Overuse    injuries,    otherwise    known    as    cumulative    trauma disorders,   are   described   as   tissue   damage   that   results   from repetitive   demand   over   the   course   of   time.   The   term   refers   to a      vast      array      of      diagnoses,      including      occupational, recreational,    and    habitual    activities.    The    impact    of    these injuries    varies    from    the    occasional    annoyance    to    loss    of function    as    a    result    of    frank    tissue    destruction.    In    many performing   artists,   musicians,   craftsmen,   and   workers,   loss   of function   at   even   a   minor   level   can   result   in   a   significant   loss of    livelihood    (leading    to    the    various    difficulties    associated with this loss). The    most    important    factor    leading    to    overuse    injury    is repetitive   activity,   although   the   specific   type   of   force   leads   to different outcomes. • One   group   of   authors   accurately   described   the   issue   as "a   culprit   and   a   victim,"   in   which   the   victim   is   the   injured tissue,   and   the   culprit   is   the   true   biomechanical   cause. All   too   frequently,   physicians   focus   on   the   victim   tissue and not on the culprit. • Repetition   is   part   of   the   definition   of   overuse   injury.   The concept     is     that     overuse     injury     is     associated     with repeated challenge without sufficient recovery time. • Vibration,   especially   over   long   periods,   has   long   been shown    to    be    a    factor    in    increasing    the    risk    of    many injuries   (eg,   lower   back   pain,   intervertebral   disk   injury, wrist injury). • The     greater     the     forces     involved,     the     greater     the likelihood of developing an overuse injury. • Malpositioning   limbs   away   from   their   neutral   position increases the risk for overuse injury. Multiple   articles   in   dental   and   surgical   literature   emphasize this   point.   Ergonomics   is   the   field   that   focuses   primarily   on designing   devices   that   lend   themselves   to   good   positioning.   A massive      increase      has      occurred      in      the      amount      of ergonomically       designed       work       equipment,       especially keyboards and mice.