Repetitive Stress Injury: What You Should Know (NAPSA)—The growing use of computers, both at home and in the workplace, is responsible for the increased occurrence of certain injuries and conditions— some minor, some which can make it impossible to do one’s job. A repetitive stress injury (RSD), for example, is a response to excessive and repetitive demands placed on the body. The injury is caused by excessive wear and tear on the soft tissues of the body (tendons, nerves, circulatory system, etc.). RSIs start when you do the same task over and over again, such as clicking a computer mouse. If your body doesn’t get a chance to heal, the damage adds up. Typical symptoms include tightness, general soreness, dull ache, throbbing, sharp pain, numbness, tingling, burning, swelling andloss of strength. Often, computer users don’t realize just how much stress they are putting on their hands and wrists. In a typical workstation position (palms down, wrists bent up) blood vessels are kinked. In addition, regular use of a computer mouse—millions of clicks in a year—puts an immensestrain on some of the smallest muscles in the body. There are a numberof waysto prevent RSIs such as carpal tunnel syndrome. One is a “gripless” computer mouse that is designed to lighten the load on A new kind of computer mouse can help prevent repeti- tive stress injuries. those tiny muscles of the fingers that you use for clicking and gripping. The Quill mouse, developed by Designer Appliances, Inc., maintains the hand, wrist and arm in the most optimal position, thus minimizing the strain and potential for injury. The company has even gone a step further by creating the Virtually Hands Free Mousing System, which combines a Quill mouse with Nib click-less software. This combination eliminates most of the button-clicking in regularsoftware applications. The Quill mouse retails for $99.95, while the Virtually Hands Free Mousing System sells for $149.95. To learn more, or to place an order, visit www.quillmouse.com or call 1-877-GO-QUILL.
