An Introduction to Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

While RSI may appear to be an unusual topic for NetSci, the growing number of people suffering from this chronic injury now include people who use computers as a large part of their daily activities. In researching this topic, we were repeatedly told that prevention is the key to this problem.

RSI is not a new problem. During the 1930's, workers in the garment industry were known to suffer from chronic pain in their backs and arms. Workers in manufacturing jobs on assembly lines, meat packers, laborers, musicians and more recently, cashiers in the retail food business have reported problems with repetitive strain injuries.

If you are suffering from any of the following types of pain or behavior:

  • Tightness, discomfort, stiffness or pain in the hands, wrists, fingers, forearms or elbows;

  • Tingling, coldness or numbness in the hands or whiteness of fingertips;

  • Loss of strength in the hands;

  • Pain, aching, swelling, and diminished coordination of injured areas;

  • A need to massage hands, wrists, and arms; and

  • Assuming defensive posture to protect sensitive elbows and wrists

you should seek informed medical attention immediately. We stress the informed factor because it is frequently difficult to find a physician who has experience with cumulative trauma disorders. According to many of the people who have suffered from RSI and are in various stages of recovery, surgery should never be the only option.

While people have heard of carpal tunnel syndrome, there are many other injuries which belong in the repetitive strain category. Cumulative Trauma Disorders can include Tendinitis, Tenosynovitis, DeQuervain's Syndrome, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and several other conditions. Each of these has become common in the "office" environment.

Many factors contribute to repetitive movement injuries including; poor posture, stress, muscle tension, improper mouse usage, sleep habits (clenched hands) and applying constant stress to the musculature without taking adequate breaks. One of the people we interviewed for this issue commented that his carpal tunnel syndrome resulted from "hunching" over his terminal. This posture led to tense shoulders which placed stress on the nerve trunks of the arms. Years of this practice led to a diagnosis of carpal tunnel and DeQuervain's Syndrome.

Statistics for this class of injuries are very difficult to reconcile due to the manner in which they are classified. However, experts agree that this problem is dramatically increasing in terms of days away from work, medical claims, worker compensation claims, and potential long-term disability for a large segment of the work force.

The intent of RSI Resources Section is to compile as comprehensive a list as possible of those sources of information. While the authors have endeavored to provide you with a complete listing, in some cases complete information was not available. We will update these listings periodically. For each entry, we have provided a contact name, address, telephone and Fax number, e-mail address, and a pointer to the companies web site when available.

To make this resource guide as useful as possible, we hope you will contact us with information on new programs, services, and products for inclusion or with corrections to erroneous information. If you do not have e-mail access, we can be reached at:

Network Science Corporation
4411 Connecticut Avenue NW, STE 514
Washington, DC 20008-8677
Telephone: (828) 817-9811
E-mail: TheEditors@netsci.org

Please note: Statements and opinions made for the products within this listing were supplied by their owners. The authors of this survey and Network Science Corporation, its officers, Board of Directors, and Editorial Advisory Board make no warrenties for these products and assume no responsibility for the content and accuracy of these listings. All product and company names mentioned in this publication are patents, trademarks, registered trademarks or servicemarks of their respective holders. The RSI Resources Listings portion of this site is Copyright © 1995/2004 by Network Science Corporated. All rights reserved.



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