Oral Bac 2012 G1-G2
    
Rafig Mughal is a cripple. He used to be a successful journalist until he began using a computer keyboard. Now he can't even hold a pen. He was lucky. His case was picked up by his trade union and now his is his employer to court.
There are many other people suffering from the problems and yet have no recourse. Recent events, however, show this may be about to change.
Mughal's first symptoms occurred after using a computer keyboard for three months. Initially, his fingers felt insensitive. Then the numbness spread to his hands, wrists and arms. He put it down to bad circulation and carried on working until one  day, his left hand dried up completely leaving him in excruciating pain. He went to see the company's nurse who told him that he had just become a victim of RSI.
RSI, or repetitive strain injury is an affliction brought on by doing the same thing over and over again and you don't have to be a keyboard operator to get it.
It has been around for some time, being variously known in its low tech incarnations as tennis elbow, writer's cramp and housemaid's knee.
RSI is not the only computer-related health hazard that has attracted attention in the past few years. There has been speculation about an increased rate of miscarriage among pregnant women who use computer terminals.
There has also been research to show that gazing at a computer screen car reduce focal lengths, and the rate at which the eye blinks. This causes general irritation, eyestrain and eventually progressive myopia. Every day, many computer users suffer less ailments such as headaches and backaches.
Whatever the cause, RSI will become a management issue as it adversely affects the very thing that computers are supposed to improve profitability. RSI is unlikely to stop the technological revolution in its tracks but it may well slow it down.

From Commercial Communication by A. J. Tarton and L. R. Wood