Friday, December 11, 2015

Repetitive Strain Injury

Repetitive Strain Injury
Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is a condition where pain and other symptoms occur in an area of the body which has done repetitive tasks (often the arms or hands). Repetitive strain means strain related to actions which are frequently repeated. Treatment includes stopping the task (if possible), improving the work environment, and other measures such as painkillers and physiotherapy.

What is repetitive strain injury (RSI)?
The term repetitive strain injury (RSI) is used to describe a range of painful conditions of the muscles, tendons and other soft tissues. It is mainly caused by repetitive use of part of the body. It is usually related to a task or occupation but leisure activities can also be a cause. Unlike a normal strain following a sudden injury, symptoms of RSI can persist well beyond the time it would take symptoms of a normal strain to ease.

You may also see the term overuse injury. This is a general name for conditions in which the muscles, tendons or soft tissues are used excessively but unlike RSI do not necessarily involve repetition of the same movement.

What causes repetitive strain injury (RSI)?
The main cause is frequent and repetitive movements of a part of the body - for example, typing, using a computer mouse a lot, etc. Other factors may contribute, such as poor posture whilst doing the movement, using excessive force whilst doing the movement and not having enough breaks from the task.

However, the precise reason why RSI develops is not clear. In many cases there is no swelling or inflammation and there are no other obvious problems which develop in the muscles or tendons, and yet symptoms develop. Also, it is not clear why some people develop RSI and not others who do the same repetitive tasks.

Research suggests that psychosocial workplace factors (which usually means stress at work) can also contribute to RSI. It may be that stress increases muscle tension and/or affects how the body feels pain in general.

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