The strain of triturating cells using normal pipettes caused a repetitive strain injury in my right hand… to the point that I could no longer perform simple tasks like writing with a pen or pencil. My doctor told me to stop pipetting…” –Read Margarete’s full RSI cautionary tale – scroll to the bottom Carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, and tendonitis are just some examples of repetitive strain injury (RSI) that can result from extensive manual pipetting. Get ahead of these conditions before they begin to compromise your ability to do…
Repetitive Strain Injury in the Laboratory – Pipetting doesn’t have to be painful
Article by Angelo dePalma originally published on Biocompare Ergonomic pipettes help scientists avoid RSIs. Repetitive stress injury (RSI) is a common occurrence in laboratories, and is closely related to the ergonomics of operating instrumentation and equipment, and conducting simple but repetitive laboratory processes. Types and extents of injury vary, for example neck or back pain from sitting or bending a certain way for long periods. The key to avoiding RSI is to assume natural, strainfree posture while conducting experiments, for example using anti-fatigue floor mats and sitting supported by your…
How to pipette properly: Posture is key
Proper posture is the most important element in establishing good ergonomic work practices. During repetitive tasks such as pipetting, maintaining body positions that provide a maximum of strength with the least amount of muscular stress is important to minimize the risk of injury. A number of common pipetting techniques have been identified as potentially hazardous due to biomechanical stress factors. Graphic representations and the recommendations for corrective actions, made by various US governmental agencies and ergonomics experts, are presented below. Technique: Elevated, “winged elbow”. The average human arm weighs approximately…
Pipetting Forces and Stress
Force, simply defined, is the energy required to accomplish a task, and there is a lot more to pipette forces than meets the eye – or the thumb. Aspirating and dispensing are not the only actions in pipetting that requires the use of the thumb muscles. Tip acquisition and ejection usually requires excessive forces that contribute significantly to muscle fatigue. A strong interrelationship also exists between posture and force – as posture deviates from neutral positions, the need for additional exertion increases. Therefore, when considering forces while choosing a pipette,…
Relieve Pipetting Pain With Ovation Pipettes
Unlike any other, Ovation pipettes were designed with user comfort and health in mind. Ergonomics is a Science, not a slogan. “I did my whole Ph.D. with “normal” pipets, resulting in greater and greater levels of wrist pain over the course of 5 years. By my second year of postdoc, it was bad enough that I would procrastinate experiments that involved pipetting…” – Daniel Dickinson, Ph D, University of Texas at Austin Read more about the Ovation pipettes that Dr. Dickinson switched to that helped him avoid giving up experimental…
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