Can exercise reduce repetitive strain risk?

HR staff and managers may wish to advise their workforce to carry out five simple exercises to reduce the risk of repetitive strain injury – which could see employers lessoning the likelihood of employment tribunals being taken against them by workers.

Following an ongoing Danish study examining ways of reducing the effects of the condition, the American Psychological Society has advised there are five exercises which may help ease the strain.

These include strength training using weights to reduce pain and improve function in the trapezius muscle – which stretches from the head down the neck and through the upper part of the back.

It is believed the routine can strengthen and speed up the use of the muscle among women who may be experiencing tenderness in the area.

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However, stress caused in the workplace could also be a factor in muscle and back pain complaints.

Jenny Edwards, director of the International Stress Management Association, recently claimed that some Britons experiencing musculo-skeletal disorders could find the condition has been caused by stress.