The page is not so much intended as a page of products that I endorse. It is more a collection of the latest products in the field of ergonomic computer input as well as some key older products. It may contain ergonomic products which I find to be useful, potentially useful, or completely bizarre, and will where appropriate have my comments on the product and if available, a link to a review that I have done on the item. I will clearly state whether I have/have not used the product.

The page will be updated/added to as new products appear on the market.

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I may not be a medical professional, but I am able to tell when I encounter descriptions of body motion that just make plain sense, and this DVD contains some enlightening information. In a collection of well narrated chapters complete with diagrammatic video illustration, the evidence is laid bare of our common tendencies to keep our bodies out of balance, causing pain through muscle tensions that, in turn, keep our bodies in bad posture. This is due in part to us having mapped the body in a particular way, eg in relation to position, when in reality the position is entirely different.

This DVD is broken into multiple sections covering the many aspects of posture imbalance, and covers areas from the head to the feet and just about everywhere in between. Posture is translated by the authors as ‘Body Maps’ which are essentially memories in your mind of where you think your individual body parts are and how you use them. The DVD highlights how you may have had a flawed map (understanding) of your various body parts in your mind from a very young age. This may have led you to actually move according to those flaws and results in the straining of some parts of your body which can lead to pain. As the narrator tells us, “We move in the way in which we think we are constructed …”, either consciously or unconsciously. Wrong body maps can be responsible for many bad posture related problems, from walking to sitting, to using a computer.

Subjects covered in the DVD include -

• Body maps – identifying flaws in the human body map and how to recognise those errors
• Balance – identifying correct balance with core posture, and identifying posture related pain
• Kinesthesia – learning free and fluid movement to correct body imbalances
• Arms – covering shoulders, elbows,  wrists and hands
• Legs – covering hips, pelvis, knees and feet
• Breathing – covering lungs, skeletal/muscular system, diaphragm
• Mapping the whole body
• Correcting the map
• Inclusive attention

The areas I can relate to most pertain to the shoulders, arms, wrists and hands. These are covered in detail and are very applicable to the RSI sufferer. The main posture/skeletal issues with RSI type injuries are listed, adding to the viewer’s knowledge and understanding through plain and straightforward explanations along with clear diagrams and video.

From previous experience, I knew that over-supination of the wrists was a bad thing, but now I know about the natural axis of rotation of the forearm and how it ties in with a neutral position wrist, as well as why supination causes so many injuries.

The company website rather generously shows sample videos of some chapters which are well worth checking out, and will give you a sneak peak of the DVD content and style as well as some key body map information!

• ‘Elbows’ chapter
• ‘Arms’ chapter
• ‘Forearms’ chapter
• ‘Hands’ chapter
• ‘Lower Back’ chapter
• ‘Balance’ chapter
• ‘Lungs’ chapter

I also found the section on breathing very interesting. It’s probably the first time I’ve been able to picture the role of the diaphragm in breathing, and I certainly had my lungs mapped as being a bit lower than they actually are. The related section on the ribcage was also revealing to me having just recently strained my sternum connective tissue whilst gardening. It  also reinforces the benefits of some breathing practices including Yogic breathing (Pranayama).

The DVD run time is a substantial 2hrs,  and certainly lends itself to being watched in stages. There is the temptation to skip straight to the section you are most interested in, however it should be watched as a whole to get the complete picture and overall message firmly ingrained in your mind. I expect that multiple viewings would be best to fully absorb the detail.

All in all this DVD is an excellent resource for just about everyone. It is not solely aimed at one specific group of people eg RSI sufferers, but covers the whole body, and should be a useful education tool for everyone, including ergonomists, physiotherapists, fitness instructors, yoga teachers etc, as well as many others including in the medical profession.

If you have posture related pain it’s likely that it’s down to your bad body map and it’s certainly time to re-educate yourself!

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The reason that developments like this are exciting is that the games business, being a cutting edge, technologically advanced industry, usually pushes the boundaries of software and hardware development for the sake of market share.

Technology like this for, say, computer controls would ordinarily evolve a lot slower if there were a lesser need for it aside  from gaming. However, once developed, you can see how it could easily transform into some kind of gesture control for computer operating systems and applications. Who knows, you may even get a workout whilst doing a spreadsheet in the future!  Will a workout mat eventually replace the old desk?  Maybe we can eliminate the need for going to a gym!  Do employers only hire fit people in the future?

