There are many different types of repetitive stress injuries that may affect an individual. One of these types of injuries is known as trigger finger. It�s a problem that could just be a minor annoyance, but it could also degenerate into a condition that causes the afflicted individual to feel much pain and limits their range of motion. Most often, these problems are developed due to an overuse and abuse of a certain limb, muscle, or other body part. In this article, we�ll discuss the syndrome known as trigger finger, working towards informing you about what the problem is, as well as how it can be developed and the methods that doctors use in order to treat it. Continue reading »

Are you living with pain? Have you had an injury that just will not leave you alone? Do you have RSI? Do you have signs of RSI? Do you need to know what RSI in order to tell if that is what you are suffering from? These are just some of the questions that will be asked, but the big one is what is RSI?

Let’s start there first. RSI or Repetitive Stress Injury is something happens to many. It is a work related injury. RSI will normally affect those that are sitting at a desk every day for hours on end, or standing in a production line hour after hour. These things take a toll on your body and your body does let you know these things. However, if you don’t know what to look for in the first place how are you going to know what to do about them. These may be some of the everyday aches and pains that you are suffering from, but you don’t have to live with them. You can do something about them. So, let’s find out what the warning signs are for RSI.

As with anything, your body will give you signs when something isn’t right. The problem with this is that you don’t know what its trying to tell you. Therefore, you need to make sure that you are in tune with your body and its aches, pains, or whatever else may be going on. Everyone is different and everyone may or may not have this warning signs, but they are the most common with it comes to RSI. If you have any it is wise to see your doctor.

With RSI you can have recurring pain and/or soreness in your neck, upper back, shoulders, wrists, or hands. You can have tingling, numbness, coldness, or loss of sensations in these areas as well. A loss of grip, lack of endurance, weakness, and fatigue are all signs. All warning signs of RSI. You may even have hard muscles in your shoulders and/or arms. If you have a pain or numbness when you lie in bed, it may not necessary mean that your arm or hand is just asleep. Don’t mistake these warning signs that are flashing in your face to pass without getting them checked out. It is worth going to the doctor for, if you think there may be something else going on. That is what it means to listen to your body and do what is right for your body and your health. No one wants to live with pain.

Life is too short not to pay attention to the things that are going on around you or the things that are going on with your body. Only you can tell what is happening, and if it is normal or not. You shouldn’t be walking around with pain that you can fix, if you just knew what it was and how to treat it. See your doctor to find out more about RSI and if you have it.

Repetitive strain injury, or RSI, is a problem that many people across the world are unfamiliar with. Also referred to as repetitive stress injury, this type of affliction stems from the overuse of certain body parts while undergoing too much activity. For instance, one who plays the guitar in an overly stressful amount may begin to develop RSI. In repetitive strain injuries, the muscles and the tendons that are located in the arms and the back are aggravated due to overuse. It’s a disorder with many different names, and some refer to it as WRULD, which stands for work related upper limb disorder due to the area of the body which it tends to affect the most.
More often than not, assembly line workers tend to be affected the most by this disorder. Workplaces can act towards eliminating repetitive strain injuries amongst their work force by encouraging the use of proper posture, along with ensuring that stressful movements only occur for short times with regular breaks. For those who are already afflicted with a case of RSI, the condition can be improved by doing stretches and strengthening exercises, as well as massages. There are many different types of repetitive stress injuries, many of which you are probably familiar with. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Tendonitis, DeQuervain’s syndrome, as well as many other different individualized afflictions fall under the category of a repetitive stress injury.
If you think that you may be suffering from some form of repetitive stress injury, it’s important for you to speak to a doctor. Symptoms such as recurring pain in a localized area that you commonly use may denote a condition of RSI. Also, if you’re experiencing tingling or numbness in an area of your body that you regularly use, you may be afflicted. The muscles of the affected area may feel fatigued, and you may also find that you have a lack of strength present. It’s also important to note that symptoms may not necessarily mean that the problem lies in the area where you are experiencing pain or numbness. For instance, a numbness of the hand may be the result of pinched nerves in the shoulder.
Since there are many different types of RSI, there are many different treatments to help relieve the specific symptoms that you may be suffering from. Treatment options include physical therapy regimens that can help to strengthen the area that is afflicted, as well as possible surgeries in order to correct damage. Quick relief from RSI can usually be found via the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, which can bring down swelling and pain. Stretches and yoga have also been used in order to help the patient to regain a sense of muscular posture. Avoiding stressful movements of the affected areas is also advised when it comes to getting over a case of repetitive stress injury. Healing a case of RSI will take patience and hard work in order to make a full recovery, so be sure to put forth your best efforts.

