Key takeaways:
Repetitive strain injuries refer to pain or damage to the body caused by repetitive motions and overuse.
Repetitive strain injuries may be on the rise now that more people than ever are working from home during COVID-19.
You can decrease your risk of repetitive strain injuries by making your workspace more ergonomic, avoiding repetitive actions, decreasing stress, and doing stretching/strengthening exercises.
Repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) are among the most common and costly occupational health problems. Every year, they affect hundreds of thousands of American workers and cost more than $20 billion a year in worker’s compensation. Studies indicate that the more time you spend on the computer, the more likely you are to develop RSIs, especially musculoskeletal pain.
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the landscape of working from home. More people than ever are working remotely, in spaces that are often not well-suited to the demands of frequent screen time and computer use. RSIs appear to be on the rise with the increase of people working from home during COVID-19.
Here, we’ll review the common types of RSI and discuss how to recognize, prevent, and treat them.
Repetitive strain injuries — or repetitive stress injuries, as they are sometimes called — refer to a variety of disorders that lead to pain or damage to the:
Muscles
Nerves
Tendons
Joints
These injuries are caused by repetitive motions and overuse in daily life. The most commonly affected areas are usually in the upper body, such as the:
Hands
Wrists
Elbows
Back (both upper and lower)
Neck
Shoulders
RSIs are most commonly caused by:
Frequent repetitions of the same motion or activity
Maintaining the same posture for long periods of time
Maintaining an awkward position for a prolonged period of time (for example, using the neck to hold a phone headset)
Holding limbs with no support (for example, typing without sufficient wrist support)
Lifting heavy objects
Activities that involve vibration or mechanical compression
RSIs most commonly affect the upper body. They can lead to:
Carpal tunnel: This is numbness and tingling in the hand and arm, often caused by an inflamed nerve in the hand and wrist.
Tendonitis: This involves inflammation of a tendon and can occur in various parts of the body. For example, “texting thumb” is a type of tendonitis in which the thumb tendon gets inflamed from repeated texting, leading to pain and weakness.
Musculoskeletal strain of upper back and neck: This refers to musculoskeletal pain that is often worsened by spending many hours each day at the computer with poor posture.
Lower back pain: Chronic low back pain is often related to excessive strain on the lower back muscles from sitting in positions with poor back support.
Epicondylitis: This is inflammation in the area where the tendons attach to the bone. The most common example is tennis elbow. Despite the name, tennis elbow often shows up in workers who perform repetitive motions with their arms, such as painters, plumbers, and carpenters.
Symptoms of RSI can range from mild and occasional, to severe and constant when untreated.
Symptoms often include:
Pain
Weakness
Tingling
Numbness
Stiffness
Swelling of joints
You are more at risk of developing an RSI if you:
Engage in daily work with sustained, awkward, and repetitive movements, such as those described above
Have underlying health conditions such as diabetes or obesity
Have a previous injury, such as a rotator cuff tear or a wrist injury from prior trauma
Work in a high-stress environment
Don’t adapt your work environment in ways that are more ergonomic
If you find yourself sitting in a chair for most of the day in remote work, here are some ways to decrease your risk for RSIs.
Ergonomics is the science of arranging people and objects so that people can work in the safest and most efficient way possible. Some principles that apply to desk work include:
Adjust your computer so that the top of the monitor is at or just below eye level. Your eyes should look slightly downward to decrease neck strain.
Place the computer at an arm’s distance from you. This helps ensure that you can see the entire screen.
Arrange your chair so that your feet rest firmly on the floor with knees bent at 90°. Depending on the height of your chair and desk, this might involve purchasing a foot rest.
Find a chair that offers lower back support.
Make sure your wrists are supported when typing.
Repetitive movements put pressure on a small group of muscles and tendons. This can increase your risk of developing pain and injury.
Switch mouse hands: If your job entails frequent clicking with your mouse, consider switching your mouse to the other hand. This might have the added benefit of building new brain connections!
Stand up: Try to avoid sitting for prolonged periods. Consider investing in a standing desk, or one that converts between sitting and standing.
Divide up your day: Make sure tasks that involve repetitive movements aren’t done for hours at a time but are divided into smaller chunks.
Take breaks: Taking breaks is crucial to breaking up the repetition. Getting up every 30 to 60 minutes decreases your risk of RSI. Additionally, a study out of Columbia University indicates that spending less time sitting each day can decrease your risk of dying from heart disease or cancer.
Stress is a risk factor for RSI that can be modified. In this study from Washington State, people who reduced stress with mindfulness had better relief of chronic low back pain than those who did not. Common stress-reduction techniques include:
Deep breathing: One common strategy is the 4-7-8 breath. Inhale with a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 7, then exhale with a count of 8
Mindfulness meditation: This is a practice which involves paying attention to what you are feeling and sensing in the moment. Mindfulness has been linked to greater physical and emotional wellbeing.
Guided visualizations: This is a practice in which you are guided to create a peaceful or joyful visualization, which is associated with relaxation. Sometimes, this is paired with progressive muscle relaxation, in which you imagine your muscles relaxing, one by one.
Exercise: Even 20 minutes per day of exercise can have widespread health benefits.
Strengthening your muscles and doing regular stretches helps to provide good blood flow to your body and reduce the risk for RSIs. These exercises can also work as stress-relievers as well. There are many office-based exercises you can do in 5 to 10 minutes, including:
Six yoga exercises to do at your desk
Some exercises can be targeted to problem areas, such as wrist exercises for those with hand pain, back-pain exercises, and neck stretches
If you are developing symptoms of an RSI, it’s important to pay attention to what your body is feeling and to take steps to eliminate the pain as soon as possible. When left untreated, the damage to muscles and nerves can turn into more long-lasting disability. Some of the steps you can take at home include:
Limit activities that trigger pain.
Stretch.
Immobilize the area that has pain (use a splint).
Take NSAIDs, oral medications that are both anti-pain and anti-inflammation. They can decrease your discomfort but should not be taken long-term.
If your symptoms are not improving after taking the steps listed above, it is important to contact your healthcare provider. You may benefit from physical therapy. Here, a trained therapist will teach you specific stretching and strengthening exercises that will benefit your specific condition. For example, certain stretches for carpal tunnel are very effective in reducing pain. In more severe cases, cortisone injection shots or surgery might be necessary.
Even though working from home with frequent computer use can place you at increased risk for repetitive strain injuries, there are many steps you can take to keep your body healthy. By making your workplace more ergonomic, reducing repetitive activities, decreasing stress, and doing strengthening/stretching exercises, you can reduce your risk of repetitive strain injuries. If you have symptoms that aren’t improving with rest, stretching, and NSAIDs, it is helpful to reach out to your provider.