This source lists over 25 software programs that are oriented towards reminding computer operators to stop and do some physical exercises or stretches. While some of the publishers of these programs make claims about how much improvement will result from using their products, no research is presented to substantiate any of these claims. Anecdotal evidence from a variety of health-care professionals, as well as testimonials from many users of the programs abound. But there are no surveys on effectiveness, nor is there sound research to show that the programs result in lower instances of repetitive stress injuries. There is good reason for this.
Conclusive research takes time and abundant funds.
The ultimate test of the worthiness of a program is whether it results in fewer injuries. To conduct such a test would require a relatively large sample of operators that use a program and another control group that did not used the program. The ultimate statistic would be a comparison of the incidence rates of repetitive stress injuries among the two groups. This is an expensive and lengthy process that hopefully will be conducted in the future. Until the time when this type of larger study is performed, the current research provides an intermediary step to provide some empirical evidence on the effectiveness of one of these stretch programs.