Computer use is seeing an increasing number people in doctors’ offices or in the emergency room, according to a study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. In the study, researchers found that emergency room visits for computer-related injuries rose from 1,267 to 9,279 from 1994 to 2006. The highest rate of injuries occurred among children under 5, the study’s author said.

As an ergonomic assessment specialist, my job is to identify the risk of injury from cumulative use and to eliminate the risk.  Common problems seen with overuse of the computer and related workspace include carpal tunnel syndrome, back strain, and neck strain.

Injuries from moving computer peripherals is also becoming more common.  Fractures, cuts and bruises can occur when climbing under and around the desks in an attempt to connect or disconnect computer components.  Small children are injured when they pull computer parts down on themself.

Read more in the New York Times

Related articles by Zemanta

• Preventing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (fitsugar.com)
• Beware ‘Cellphone Elbow’ (blogs.wsj.com)
• Fight Carpal Tunnel with Simple Desk Exercises [Exercise] (lifehacker.com)

Tagged as: carpal tunnel syndrome, CarpalTunnel, case management, ergonomics, Injury