Putting RSI in Perspective—Who’s at Risk?
Thursday, May 1, 2008 15:42It’s not just computer users — many workers across many different industries and skill levels are at risk for repetitive stress and strain injuries.
So, what other careers are reporting high rates of injury? Here’s a random sample from the almighty google.
- Musicians
- Factory Workers
- Trade workers –(carpentry, painting, bricklaying, plumbing, etc)
- Waitresses, Pizza Cutters and others in the food service industry
- Archaeologists
- Sign Language Interpreters
Construction workers… meat and poultry processers… crafters and hobbyists…sports enthusiasts…and the lists go on.
So it seems the real question isn’t who’s at risk, but who isn’t at risk?
Our ability to create and use tools partly what separates humans from other animals on our planet. We’ve developed tools, machines, factories, and whole systems that help us improve our lifestyles, assure us security and bring us comfort.
Yet these very tools are causing a global epidemic of injury and dysfunction. This seems to be the irony of our age.
The practical picture is that you might not be able to escape RSI by leaving your career and finding another occupation. Whatever you do for a living, there are risks you’re going to have to take and overcome in order to stay happy and healthy. That doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to pain, either, but it means there’s no easy out and no easy escape.
On a positive note, it also means the grass isn’t necessarily better on the other side of your cubicle wall (or wherever you work). There are things you can do within those walls to make your life better. Whatever you do, take it slow and think about ways to take care of your body. And be grateful, too, for the quality of life that you do get to enjoy.
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cmnacnud says:
May 1st, 2008 at 4:00 pm
You beat me to it. I was going to post a…who’s at risk article. I may still and go into a little more depth, but this is good. You’re right about finding a new job. That’s not going to fix things. The key is prevention and awareness. Perhaps I’ll just link to this post on my blog (http://chirotalk.wordpress.com) and just go on to prevention.
You’ve inspired me to write about this topic. I hope to be able to provide additional good info, and not just redundancy.
Amy says:
May 1st, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Sorry, I didn’t mean to step on any toes, in fact I am happy to provide inspiration!
I’d still be interested in hearing your perspective. I just did a quick google search for this list, so I am sure you have more hands-on experience with different people and the different risks that they encounter. For example, I was wondering if different groups from the above lists are each at risk for different types of injuries. (Since of course RSI isn’t really a diagnosis, just a catch-all, and encompasses such a broad set of injury).
I enjoyed reading your first post on RSI and am looking forward to the next ones, whatever you decide to write about. And naturally you’re more than welcome to add a link back here if you find my lists useful!
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