Repetitive motion injuries on the rise in the workplace

Carpel Tunnel

“She's been off work for a couple of weeks, and nothing is getting done around here. When I was a young woman I worked every day, never missed a one. Now some of these folks will dream up anything not to work,” Helen R has been off work with carpel tunnel syndrome, and words like these come up about injured workers who have repetitive motion injuries.

Carpal tunnel is a condition that develops from repetitive motion, often injuries that occur over time where an individual performs a task where the movements are repeated over and over. An example is typing, but playing a musical instrument, hammering nails and a number of other tasks present challenges for people, as too often folks end up with repetitive motion injuries like carpel tunnel, when the work demands require speed, long hours, and the repetitions that can create injury.

The condition, carpal tunnel, can be very painful, frequently requiring an individual to wear a brace or bandage. Some people require surgery in order to ease the pain and relieve the condition. The condition occurs when the median nerve becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist, with the nerve entrapment creating the pain that can often be unrelenting and make it difficult to perform small and even large motor tasks.

RSD or repetitive stress disorder is on the rise because of the numbers of people who are involved in working with computers and related tasks that require hand and wrist repetitions. They account for 60% of all job-related injuries.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration offers suggestions on how to prevent RSD. Experts remind people that prevention can go a long way in reducing injuries. They recommend ergonomic remedies that include giving frequent short breaks to rest muscles, using special curved keyboards or curved knives for poultry workers so they can bend their hands naturally, learning hand positions and offering wrist and hand support for keyboard work and varying tasks to break up the routines are just some of the suggestions.