Do You Have A Repetitive Strain Injury?
If you’ve ever had a burning, aching pain in your elbow after playing too many rounds of tennis, or weakness and shooting pain in your hands and forearms after spending too much time at the computer, then you’ve probably experienced the early stages of a repetitive strain injury (RSI).
What is a Repetitive Strain Injury?
There are many forms of repetitive strain injuries; most common are tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger/thumb, rotator cuff strain, thoracic outlet syndrome, tendonitis and bursitis.
In the past, most RSIs were commonly attributed to people who were involved with sports–hence the names ‘tennis elbow’ or ‘golfer’s elbow’. However, RSIs are becoming increasingly common among all walks of life. From jackhammer operators to administrative assistants to computer techs to musicians to baseball players to mothers who frequently place their child on the same hip each time. Each and every person is at risk of having an RSI at some time in their life.
Repetitive strain injuries can occur in different areas of the body. They develop from frequently repeated actions and can be brought about by short and quick movements, or positions held constantly over time. This includes gripping a computer mouse, bending your wrists when you type on the keyboard, twisting a screwdriver, hammering, or playing a musical instrument. The repeated movements can cause microscopic tears to build up in the tissues causing inflammation, swelling and pain.
What are the Symptoms of Repetitive Strain Injuries?
The first and most common symptom of an RSI is pain with a specific movement. After that, the pain can occur during the specific movement and during other activities and could last hours after you stop doing the activity. Other symptoms may include tingling and burning sensations, dull ache, limited range of motion, numb-like sensations, weakness, swelling, hypersensitivity and diminished coordination. Also pain in one area may radiate to other connecting areas of the body. For example, pain in the wrist could also refer pain into the elbow and/or shoulder.
Tips for Preventing RSIs
If you work in an office:
- Make sure your desk/workstation is set up to support you as you work. Adjust your chair so that you can sit comfortably while typing. Sit up straight.
- Set up your monitor so it is right in front of you, with the top of the screen at eye level.
- Keyboard and mouse should be low enough to allow you to relax your shoulders. When typing, make sure your wrists are straight and level with your elbows.
- Don’t bend your hands up at the wrists and never rest your wrists on the desk or armrests while typing or using the mouse.
- Stretch frequently while at the computer.
- Take frequent breaks. A five-minute break every 20 to 30 minutes can help tremendously. Get up from your desk, move around, stretch your arms, rotate your shoulders and move your neck around.
- Ice, if needed.
If you do manual labor:
- Make sure the tools that you use absorb shock and are easy to grip. Grip the tools as loosely as possible.
- If you work at a table, adjust the height, if possible.
- Take frequent breaks. Again, a five-minute break every 20 to 30 minutes will help a lot. Get up and move around, swing your arms around, move your head.
- Ice, if needed.
In general:
- Try not to do the same movement repeatedly. If you carry a child typically on one hip, rotate hips each time.
- Try not to carry your purse, briefcase, laptop bag, or diaper bag on the same shoulder. Rotate shoulders each time.
- Sit at your desk with your spine as straight as possible.
- If you talk on the phone, get a headset so that you aren’t putting extra strain on your neck as you are talking and typing at the same time.
- Stretch, stretch, stretch and then stretch again.
- Be aware of your body movements–if it feels uncomfortable to you, then change your position to something that is more comfortable.
How Massage Can Help
Massage can help decrease pain and enhance your healing in a variety of ways:
- Helps reduce painful swelling by improving blood and lymph circulation. This aids in the elimination of accumulated toxins and speeds oxygen and healing nutrients to the tissues.
- Helps relax tight muscles and improve range of motion by lengthening muscles and stretching shortened tissues.
- Can also be used as a preventative measure, releasing tension and reducing inflammation before a repetitive strain injury even develops.
DISCLAIMER~THIS ARTICLE IS NOT MEANT TO REPLACE THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN. IF YOU HAVE SEVERE PAIN AND SWELLING IN A PARTICULAR AREA, PLEASE GO TO YOUR DOCTOR.