Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) can occur to people of all ages and in all walks of life. This type of injury can have dramatic effects on the lives of people affected by this disorder and, in some cases, may cause a person to change careers as a result. The purpose of this article is to explain these types of injuries and to discuss the various remedies available to people suffering from repetitive injuries.
Repetitive stress injury generally occurs as a result of frequent movement of the arms, wrists or hands, but it can affect other parts of the body as well. There are generally four different types of repetitive injuries to the upper body. These injuries are commonly known as carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, bursitis, and tendonitis.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is probably the most well known type of repetitive stress injury. It is caused through over use of the arms combined with over of the fingers such as typing day after day on a computer keyboard. Its symptoms show up a tingling sensation in the fingers and a sharp pain in the wrist when it is bent.
Tennis Elbow, another form of repetitive injury, shows up as a sharp pain on the top of the elbow where the tendon joins the bone. It is commonly called tennis elbow because acute pain occurs when hitting a tennis ball with a racket. Golfer’s elbow is a similar malady that occurs from the motion of swinging a golf club. In recent months there have been many cases of tennis elbow related to playing the interactive Wii video games.
Tendonitis at the base of the thumb, commonly known as deQuervain’s tendonitis results in the inability to make a fist, grasp and hold objects. This can occur often in infants as they work on developing their fine motor skills. With the advent of texting on cell phones, many teenagers and young adults are suffering from this type on injury. Another form of tendonitis can occur to the index finger through frequent clicking on a computer mouse.
Bursitis occurs many times from throwing a ball to many times without enough rest. The bursa is what cushions the tendon and prevents friction between the tendon and the bone. The constant throwing motion creates constant moving of the tendon across the bone in the shoulder or the elbow. The bursa then becomes enflamed and it hurts every time the throwing motion is repeated.
Treatment for these various types of repetitive stress injuries can run the gamut from invasive surgical procedures to exercise therapy to remedy these problems.
The pages contained in this web site offer a more in-depth analysis of the issues and treatment for these conditions.
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