MIT Offers Many Resources for Preventing and Treating RSI

With its high concentration of computers, MIT is sensitive to the risk of repetitive strain injuries (RSI) among staff and students. The Institute offers several resources for the prevention and treatment of RSI - from ergonomic advice to medical evaluations.

The Best Prevention
The best way to prevent RSI is to learn about the injury and its warning signs, and then to protect yourself through workstation and work habit alterations. A good starting place is MIT's RSI Information Page at http://web.mit.edu/atic/www/rsi/mitrsi.htm

From here, you can find the link to a good overview document, Repetitive Strain Injuries: What You Absolutely Need to Know. Another key resource, also available from the RSI Information Page, is Computers and Health: Resources at MIT.

RSI Task Force and Mailing List
MIT has an RSI Task Force that meets once a month. Members include representatives from the various MIT offices providing RSI services to the community, plus a staff and student member with RSI. If you have a question or concern about RSI that you would like the Task Force to address, send email to stop-rsi@mit.edu.

The RSIAlert mailing list announces public RSI meetings and events, and provides a forum for RSI-related information. You can subscribe to the mailing list by sending email to listserv@mitvma.mit.edu. In the body of the message, type:

Note: Type this message on one line, using your real name. This list is for MIT and affiliated labs only.