When people think of stretching, many neglect to include the hands and wrists.

By stretching our hands and wrists we minimise the risk of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) or Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS), which accounts for a significant number of workplace injuries.

Symptoms of RSI and OOS include swelling, pain and weakness in the affected joints. Repetitive manual tasks such as typing, working on an assembly line or even playing a musical instrument are often to blame.

Prevention is the best cure; however if you’re already experiencing symptoms rest is the next best option. We also recommend checking your workstation is properly set-up to ensure the correct ergonomics are in place, that you take regular breaks from repetitive manual tasks and alternate hand movements with other work.

Stretching also plays a major role in prevention and cure. To help remind you stretch regularly, we’ve created a Hand and Wrist Stretch Card that you can print out and attach to the side of your computer.

To download, scroll to the bottom of this page and click the item under 'Downloads'.