Two Thirds of Office Workers have RSI

Interestingly, I read an article in the daily Mirror and the other day discussing the large increase in the number of suspected RSI cases being reported within UK offices. The report showed that roughly two thirds of workers were suffering from some sort of repetitive strain syndrome and that out of those reported cases to HR 68% of complaints were not acted upon at all. I find is absolutely stunning sinse is obvious that UK business practices are causing significant problems with individuals but we shall be made to overwork in unhealthy work environments. Having a good working environment isn’t just about being in a nice building, in fact a crappy building would be preferable if it meant the company was able to spend a bit more money on getting the ergonomics sorted out for their individual employees.

I have been to businesses and companies which clearly don’t take repetitive strain injury seriously and they often think that the well-designed workstations are the best thing since sliced bread. Unfortunately they are designed to be pretty and not economical, resulting in the same number of injuries as that would have occurred without the less beautifully designed workspace. One office I visited for example actually was really chuffed to show off their one piece of ergonomic equipment; and vertical mouse. The point being that it should be standard equipment for everyone and employees shouldn’t have to wait to get injured before being allowed to have the proper equipment in order to do their jobs properly without being hurt. Without proper tools how is anyone able to do their job long-term when the risk of injury is so great.

In India for example it is commonplace that employees last between 12 and 18 months in information technology and call centre environments due to their appalling working practices. People were finding themselves working extended hours for very little pay; 60 hours plus a week is not uncommon. The human body just isn’t built to do this amount of repetitive work seated in one position for that length of time and so it’s not surprising that there is such a massive increase globally in repetitive strain. It is estimated that a third of all Indian office workers suffer from RSI or a similar musculoskeletal injury related to their work. There’s a huge medial industry dedicated to helping those with these problems and the number of clinics who have very varied results. In essence, many of the treatments would not stand up to clinical testing and verification.

What we’ll need to realise no one really knows what causes repetitive strain and they’ve isn’t a single treatment that suits everyone. It seems to me that everyone has to try and find their own path, which isn’t very logical or clinical. When the treatment works for one person but not another it suggests that there might be several unknown conditions contributing and we need to concentrate more resources on diagnosing each individual condition and therefore specific treatment. The alternative is that the placebo effect is stronger in some than others. It is a powerful medicine in that some people can merely wished themselves better with the right positive mindset. My thoughts on this is perhaps because we expect ourselves to get better by having the treatment then therefore we do. It’s often said if he can keep patients happy then they will improve faster. I wonder if this is what is going on when some people have treatments that do not benefit everyone?