RSI is a pain in the neck... and shoulders, back, elbows, arms, wrists, hands and fingers!

Designing products all day sounds like fun doesn't it? Well some days it is, and you can get a real buzz from it, other days it's a chore (like any 9-5 job, correction 9-5.30). But I enjoy what I do. That is until my little demon kicks in. I've been working pretty intensely on computers for 10 years now and to start with it was no problem. But in the last 4 years I've suffered pretty badly with RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury). For those of you who are not very familiar with this, it's a condition by which pain and discomfort is brought on by repetitive action. In my case, intense use of a mouse and keyboard.

When I trained to be a designer we were still using pencils and marker pens to do design mock ups (this makes me sound really old now!). We'd regularly be in the workshop turning our ideas into sculpted forms or working prototypes. My working day was varied. Then I became a professional designer and everything changed! The pace and expectations changed, everything was wanted instantly, there was no time to re-draw a widget in green to see what it looked like. Photoshop and Illustrator replaced my paper, the mouse and keyboard my hands.

Unfortunately, spending 7 hours working at a computer all day in a very intense and stressful environment has effected my health. Last year I spent over £1000 at the chiropractors straightening my twisted spine (after years of bad posture at my machine). I've also had to live with nasty aches and pains in my shoulders, back, arms, elbows, wrists, hands and fingers, not fun I tell you!

So why am I writing about this on my blog? Well, it's not for sympathy (although I'll take it!), it's to highlight the fact that you all need to take real care of yourselves! Once you start getting RSI it's very difficult to get rid of. It's only by stopping what causes the symptoms that you can fix it. So when you earn a living (like me) using a computer, it makes stopping (or even taking regular breaks) very difficult.

As a regular feature in my blogs I'm going to highlight some ways you can help yourselves. I've read some great articles on coping with (or avoiding getting) RSI, and I'd like to share it with as many people as I can.

Sorry to preach guys, but this is something I feel really strongly about. Whenever possible my posts will be witty and fun, but occasionally, it's good to get serious. RSI is crappy, let doctor Rik fix you!

Take care,

Rik x