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About Repetitive Strain Injury

Are you working comfortably? If not, you're not alone - almost half a million Britons are affected by RSI, and the number is growing each day.

Repetitive Strain Injury, RSI, is a painful but preventable condition affecting nearly half a million Britons. If you (or your employees) spend most of the day by a desk operating a computer, then recent legislation could mean that RSI is one of the largest threats to your health, your job or your business.

The term RSI refers to a group of injuries affecting the muscles, tendons and nerves primarily of the neck and upper limbs. It is sometimes called Work Related Upper Limb Disorder (WRULD).

The important thing to remember is that RSI is preventable and treatable. For the health of you and your business, it is absolutely vital that the early warning signs are not ignored.

Facts & Figures

The following statistics released in September 2005 demonstrate the growing worry regarding RSI:

448,000 British workers now suffer from RSI - a jump of 52,000 since 2001/02 - with rates in the

North East soaring ahead of other regions

In 2003/2004, health and social workers replaced builders as the workforce most affected by RSI

4.7 million working days in Great Britain (full-time equivalent) were lost due to RSI in 2003/04

Of those afflicted, each person took an average of 18.3 days off in that time

It has been estimated that the cost to UK industry from RSI is likely to be up to £20 billion annually

Every day, six people in the UK leave their jobs due to an RSI condition

1 in 50 of all workers in the UK have reported an RSI condition

All figures relating to number of days lost through RSI caused or made worse by work, and the cost to UK industry are sourced from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) www.hse.gov.uk, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) www.tuc.org.uk and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP).

Symptoms of RSI

Do you think you might be suffering from RSI? If so, here are a few common symptoms to help you determine if it's time to see a professional - your general practitioner, occupational therapist or physiotherapist:

aches

pain

swelling

numbness

tingling

weakness

cramps

RSI is often caused by a combination of a number of factors, including:

overuse and repetition,

awkward or static posture,

insufficient recovery time,

a lack of RSI preventative products

and of course, stress.

RSI affects many groups of working people in a wide variety of occupations, including;

computer operators

laboratory technicians

musicians

those in the construction industry and factory workers

RSI Detailed Symptoms...

Legal Cases:

In 2002, a court ordered Barclays Bank to pay compensation of £244,000 to a former employee who was forced to give up work as a result of pain in her right hand. Fiona Conaty had worked as a bank clerk and argued that a defective work station caused her to carry out keyboard work with an unsuitable posture. Her symptoms developed over two years, after which time Miss Conaty was unable to tie her shoes or even comb her hair. She was only 28 years old at the time of the case.

There have been many other well publicised large awards, for example, to Kathleen Tovey and Kathleen Harris, both typists at the Inland Revenue, who were awarded £82,000 and £79,000 respectively.

In most cases, early recognition of the symptoms of RSI and appropriate measures to prevent further damage can avoid extreme outcomes. Eman Zaman, a London medical writer recognised the early symptoms of RSI during the development of a particularly challenging presentation pack. "I was lucky. As a medical writer, I recognised the early signs and could take the necessary steps to improve my posture and limit further damage. Poor awareness is at the root of many an RSI sufferer's pain - which is why International RSI Awareness Day and any effort to promote it, is so important."

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