Full article Perils of the 21st century workplace

As humans we spend about one-third or one-quarter of our entire life asleep. During our middle years we spend a minimum of 8hrs for a period of about 35yrs at work before finally going on retirement. Unknown to so many of us, a good fraction of our lives is spent at the workplace about 12 years out of our entire lifespan (without consideration to whatever occupation a person may take up after retirement). Several jobs come with their own appendages and unarguably the most popular device which has found use in virtually every workplace is a computer. Bankers, writers, database administrators, engineers, secretaries offer solutions via computers.

Anyone who performs a major part of his/her work by spending at least 3hours per day on a computer qualifies as a computer user. The 21^st century addiction to computing helps institute the upcoming plague of the future also known as repetitive strain injury.  Repetitive strain injury can be caused or aggravated by workplace factors. Psychological factors such as stress at work, dissatisfaction with work, and feeling of lack of control over working conditions also contribute. Continuous hand movements on the keyboard and awkward positioning encourage discomfort felt in hands, neck, shoulder, elbow and other adjoining structures.  Structures commonly involved include muscle, bone, ligaments, nerves and other surrounding structures.

Continuous typing movements result in overuse of structures and rubbing of nerves, muscles, bones and ligaments. Persistent motion allows structures to make contact thereby encouraging irritation of nerve bundles. Warning symptoms an employee would notice include pins and needles, loss of sensation, numbness, pain, tension and in advanced cases wasting of muscles from disuse. As it is not uncommon for employees to adopt awkward working positions, bending, stretching, and limbs unsupported either to allow themselves fit into their workstations or cope with the problem complicates the issue at hand. Any conditions involving the upper limb could occur, however presentation would vary according to workstation peculiarities, tasks performed and other synergistic factors. Computer users are therefore more likely to develop conditions involving the hands and wrist as well as those acquired from poor posturing whilst carrying out work.

However continuous repetitive movement which significantly influences this condition is largely preventable. Studies corroborate that disruption of continuous repetitive movements can delay disease progression. Simple steps can be taken by the worker to reduce disability from this condition to control this menace.

·         Arms should be adequately supported on the desk to avoid overstretching and full arm extension while working.

·         The height of a work station should accommodate its user(s) without causing them a need to bend their necks or adopt awkward positions.

·         Sometimes to meet with work demands, computer users tend to multitask while typing which increases strain. These tasks include answering telephone calls and as such bending the head to reach the neck and shrugging of shoulders while fingers remain typing. If possible such multitasking should be avoided.

·          Seats at the work station should be adjusted to suitable heights to allow the back rest provide full back support. Back rests promote good posturing as it helps to keep spine straight. Whilst your back remains rested, your feet should rest freely on the ground not allowed to float. This can be helped by foot rest which helps to further complement good posture.

·         More importantly, typing or data entry should be spaced with other cognitive activities to allow adequate time for the muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves to recover from the strain. At least 15minutes should be allowed after every hour of typing and this can be allocated to cognitive activities. It could also be helpful to alternate one hand typing with other hand to allow each one some rest time.

Regardless of cause or presentation, repetitive strain injury inters with normal functioning capacity.  Employees, employers, family members equally feel the pinch of workplace associated conditions. Whilst there is always a great urge to get everything done “ASAP”, in the long run fewer things get done ‘faster’. Eventually, the consequences of multitasking and repetitive hand strain set in; an employee’s productivity decreases, symptoms of strain worsen, requiring frequent hospital visits, medications and a job change or loss of employment in near future. On the other hand, the employer suffers reduced productivity, the work burden shifts to other employees, loss of skilled staff and cost of medical bills, medications and transport in and out of hospital. In addition, extra expenditure would be incurred to train alternative staff, advertise for the position, hire training venue all of which compare less favorably with simple prevention.

The fact that you don’t work  long hour’s with a computer doesn’t necessary erase back pains, waist pain and any muscle pain in general. If you draw on the similarity computer work environment has with a manager it is easy to see that both professions so to speak have got one thing in common- sitting for long periods.