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Preventing RSI
21 November 06 (updated)
This article features gives information about the dangers of RSI and advice on how to stay healthy when using your PC.
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What Is RSI?
It is all too easy to neglect your health while you're busy browsing the Web, using your PC at work or playing games.
Using a computer for more than a few hours a day can put you at risk from RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury).
RSI is used to describe many different types of soft tissue injury including carpel tunnel syndrome and tendinitis. It is usually caused by repetitive motions, poor posture and stress, and has the potential to cause crippling disability and pain.
How To Avoid
For people whose jobs require frequent use of computers it may seem there is no way to avoid this problem, but fortunately there are a few things you can do to try and protect yourself:
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Make sure to take regular breaks away from your PC if you can; get up and walk around for a few minutes each hour.
Also, try and alternate between using your keyboard and mouse rather than relying on the mouse for everything. And when you do use your mouse, move with your shoulder rather than putting all the strain on your wrist.
You can buy mouse mats that have gel wrist support. You may also want to look into buying one of the special keyboards available which have been designed to be more comfortable to use.
If you have a joypad you could use a program like JoyToKey to map mouse and keyboard controls to your controller to give your wrist and fingers a change from the same mouse and keyboard positions all the time.
There are many websites such as www.rsihandbook.info which have information on how to avoid or treat RSI.
There is also a useful free program called Workrave that can help prevent RSI. The program reminds you to take breaks at set times as well as letting you set micro-pauses and daily limits.
Workrave even has a series of short exercises for you to carry out, with pictures demonstrating certain actions such as stretching your arms, moving your shoulders and focussing your eyes.
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- Adware
- Advertising program often installed along with other programs
- Attachment
- A file attached to an e-mail message for sending between computers
- Blog
- Web log. Personal web page where the author can post their views and experiences and receive comments.
- BMP
- Bitmap. The most common graphics file type for Windows PCs
- Bookmarks
- List of your favourite web sites
- Browser
- Software that displays web pages such as Internet Explorer and Firefox
- Compression
- A method of reducing the storage space a file takes up. Files must be decompressed to be used again
- Cookie
- Data that tracks visits to web sites and remembers user preferences
- Crash
- Occurs when a program causes your computer to stop responding
- Demo
- Free demonstration version of software that allows you to try before you buy
- Directory
- An index of web site links arranged in categories
- Disk Space
- The size of the area on the hard disk where files can be stored
- Domain name
- URL or Address of a web site on the Internet
- Download
- Transfer a file from another computer to your own
- Driver
- Software required for Windows to use a piece of hardware such as a graphics card
- Electronic mail passed between computers
- Favorites
- List of your favourite web sites
- Firewall
- Program or device that blocks or allows Internet access to a network or a PC
- Flash
- Software to create and play web site animations
- Font
- Text of a particular size and style
- Freeware
- Software that is free to download and use for as long as you like
- Hardware
- Physical parts of a computer system such as the hard disk, keyboard and printer
- HTML
- HyperText Markup Language. The code that makes up a web page
- Home Page
- The main page of a web site, often a welcome page
- Hyperlink
- A text or graphic you click on to go to another page or a different web site
- Internet
- A collection of inter-connected computer networks
- Install
- To load and copy program files onto a computer
- JPG / JPEG
- Compressed graphics file for sending across the Internet
- Link
- A text or graphic you click on to go to another page or a different web site
- Malware
- Malicious software such as virus or spyware programs
- Modem
- Device that links a computer to the Internet through a telephone line
- MP3
- Compressed audio file to save disk space and for transfer across the Internet
- Netiquette
- Acceptable behaviour online
- Online
- Connected to the Internet
- Phishing
- Fraudulent e-mails and web sites trying to trick you into giving out personal details
- Plug-in
- Extra programs that can be installed into larger programs to handle special tasks, such as playing certain types of movie files in a browser
- Podcast
- Internet audio broadcast that can be played back on PCs or MP3 players such as the iPod.
- Pop-Up
- Small window that appears on a web page, often used for advertisements.
- Program
- A set of instructions to make a computer carry out a task
- Rootkit
- Software that hides system files and can allow attackers to access your computer undetected
- Router
- Device used in home Internet networks to send data from the web to specific computers
- RSS
- Really Simple Syndication - a system to feed you news stories from web sites
- Search Engine
- Tool that searches the Web for keywords and provides relevant links
- Server
- A computer that holds Internet data such as web site files and can send it to another computer when requested
- Shareware
- Software that is free to download but you pay a fee if you want to continue using it after the trial period
- Shortcut
- A link you can click to go straight to a particular program or web page
- Social Networking
- Web sites based on communication and relying on users to add content
- Software
- A program or a set of instructions to make a computer carry out a task
- Spam
- Junk mail messages to e-mail addresses
- Spyware
- Software that tracks your movements on the Web for advertising purposes without your knowledge
- Stream
- Start playing music or video as soon as it begins downloading
- Surfing
- Moving from one web page to another
- Trial
- Software that allows you to try before you buy
- Trojan
- Malicious virus program disguised as useful software
- Uninstall
- Remove program files from a computer
- Upload
- Send a file from your computer to an online destination
- URL
- Uniform Resource Locator. The address of a web site on the World Wide Web
- Virus
- Destructive program that infects and damages computer files
- Vlog
- Video web log
- VoIP
- Voice over Internet Protocol - voice conversations across the Internet
- WAV
- The standard audio file type for Windows PCs
- Web Page
- Individual page on a web site
- Web Site
- A collection of connected web pages located at a particular domain name
- Wiki
- Web site that can be edited by users to add information
- Windows
- Microsoft operating system installed on most PCs
- World Wide Web (WWW)
- Information space on the Internet stored on servers across the world containing documents connected together through hyperlinks
- Worm
- Malicious code that uses an infected PC to spread itself to others
- Zip
- Compressed file format to reduce diskspace needed by a file and to transfer it between computers more quickly
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