We are certainly at a crossroads with computers, where the basic mouse has been around too long and has created too many overuse injuries. It is more than time that we took computer input to a new level of evolution, and this may be the glimpse of what’s to come.

Whether this technology can save us from RSI related injuries is unknown, but it may help wean us off using a mouse. It may also lead to opportunities in computer use for people with all kinds of different disabilities, and not just RSI.

Is this the dawn of a new age in computer ergonomics, or is it just a gimmick ?

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Previously, while living in the US, I was sent for Bio Feedback monitoring, and was ‘hooked up’ to many electrode pads around my neck, shoulders, and arms. These were to be used to measure muscle tension in all the upper body limbs including the neck and shoulder area.  The sensors are connected to a computer which plots out the associated muscle tensions on a monitor, so you have real time visualisation of the various muscle tensions you hold in your upper body when operating computer equipment. You are actually seated in front of a real keyboard and mouse, and asked to type and enter data like you normally would in your daily life.

I was actually quite surprised at how much tension the signals showed, and was constantly told to relax the posture to drop the tension levels – not an easy task!

I had to really try to relax my whole body from my head to neck to shoulders to arms to wrist angle to make even the slightest difference. The difficulty was trying to hold it there whilst typing and using a mouse.

Emphasis was placed on relaxing muscles that control the upper limbs, as well as suggestions on how to become more relaxed in the mind both inside and outside of the office environment.

As with other RSI awareness education therapies, there was no magic bullet for me with Bio Feedback, but it certainly helped to raise my awareness of how tense my upper body limbs (including shoulders) became while operating computer equipment, and that really is an important part of the RSI education process.

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There are a lot of braces out there, and what works for one person may not work for everyone. Braces are usually made out of neoprene or elasticated material coupled with a metal or hard plastic support to immobilise the wrist.

The primary use of the wrist brace should not be forgotten ie to rest wrist joints and forearm muscles that drive the wrist motion (forearm extensors, flexors), and reduce the pain associated from overuse injuries. While this may sound like a good thing, quite often if you wear a brace while using a computer, you will end up using other muscles in a strenuous way to do the same work, and can cause other injuries because of this.

There is no such thing as an ideal wrist brace, it really depends on what they are trying to do.

In the course of your RSI journey you way well encounter many different styles of wrist braces.

My general rules concerning wrist braces are -

1. You shouldn’t jump in and buy a wrist brace without first seeking advice from a physiotherapist or doctor.
2. Ideally, it should be used to rest (heal) the wrist and the overused (painful) muscles that drive the wrist extension and flexion, and not worn when using a keyboard or mouse.
3. Exceptions to the rule are perhaps specific braces intended to stop excessive flexion of the wrist if you are prone to this. It’s a far better idea to be able to spot this flexion yourself and change it, but if you have difficulty doing this then a brace may be required. Alternatively have someone stand and watch over you with a big stick, you will learn faster then!
4. Braces used to rest the wrist should not be too tight, just a snug fit. Over tightening can lead to restricted blood flow to the hand and wrists.
5. Consider wearing a wrist brace at night in bed to avoid sleeping with your arms/wrists/hands in bent positions. It is critical that you don’t have a tight brace when doing this so as not to restrict blood flow.
6. Don’t use them unless you have to. Its better to know your pain, when it happens and try to make adjustments to your  work practice etc to reduce the causes than it is to just ‘bandage up’ your injured wrists into a brace.
7. Neoprene braces can be hot, sweaty, smelly and itchy to wear even for short periods of time. Better to look for ventilated elastic material ones.
8. Wrist braces are not a good  universal fit for everyone, so you may have to make some adjustments to it to make it comfortable, including cutting bits out of it or adding some customised padding.
9. Wear them at work and they do flag to your employer and colleagues that you have a RSI problem!

Remember though, wrist braces are not a solution to RSI, they are really only there to rest an injury and ease pain. To address your injury it is far better to try to make adjustments to your work to stop the motion that is causing you to have the pain. In other words, you should monitor your wrist, hand motions at a keyboard etc, and make adjustments to your bad working practices, including posture changes. You should also introduce more regular breaks away from your computer along with a good stretching routine and some physical activity.

