What Are Repetitive Strain Injuries?
A Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is characterized by pain felt in damaged muscles, nerves, or tendons caused by repetitive motions or overuse. Carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, and tendonitis are all examples of an RSI, and common symptoms include throbbing, aching, cramping or tender pain, stiffness, tingling, numbness, and weakness in the affected area. This condition commonly affects the upper body including the forearm, elbows, wrists, hands, neck and shoulders. Knees are also a common area aside from the upper body.
Causes
As the name suggests, RSI’s are caused by performing the same motion repeatedly until the point where it hurts your body; however, there are other things that can increase the risk of an RSI or increase the symptoms. This includes:
- Doing high-intensity activities for long periods of time without rest
- Poor posture in sitting or standing
- Activities that involve working in an awkward or abnormal position
- Cold temperatures and the use of vibrating equipment.
- Stress
- Working out too hard without warming up or cooling down
Many people who work on an assembly line, a supermarket checkout, on a computer, or even grooming animals for a living experience RSI’s, as well as people involved in extracurricular activities like swimmers, tennis players, and musicians.
How to Prevent an RSI
To reduce your risk of getting an RSI, there are several things you can try, such as:
- Take regular breaks -allow your body time to rest and recover after intense or prolonged activity
- Maintain good posture and body mechanics when working
- Stretch and warm-up your body before physical activity and sports
- Wear the right protective equipment and use the proper equipment
- Type in a neutral position
- Reduce overall stress
If you are a musician, swimmer, animal groomer, office worker/computer worker, or anything else that puts you at higher risk for an RSI, you can look up specific prevention techniques related to your job to minimize your risk.
Treating an RSI
The way an RSI is treated can depend on what is causing them and how severe the symptoms. The first way to treat RSI is to simply modify, reduce, or temporarily stop the activity that caused the injury to prevent further damage and allow yourself to heal. Using over the counter NSAID’s can also help aid in the recovery by reducing pain and inflammation. Secondly, most RSI’s can be treated at home following the R.I.C.E method:
- Rest: avoid the activity and don't overuse the injured area till it heals
- Ice: Use ice instead of heat in an acute injury by applying a cold compress or ice pack to your shoulder 15-20 minutes at a time, 2-3 times a day
- Compression: Wrap the injury if needed to reduce swelling and assist with support
- Elevate: Keep the injury elevated to help with swelling and inflammation
When to Seek Further Treatment
If the injury or pain is causing you to struggle getting through your day-to-day activities, especially your job, seek out professional help from your primary care physician. If the severity of the injury is bad enough, your doctor might recommend you see a physical therapist to address pain, posture, strength and flexibility or even an occupational therapist to assist with modifications and adaptations to your daily routines while you heal.
In worst case scenarios, surgery might even be needed. If the pain is extreme, you are experiencing swelling that is getting worse, have discoloration to the painful area, or can’t move a part of your body that you normally can, seek emergency care.