Watch your back in the office

More than two thirds of workers now suffer from repetitive strain injury, according to a new study by Microsoft. They attribute this to so many more employees using laptops and mobiles for longer than ever. It seems that the more 'electronic' our work becomes, the less well we cope physically. And working on trains, planes and wherever we want has meant we're more reliant on technology. So what can we do to make sure we stay injury free and ache free? And how can you get rid of 'Blackberry Thumb' when it strikes?


RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) occurs when you type too much, sit awkwardly at your desk and allow your posture to slide after lengthy hours in front of the screen. It's all self inflicted but can be fixed if you abandon your old habits and adopt some new ones.

The report recommends the following tips to help minimise and relieve Repetitive Strain Injury:

1. Go Hands Free - if you use the phone for much of the day, stop cradling it between your neck and shoulders and order a headset.
2. Learn to touch type - This will take the strain off your fingers and will help to improve your posture as you won't need to be hunched over your keyboard.
3. Learn Shortcuts - This will shorten the amount of typing you do. Some common ones are CTRL + a = select all : CTRL + c = copy : CTRL + x = cut : CTRL + v = paste: CTRL + s = save : CTRL + z = undo : CTRL + p = print
4. Attach a keyboard to a laptop -This way you can maintain better posture when typing.

Read the full article here.

When we go into businesses that are predominantly desk-based, one stretch which always helps to relieve the strain on the back is this one. Give it a go right now and get into the habit of doing it once a day.

And here are some more general desk based stretches I devised for a fitness magazine. Try these to target those aches and pains. 

P.S. - the way to get rid of Blackberry thumb is to be super disciplined about when you switch it on and check your emails. Try limiting yourself to checking once every 3 hours. If you have it on all day and check it constantly, you'll not only add strain to your neck and fingers but you're working too hard! What did you do before you had it? Exactly. Don't become too dependent.



Photograph by Dave77459 (Flickr)