1. RSI Awareness Awareness and Prevention

2. Overview
What is RSI?
Warning Signs
Preventative Measures
Treatment

3. What is RSI?
Repetitive strain injury, also called repetitive stress injury or typing injury, is an occupational overuse syndrome affecting muscles, tendons and nerves in the arms and upper back. It occurs when muscles in these areas are kept tense for very long periods of time, due to poor posture and/or repetitive motions.

4. What is RSI?
Repetitive strain injury is not a specific disease but a loose group of other, more specific conditions. Some of these are:
Tendonitis
Ulnar nerve entrapment
Stenosing tenosynovitis
Tenosynovitis
Carpal tunnel syndrome
DeQuervain's syndrome
Thoracic outlet syndrome
Trigger finger/thumb
Intersection syndrome
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSDS)

5. Wikipedia’s Warning signs
RSI conditions have many varied symptoms. The following may indicate the onset of RSI:
Recurring pain or soreness in neck, shoulders, upper back, wrists or hands.
Tingling, numbness, coldness or loss of sensation.
Loss of grip strength, lack of endurance, weakness, fatigue.
Muscles in the arms and shoulders feel hard and wiry when palpated.
Pain or numbness while lying in bed. Often early stage RSI sufferers mistakenly think they are lying on their arms in an awkward position cutting off circulation.

6. The effect of Stress Depletion of vitamins and minerals
Adrenal Fatigue
Neural damage

7. Preventative Measures
Posture and work environment
Ergonomic devices
Pause-scheme software
Office/Lab Exercises
‘Real’ Exercise

9. Ergonomic Devices MS Natural KB and other split KBs
Dvorak keyboard layout
BEWARE of trackballs, touchpads, wrist-rests!

10. Pause Scheme Software Workrave
Available for Linux and Windows
Free and Opensource 
Other products such as Xwrits (Tested successfully under FreeBSD)

11. Office/Lab Exercises Get up from your chair regularly
Turn around in your chair and look behind you
Shrug your shoulders and roll them backwards
Take a deep breath, lean back in your chair and stretch to the roof
Tighten and relax buttocks
Grasp hands behind back and bring shoulder blades together
Bring forearms together and round upper back
Hold onto the bottom of your chair and bring your ear to your shoulder (both directions)
Karate Movement
Penguin Walk
Push wall Away
Alphabet Rotator-cuff excercises
-D Perry (BSc (Physio) UOFS), Mill Park, Port Elizabeth

12. ‘Real’ Exercise Jog/Gym/Swim/etc!
Rhodes gym instructors will offer advice on exercise programs to target specific problems or muscle groups
Most important factors:
Variety
Elevated heart rate, regularly, for minutes (daily, ideally!)

13. Treatment Very difficult to treat Minor Treatments:
Voltaren gel and similar products (ingredient – diclofenac)
Ice/warmth
Things that work quite well but very slowly:
Massage
Acupuncture
Laser therapy
Things that work for about 50% of people but can have nasty side-effects:
Carpal Tunnel Operation
Anti-inflamatories
Cortisone injections into tendons etc

14. Conclusion Can be debilitating, career-ending problem
PREVENTION – Take it seriously, don’t ignore warning signs
Spending money & time early can save you a lot!