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“There is a growing awareness of how much of an impact there is on students. A lot of the ergonomists I work with at different companies have been noticing that students are graduating from college and coming into the workforce already with chronic repetitive strain-injury problems. It seems at least from the anecdotal stuff that it’s important to start focusing more on the student population.”

This could unfortunately be the start of the RSI epidemic wave that I have long been expecting. The younger generation coming through universities and colleges of further education are the ones that have been exposed to ‘technology’ since they were born and have grown up accustomed to a hi-tech life full of computers, mobile phones, gaming systems and other ‘daily use’ gadgets in complete ignorance of the danger that they pose. They are the generation that have grown up with an ever expanding level of text messaging.

What this generation does not appreciate are the dangers associated with RSI type conditions and their implications for future employment (and earnings) prospects. I also wonder whether employers realise the risks of employing people with these conditions, especially into computer intensive jobs. It may not be too far in the future before employers start to check for these conditions during a pre hiring medical examination, although it may be hard to diagnose without honesty from the potential employee.

What is obvious to me is that ergonomic and RSI health awareness training currently aimed solely at employed adults has to be brought into schools, colleges and universities also to educate the future employees before they succumb to a debilitating RSI condition when they start their employed adult life.

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The RSI pain cycle once ‘locked’ into is a hard one to break free from. The common mistake is to address only one or two factors. If the sufferer is at an early stage of RSI, and is fortunate then one change eg ergonomic setup may be enough to break free, but any medium/long term sufferer who is trapped in this cycle should consider addressing most/all of the underlying trigger causes to allow the transition to an RSI free life. The second diagram (click image to enlarge) shows the key areas to address to break the cycle.

You can also download the 2 diagrams in Breaking The RSI Pain Cycle (pdf)

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• Computer operator professional or otherwise
• Deep in concentration about your work, intolerant of interruptions
• You slouch at your desk, peering at the computer screen, unaware of your posture
• Working on a key project with tight deadline
• Stressing about achieving that deadline
• Working in a competitive environment in uncertain times
• Spending your work time at a computer for 5-10 hours a day
• Taking minimal breaks, and most of these are spent checking email /surfing the web
• Lunch is frequently a sandwich eaten at your desk whilst working
• You are a heavy coffee drinker
• You spend a cumulative 30 min/day sending text messages on your mobile phone
• You go home after a 10 hour day and relax by ripping some CDs to mp3, updating your iPod, catching up on personal email and unwinding by playing a ’shoot ‘em up’ on your computer/games system for 2-3 hours
• You spends 6-8 hours sleeping before starting the cycle again

