What Exactly Is Repetitive Strain Injury?

The question of just what repetitive strain injury (RSI) is one which many people may not know to ask. An RSI is not a thing that happens instantly like a cut or broken bone. RSI's occur over time, and you may not even realize you are getting injured until it's way too late.

Repetitive Strain Injury would be the blanket term given to any injury that is caused by a repetitive motion that is performed over time. These injuries normally occur in or round the joints of a person's body. The pain from the injury will most likely begin to reveal as inflammation from the joint that is carrying out the movement.

The medical definition regarding Repetitive Strain Injury is an injury of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems which might be caused by repetitive duties, forceful exertions, vibrations, mechanical compression (pressing against hard surfaces), or continual or awkward positions.

Repetitive Strain Injury is additionally known by many other names that could be familiar to you: Repetitive Stress Injury, Repetitive Motion Injury, Repetitive Motion Disorder, Cumulative Trauma Disorder, Occupational Overuse Syndrome, Overuse Syndrome, and Regional Musculoskeletal Disorder.

Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) might be caused by any action (static or dynamic) that's done with uniform repetition on an extended period of time on a regular basis. Which means that the activity can range from turning a wrench the same direction all day to just sitting in an uncomfortable position for an extended period of time. The key ingredient to every cause is the repetition. Turning a wrench a few different times won't result in RSI. Even turning a wrench exactly the same direction all day won't cause RSI. However, turning a wrench the same direction all day for a couple months can definitely lead to RSI.

Most Repetitive Strain Injuries will be able to heal themselves as long as there may be ample rest given once the RSI begins. The longer an RSI goes without receiving time for it to heal the more hard it'll be to treat the personal injury. If an RSI goes neglected it may persist for years whilst progressively getting worse. This leads to many injuries which may have surgery as the only possible remedy.

The most common treatment that's prescribed for Repetitive Strain Injuries is rest. The injured area must be given the opportunity to heal by itself. In addition to rest other treatments that are commonly suggested are exercise, braces, and massage.

Pain medications can be taken to eliminate the discomfort. The problem with this approach, however, is that the pain will hide the RSI symptoms leading the affected person to return too early to activities that caused the injury.

Other treatments are actually preventative measures that should have been taken prior to the injury occurred, but will also aid treating the injury after the person returns to the activity that was the initial cause. These include ergonomic factors and exercise.

Sometimes learning to deal with the pain is the greatest treatment. If the injury causes such a disruption in a person's life that it's worse than the injury itself then learning to deal with the pain might be the best answer. This way the affected person can resume their day-to-day activities providing they understand how to avoid making the injury worse.