Sit up and sit back in your chair. A good ergonomic chair is designed to be sat in, not sat on. If you are able to sit up and sit back in your chair and maintain a good posture throughout the day, you will be taking the most effective step to reduce your potential for injury.

Make sure your monitor is at a correct height and position. Your monitor should be positioned directly in front of your eyes with the top line of your characters at, or just below eye level. This will help keep your head centered over your spinal column and reduce tension in the neck, shoulders and back.

Position your keyboard so that your arms hang naturally. Ideally, your keyboard should be positioned so that your space bar and the tip of your elbow are about the same distance from the floor. If possible, tilt your keyboard slightly away from your body. This keyboard position is known asengative tilt. This position will help maintain good hand and wrist postures as well as reduce tension in the hands, wrists and forearms.

Take frequent stretching and exercise microbreaks. Every twenty or thirty minutes or so, move! Get up and stretch. If possible, do a quick series of hand and wrist exercises. Reducing the build up of tension is one of the keys of having more energy and feeling better at the end of the day.

Keep your arms off your arm rests, and your wrists off your wrist support. Arm rests on an office chair are there to help you get in and out of your chair with a minimum of back stress...nothing more! A wrist rest is designed to protect the arms and wrists from coming into contact with a sharp leading edge of a work surface. Unfortunately, many people use both of these items as crutches and reduce the body's ability to absorb shock, increase muscle tension and reduce blood flow in and out of the hands.

Bring your tools within easy reach. The tools you use often, such as your keyboard, mouse and phone should be positioned on your desktop so that they are within easy reach at all times. These small steps will help you maintain proper seated postures.

Teach yourself to dance on the keys.....don't pound them. An individual that types sixty words a minute, for fifty minutes each hour, for six hours each day endures up to ninety thousand repetitive motions daily! If the same individual pounds their keys, those ninety thousand motions combined with the ninety thousand impacts at the end of the motions, dramatically increases the potential for and the severity of an injury.

Get in shape and stay in shape. If you are weak from an injury or have weaknesses in your upper extremities, you may be more susceptible to developing a repetitive stress injury. In many instances your life and well being are at stake. It is your ultimate responsibility to maintain your health and well-being so that you can enjoy a life without chronic pain and weakness.

Don't do things off the job that can hinder performance on the job. Many people do things around the house that can make office work more painful. Gardening, bike riding, tennis and golf, are examples of activities that can overuse the muscles and soft tissues of the hands and arms. Because your life and your life's work are at risk, you may have to decide for yourself what your priorities are. Moderation and body awareness are the keys.

Get educated. You should know the symptoms of repetitive strain injuries suffered by keyboard and mouse users. If you experience any symptoms at any time, bring them to your supervisors attention immediately. Find out what you can do to address the problems. This is your responsibility. Your company cant help you unless they are aware of the problem. Early attention to ergonomic issues can significantly reduce the pain and costs associated with repetitive injuries.

Please contact Ergonomic Sciences Corporation, for additional information regarding the products or references made in this article.