User's Guide: At Risk?

Introduction

You can see that the factors contributing to overuse injuries are complicated. They do not occur as a result of just one stress or incident, but come from many stresses, accumulating gradually over a period of time. Ask yourself if you have any of the following risk factors for developing an overuse injury.

1.   Sustained positions/awkward postures -- e.g., sitting in one position for long periods of time.
     
2.   Repetitive motion -- e.g., keyboarding, needlecrafts, rugbraiding, painting, etc.
     
3.   Decreased personal health -- specific risk factors include smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, pregnancy, stress, lack of exercise, history of previous overuse.
     
4.   Environmental -- e.g., cold temperature, working with equipment imparting vibrational stress to your arms or back, working with equipment using a forceful grip of the hand, mechanical compression (e.g., performing work with arms elevated which can cause compression at the shoulder).

As described earlier, certain areas of the body are more prone to overuse injuries than others, especially for the video display terminal user.

The Neck
A posture with a forward-head and rounded shoulders position is a serious and common finding with overuse injuries.

The forward-head position can be associated with:
1.   Strain on joints of the upper neck, as well as tightened neck muscles.
     
2.   "Tension headaches" because of compression of sensitive tissues at the base of the skull.
     
3.   Irritation of the jaw joints (TMJ syndrome).

Rounded shoulders can be associated with:
1.   Over-stretched upper back muscles which lead to weakness and strain.
     
2.   Tightness in the upper chest muscles leading to compression of nerves and blood vessels to the arms, putting the individual at more risk of irritation and damage from repetitive arm/wrist/hand work.
   
       

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