Alternative technology

The range of treatments for repetitive strain injury is quite diverse and growing all the time. However, prevention being better than cure, the chances of continued good health are greatest when steps are taken to minimise the risk of injuries developing.
 
Many conditions appear to be cumulative rather than sudden and prevention includes understanding the technological factors which are implicated in RSI. These include unnecessary overuse of the keyboard and mouse.
 
Accessing the Control Panel settings on your computer to slow down the mouse can greatly reduce muscle tension in your hand. However, in Windows you hardly need use the mouse at all if you learn the keyboard shortcuts.
 
The feature Autocorrect can be used as a shortcut to insert commonly typed phrases and paragraphs and reduce overall keyboard use.
 
There are various alternative keyboards and pointing devices which you may find more comfortable than standard issue equipment. Finally, voice recognition technology has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years and is now very reliable.
 
AbilityNet is a registered charity dealing with computing and disability which offers independent advice on getting round the problem of RSI. Call freephone 0800 269545 or visit their website (link below).