by Susan Z. Miller

Created on: October 09, 2009

Last winter, I awoke one morning to feel a persistent pain directly behind my right shoulder blade. The pain radiated slightly down my arm, and pinched sharply every time I reached for anything. I was bewildered by the sudden onset of my symptoms. Having recently participated in no rigorous activity, nor engaged in any strenuous yoga or stretching sessions, I did not know where the sudden pulling sensation could be coming from. I thought that I had not done anything to injure myself, or create the discomfort I was experiencing.

A trip to my acupuncturist the following day solved the mystery of the inexplicable pain. He observed that I had a pinched nerve, then continued to explain that it was probably caused by using my computer mouse all day, every day. My initial response was embarrassment. I thought it seemed ridiculous that I had managed to injure myself by, well, just sitting at my desk. Upon discussing it with several of my friends and coworkers, however, I found that I was certainly not alone. One of my colleagues explained that at age 27, she had already received surgery for carpel tunnel syndrome, which was caused by repeatedly typing data into a computer while she was employed at a bank. Another female friend explained that after cradling the phone next to her ear and typing all day, her boyfriend broke a sweat while attempting to rub the knots out of her shoulders. This is when I realized, many of us are prone to serious injury due to the repetitive motions we complete on a day to day basis.

The technical term for this is Repetitive Strain Injury, or RSI. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 34% of all current workday injury and illness is caused by RSI. Typically, pain from RSI will manifest in the neck, upper back, and shoulders. Signs and symptoms may also include tingling and feelings of numbness in the fingers, and loss of grip in the hands.

At the time of my injury, I, like many other Americans, was spending at least 40 to 50 hours per week on a computer. Of course, like many others, I would enjoy the luxury of not spending quite so much time with my hands on a keyboard and mouse. But when being at a computer equals a source of income, as it does for many, this means that we are spending approximately three months out of every calendar year just typing away. A study that was conducted by Kelton Research in 1997, and explained on digitaltrends.com, reported that 65% of Americans spend more time with their computer than with their spouse

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