A (RSI), also called , '''cumulative trauma disorder''' or '''occupational overuse syndrome''', is any of a loose group of conditions from overuse of the computer, guitar, knife, or similar motion (Thumb movements) or tool Ie. Hammer, screw driver. It is an
Occupational Overuse Syndrome affecting
Muscle s,
Tendon s and
Nerve s in the arms and upper back; hence it is also known as '''work related upper limb disorder''' or '''WRULD'''. The medically accepted condition in which it occurs is when muscles in these areas are kept tense for very long periods of time, due to poor posture and/or repetitive motions.
It is most common among
Assembly Line and
Computer workers. Good
Posture ,
Ergonomics and limiting
Time in stressful working conditions can help prevent or halt the progress of the disorder. Stretches, strengthening exercises, Kenny Rogers and
Biofeedback training to reduce neck and shoulder muscle tension can help heal existing disorders.
The most well known repetitive strain injury is
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome , which is common among guitarists as well as assembly line workers but relatively rare among computer users: computer-related arm pain is generally caused by another specific condition.
Many of these disorders are interrelated, so a typical suffering person may have many of these at once. For other people, no specific diagnosis is possible. In these cases it is often best to treat RSI as a single general disorder, targeting all major areas of the arms and upper back in the course of treatment.
Some of these are:
RSI conditions have many varied symptoms. The following may indicate the onset of an RSI.
- Recurring pain or soreness in neck, shoulders, upper back, wrists or hands.
- Tingling, numbness, coldness or loss of sensation.
- Loss of grip strength, lack of endurance, weakness, --- Muscles in the arms and shoulders feet hard and wiry when palpated.
- Pain or numbness while lying in bed. Often early stage RSI sufferers mistakenly think they are lying on their arms in an awkward position cutting off circulation.
Symptoms may be caused by apparently unrelated areas — for example hand numbness may be caused by a nerve being pinched near the shoulder. In the initial stages of RSI, an area may be in quite bad condition but not feel painful unless it is massaged, or feel weak unless a long endurance exercise is performed. Therefore all areas of the upper body are considered when evaluating an RSI condition.
Studies have related RSI and other upper extremity complaints with psychological and social factors. A large amount of psychological distress showed doubled risk of the reported pain, while job demands, poor support from colleagues, and work dissatisfaction also showed an increase in pain, even after short term exposure.
1 Some believe that stress is the main cause, rather than a contributing factor, of a large fraction of pain symptoms usually attributed to RSI.
If RSI symptoms have already appeared, there are various further methods of treatment that can be applied in addition to the above preventative techniques. For most of these treatments, there has not yet been enough medical research to conclusively demonstrate their long term effectiveness, but they may be helpful.
- The sufferer should gather as much information as possible on their disorder. RSI healing generally cannot be achieved solely by medical professionals and requires active participation by the patient over a period of several months or years. The more the patient understands, the more likely it is that treatment will be effective. Consider reading books (see references) as well as asking several experts for advice. Occupational Therapists , Physical Therapists , Physiatrists , Surgeons , and Alternative Medicine practitioners may all be involved in the diagnosis and treatment plan.
- It is likely the partial or complete cessation of hand activity might be necessary for some period of time in order for healing to begin. Adaptive Technology ranging from special keyboards and mouse replacements to Speech Recognition software might be necessary.
- The medical professional may prescribe Orthopedic Hand Braces , but the patient should not self-prescribe, or further injury might result.
- Medications: The medical professional might prescribe Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory medications such as Ibuprofen to reduce swelling, or Anti-convulsant medications such as Gabapentin to reduce Neuropathic Pain .
- Cold Compression Therapy administered by the patient, or perhaps immediately followed by TENS Therapy administered by a health professional, circumvents occupational stress and may be one of the simplest ways to reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
- Soft Tissue Therapy works by decompressing the area around the repetitive stress injury thus enhancing circulation and promoting healing.
- Biofeedback can be used to reduce stress-related muscle tension in the muscles of the neck and shoulders.
- Massage treatment (for acute pain and nerve trigger points). This is best administered by a trained therapist but self-massage is also sometimes helpful.
- Stretches (for less acute pain and general maintenance). Many doctors will prescribe Occupational Therapy or Physical Therapy to rebuild strength and flexibility. Some sufferers find great relief in specific movement therapies such as T'ai Chi Ch'üan , Yoga , or the Alexander Technique , which is a mind/body approach that focuses on educating toward using less effort for movement in general. It's approach is to physically unwind the specific causes of overcompensation through private lessons, teaching structural anatomy and learning the ability to direct movement without physically stressing the body's structural design.
- Strengthening exercises (to improve posture and reduce fatigue in the long term). These should be prescribed by a medical professional, as overuse of the strained muscles and tendons can worsen symptoms.
- Surgery. This should only be used as a last resort; it is not always effective, and the above methods have been known to heal even some very serious RSI conditions provided they are properly applied.
- Mind/Body approaches. In the mind/body approach, RSI is not seen as a structural injury, but as a Psychosomatic condition. That is not to say that the pain is imagined or 'all in the mind'. Rather, the pain is a way the subconscious diverts attention from painful emotions.
- Pause software. Such programs remind the user to pause frequently and/or perform practices while working behind a computer. One such program is Workrave , an opensource free program that assists in the recovery and prevention of Repetitive Strain Injury. The program frequently alerts user to take micro-pauses, rest breaks and restricts user to a predefined daily limit.
- ''Repetitive Strain Injury: A Computer User's Guide''; Emil Pascarelli and Deborah Quilter (ISBN 0-471-59533-0)
- ''It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! RSI Theory and Therapy for Computer Professionals''; Suparna Damany, Jack Bellis (ISBN 0-9655109-9-9)
- ''Conquering Carpal Tunnel Syndrome & Other Repetitive Strain Injuries, A Self-Care Program''; Sharon J. Butler (ISBN 1-57224-039-3)
- ''The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief, Second Edition''; Clair Davies, Amber Davies (ISBN 1-57224-375-9)
- ''Electromyographic Applications in Pain, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Repetitive Strain Injury Computer User Injury With Biofeedback: Assessment and Training Protocol''; Erik Peper, Vietta S Wilson et al. The Biofeedback Foundation of Europe, 1997
- ''The Mindbody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain''; John Sarno (1998) (ISBN 0-446-67515-6)
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