FACTS

1. Repetitive motion injuries, repetitive stress injuries, and cumulative trauma injuries are all terms used to describe injuries that occur over time from actions or exposures on the job.
2. Repetitive motion injuries can occur whenever a person has to repeat an action or motion common on assembly lines, as well as in desk jobs that require employees to type on a keyboard.
3. Some workers are injured little by little during every regular workday, causing their ligaments and muscles to simply give out. These injuries, commonly known as repetitive stress injuries, develop due to months and years of cumulative trauma.
4. RSIs cases are on the rise, thanks to the increased use of computers and other equipment in the workplace.
5. Repetitive motion conditions are sometimes considered illnesses and not injuries due to the length of time it can take to recover from them. Carpal tunnel syndrome is one such condition.
6. More people now work in a service business where performing a repetitive motion is a feature of the job.

STATS

• Studies from the Pain Relief Institute show that repetitive stress injuries account for up to 75 % of all workplace injuries in the United States.
• According to one survey, nearly 60 % of computer office workers nationwide suffer from wrist pain while at the computer, and 51.2 % say their keyboards are placed too high. But ergonomics is not the only problem: 49.7 % of employees say they ignore recommendations to take breaks from their computers.
• Musculoskeletal disorders, which include more than 100 different types of disorders, make up about 30 % of all workplace injuries that result in lost workdays. According to (OSHA), RSI affects some 1.8 million workers per year. One government study puts the cost of RSI between $17 billion and $20 billion a year.
• Repetitive stress injuries not only take longer to manifest, but they usually take longer to resolve. While most workers’ comp injuries for a slip, trip, or fall take just 7 days for full recovery, musculoskeletal disorders like sprains and strains require an average of more than 3 weeks for full recovery, with an average cost of over $9,000.