Repetitive strain injuries (RSI) are injuries to the body's muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, bones, or nerves caused by repetitive movements. Such injuries are more likely if the movements required force or were accompanied by vibrations, compression, or the maintenance of sustained or awkward positions. Prolonged use of computer equipment can result in upper limb disorders, notably in the wrist or the back. RSIs are a subset of musculoskeletal disorders. This article discusses and lists some specialized software that is available to aid individuals in avoiding injury or manage current discomfort/injury associated with computer use. Software for RSIs generally addresses these functional categories: Break reminder – Some tools are reminders to take breaks based on factors like elapsed time, how much or how intensely a person is working, natural rest patterns, and times of day. Activity mitigation – Some tools reduce the amount of typing or mouse clicking (e.g. speech recognition tools, automatic clicking tools, hotkey/macro tools). Tracking – Some tools track information, like time spent working each day, break-taking patterns, repetitions (e.g., keystrokes, mouse clicks). Some tools have much more sophisticated statistics, including predictive risk assessments based on fairly sophisticated and research-based methodologies. Some tools also include discomfort assessments and reporting tools to help in finding associative patterns between objectively collected statistics and subjectively reported discomfort information. Networking – Some tools are able to handle multiple-computer use (e.g., for profiles settings or for aggregating usage statistics) via networked data, including the ability to handle intermittent connectivity. Training – Some tools include a training component with information on topics including: workstation setup, body positioning, work-efficiency tips, and psycho-social information. This can be an important component for many users.
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