Lets break down each point and try to inject some solutions -

• Computer operator professional or otherwise
  Can’t change a lot here (short of changing careers!)
• Deep in concentration about your work, intolerant of interruptions
  I’m not suggesting that you should not be concentrating on your work, but you need to recognise that interruptions, including going for breaks, are very important to your wellbeing!
• You slouch at your desk, peering at the computer screen, unaware of your posture
  Posture is not always an easy thing to correct since you often feel comfortable slouching, however slouching is often  having an adverse impact on your muscles, tendons and nerves. Good ergonomics is key and you need to pay attention to them. If you are working for a company with an Ergonomist, listen to what they have to say and make those changes.
• Working on a key project with tight deadline
  Again not a whole lot you can do to change this, but try to understand that your current project, future projects, and your entire workload could be put at risk if you develop a RSI condition. It is in the interests of both you and your employer to keep you healthy both now and in the future. This fact is often lost in the everyday hectic business environment.
• Stresses about achieving that deadline
  Stressing about a variety of things in life is part of human nature. However, you are not likely to improve either your work output or your health by stressing over a work related task or deadline. Your muscles will tighten up, and cause tension in much of your body which can exacerbate RSI conditions. As a result, it is important to reduce this tension. Short ’sanity’ breaks as well as taking lunch and tea breaks can help act as stress busters. For more mental relaxation try taking up yoga and/or meditation, or perhaps some other physical pastime.
• You are working in a competitive environment in uncertain times
  Once more not much you can do here unless you want a career change. Just remember that you are far more valuable to your employer as healthy worker. Pacing yourself, but being a dependable, reliable worker is key here. Blasting through your work at break-neck speed may make you look like a superstar, but is not sustainable, and may lead to even more work/pressure/expectation, at detriment to your health.
• You are spending your work time at a computer for 5-10 hours a day
  This is something you can reduce, and need to do so dramatically if you are hitting these types of hours per day at a computer. You can do this by introducing break timers to your computer, and making sure you take ‘micro’ breaks throughout the day. At least one 5 minute ‘micro’ break every hour is ideal. You also need to adhere to official break times even if you don’t feel like taking them.
• You are taking minimal breaks, and most of these are spent checking email/surfing the web
  If you are spending break time checking email and surfing the internet, then this isn’t a physical break. Your body won’t thank you for this type of rest.
• Lunch is frequently a sandwich eaten at your desk whilst working
  Many people skip lunch breaks. This may be due to workload, social reasons or perhaps just to free up time to do email. However, by making the choice to stay at your desk, you are not letting your body get the physical break that it requires when using a computer all day. Even if you set out with the best of intentions, eg reading a book or newspaper, you are likely to get interrupted by fellow workers or the telephone, and end up jumping back on to the computer as a result. It is always best to ensure that all breaks are taken away from your desk.
• You are a heavy coffee drinker
  Caffeine is a diuretic, and as such will cause you to lack hydration which is what sore, tight muscles need to heal. Better off switching to water.
• You spend a cumulative 30min per day sending text messages on your mobile phone
  This is an activity that has to be reduced by everyone. Texting is repetitive in nature and can increase the small repetitive motions in your thumbs and fingers. All these small clicks will add to an already heavy arm/hand workload, and should be avoided as much as possible.
• You go home after a 10 hour day and relax by ripping some CDs to mp3, updating your iPod, catching up on personal email and unwinding by playing a ’shoot ‘em up’ on your computer/games system for 2-3 hours
  If you have a career using a computer then you seriously do not want to be using them after work for relaxation purposes. If you do, you will just be adding more risk to your already high RSI risk lifestyle. Computers at home are seldom set up ergonomically and are often located in decidedly tight, unergonomic spaces. All computer/gaming/gadget use at home should be severely restricted or eliminated if you work with computers during the day.
• You spend 6-8 hours sleeping before starting the cycle again
  If sleeping is the only time that you are not interacting with a computer, mobile phone, handheld or other gadget, then I’m surprised if you don’t have an RSI condition already! Resting your body is not something that needs to happen only when you sleep. Resting from computers isn’t necessarily all about sitting, sleeping etc,  it can take the form of some other physical activity eg swimming, cycling etc, where you start to get blood flowing around your body which will promote healing of tight, damaged and stressed muscles.

You don’t need to meet all of my listed risk criteria to be at risk of developing RSI. The key is to recognise where in your life you can see similarities with the criteria, accept that you may be putting yourself at risk, and make some lifestyle adjustments accordingly to minimise those risks.

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The article indicates that RSI is part of an ever increasing phenomena affecting 115,000 workers last year a staggering 34% increase from the previous year. If ever we needed evidence that RSI is reaching epidemic levels, then this is it.

It also contains a quote from Pauline Cole (a spokesperson for the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Occupational Health and Ergonomics (ACPOHE))

“A lot of people are using computers more, even in jobs you wouldn’t traditionally expect it”.

This is the trouble with RSI conditions. Just about every job these days requires interaction with computers, and this can present major challenges when a worker is affected with RSI, there are few options out there to allow them to work whilst avoiding computer use and allowing their bodies to recover, except for perhaps manual labour.

In another revealing quote from the article, this time from Bunny Martin (who runs charity Body Action Campaign)

“schools tend to have a single standard computer set-up for nine and 15-year-olds alike.”, and alarmingly she notes that “around 60% of children she meets have first symptoms of RSI, including strain-related pain in the neck and shoulders.”

This is a staggering fact and if RSI is impacting children years before they start looking for employment then we truly are sitting on a RSI health time bomb.

All in all an excellent summary article on where we are at with RSI.

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