Exercise the best RSI defence

by Kirrilly Burton Deskbound workers are better off taking a swim or a walk rather than catching the latest movie after work, Canadian researchers say. The study found people who were physically active outside of work were 84% less likely to have work-related upper-body repetitive strain injury (RSI), with those older than 50 benefiting the most. Cross-sectional data from the 2003 Canadian Community Health Survey analysed leisure-time physical activity, RSI prevalence and risk factors in more than 134,000 workers during a year (Arthritis Care & Research 2007;57:495-500). Higher levels of RSI were related to female gender, obesity, smoking, age (30-49 years), work-related stress and physical demands. Upper-body injuries accounted for more than 63% of all RSIs in workers, but leisure activities with a high upper-body load such as tennis or weight-training did not increase RSI likelihood, the researchers found.Those who stood or walked at work such as hairdressers showed the lowest RSI levels.Reproduced with permission from Medical Observer, 18th May 2007...