cute little guy who is a Flash animation.   He becomes the "personal trainer" to the user and can offer break reminders and guide users through a sequence of exercises and stretches that can not only prevent RSI problems, but for many users can provide dramatic pain relief – sometimes in as little as one repetition.  Exercises are grouped to target specific areas such as neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain, or wrist pain, and the system guides the user to the proper sequence for best results.

This system has been developed by Desk-Trainer Ltd., a small company from San Rafael, CA and Tel-Aviv. Desk-Trainer identified the need for a solution to the RSI problem and created a low-cost subscription service over the web at desk-trainer.com. The system is also available in a corporate version and for delivery via cellular phones. The web site offers users a free exercise targeting whichever area of the body they specify, and user feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

Desk-Trainer is a new tool in the fight against the nagging pain and productivity-loss caused by RSI that the developers hope will allow all computer users to prevent RSI, reduce pains and improve their productivity and quality of life.

www.desk-trainer.com