Repetitive strain injury is no joke, especially if you are unfortunate to encounter it. Often GP's do not recognise the symptoms. In my case, my doctor said that my frozen shoulder was brought on by years of hard labour. The fact is, I have never done any manual labour in my entire life. I now know the cause of my repetitive strain injury, and the culprit is sitting before you, the computer, yes that's right the ubiquitous keyboard.

Let me ask you a question. How long do you spend in front of your computer everyday? One hour, two hours, five hours, more than five hours? Eight hours? More than eight hours? The fact is, that if you are spending more than five hours a day hammering away on your keyboard, you are in danger of encountering repetitive strain injury. And we are not talking of the occasional sprained wrist. In my case it manifested itself in a full blown frozen shoulder. As I left the doctor's surgery, he casually told me not to worry, and said it would heal itself, in eighteen months to two years. And he was right almost to the day, because it was eighteen months before I regained the use of my arm. As for pain, I never wish to come across anything like it again. I cannot find the words to describe the agony it brought me.

So what can you do to avoid repetitive strain injury? There are a number of simple things that anyone can do, to keep this painful injury at bay. Firstly, take regular screen breaks. Introduce a programme of task rotations. Don't be frightened to stand up and walk round frequently, and always try and rest your forearms when not typing. Don't crouch towards the screen, sit back in a comfortable but supportive.

If you are anything like me, you will hammer the keyboard. That comes from the old days when hammering the Remington was a necessity to get the key to strike the paper. Remember that clatter clatter clatter of the typing pool? Do you still hit your keyboard as if it were an old typewriter? If you do, you need to introduce a programme of touch typing pronto pronto. Teach yourself to be gentle, I am sure you can think of similar tasks when gentleness is a prerequisite.

Here are some more useful tips to help you avoid repetitive strain injury. Avoid carrying heavy shopping, especially over long distances, treat yourself to an electric toothbrush, vigorous manual brushing can cause you problems. Avoid a great deal of writing, and if you have to write a lot, try using a fatter pen.

Here's another great idea that can help you to avoid RSI. Buy yourself a talk and type piece of software. I now use voice recognition software for writing all my articles, newsletters and books. Yes, they do take a great deal of getting used to, but in the long run, they will save damage to your wrists, elbows and shoulders.

RSI is sometimes treated as a joke, something that shirkers have, but it is certainly not. Always remember, you only have one body, and if you damage it severely, you could be in for a lifetime of pain. By taking these simple measures you can go a long way towards avoiding repetitive strain injury, and believe you me, if you can, you should. If your symptoms persist, consult your doctor sooner rather than later.