You’ve probably heard of RSI, better known as repetitive stress injury, and know how painful it can be to someone who has it. You don’t want to get this condition yourself, so it can’t be emphasized enough how important it is to prevent this disorder. There are a few simple changes that you can implement in your office setup and your work habits that might be able to save you a lot of pain months or years down the road. If you ever do get an RSI, then you should be prepared for healing to be a long, frustrating, and drawn out process. Prevention is the key.

One thing you can do to help prevent an RSI is to type correctly. This is one of the best things that you can do. You should never contort your hands to do key combinations on your keyboard, like a shifted letter. This is one of the most common mistakes that people tend to make when they are typing. By making key combinations by contorting one hand, you could experience tingling and numbness or a loss of feeling in your pinky.

This is known as cubital tunnel syndrome or ulnar neuropathy. Instead of contorting your hand to do key combinations, you should use one hand to hit the letter key and the index finger of your other hand to hit the other key. It puts strain on your hands to twist them. If you rest your wrist on a wrist rest or your desk while you are typing, then you are forcing your hands to twist in order to reach some of the keys on the keyboard. It is better on you if you keep your hands moving freely above your keyboard and let the muscles of your arms to move your hands.

You should take frequent breaks from the computer and the keyboard. It is better for you to take several short breaks versus a few long breaks. You can take your hands off of your keyboard and let your arms drop to your sides, get up and move around for a few minutes, or whatever relaxes you a little. You should do this about ever half hour to forty-five minutes. Take the time to stretch and loosen up the muscles in your neck and shoulders. By stretching, you are helping to prevent yourself from injury. Before you begin typing, you should stretch your wrists. Also stretch them several times throughout the day.

When you are typing it is important for you to keep you wrists straight and flat. How you hold your arms, neck, and shoulders can also contribute to any problems you might experience. Sit in your chair with your thighs level and your feet should be flat on the floor or on a foot rest. Keep your back straight while you’re sitting and your shoulders should be relaxed. Your arms should be bent at a rough 90 degree angle and the top of your monitor should be at eye level. If you must make adjustments, then make them to the monitor and keyboard, don’t make them to your body.

Once upon a time there was a young man aged twenty-three years, he worked in a warehouse for a large supermarket chain. The position he had was called a warehouse operative and his role was to take pallets of goods and place them in the required cages so the goods went to the stores. Some of the goods weighed up to 15 kilograms each with up to fifty-five on a pallet, as you can imagine having to lift this amount of weight over and over, in the same movement caused stress on the young mans wrists and hands.

Over time the boy started feeling pain in his wrists, the pain did go when he rested for long enough periods but over time the pain grew stronger and lasted for longer. One day he was trying to lift heavy items of stock into cages but found that he could not as his wrists hurt very much and he was losing the ability to move his wrists freely as they became stiff.

The young man decided to visit the doctor as the symptoms did not subside, the doctor looked at the wrists and was told what had happened and the doctor was able to diagnose the boy as having carpal tunnel syndrome, a form of repetitive strain injury.

The doctor advised the young man that he would require time off work; physiotherapy to try and relieve the stress he had caused on his wrists and painkillers to take away some o the pain he was feeling.

Over time the young man did find his symptoms rescind but he was never able to resume his role at the warehouse and had to find alternative employment.

Ever since this happened the young man has found that his wrists are weak and he can easily find them fatigue and ache, because of his youth this has caused him further problems in his personal life with playing sports.

Although this condition is not life threatening and should not cause serious problems long term it can affect day to day life, it can still affect you in simple jobs like opening tins of food or using a screw driver. I know this does not sound that bad but it is almost a disability, imagine having to ask someone else to have to do these simple tasks for you.

Reality

Although this story may sound far-fetched it is close to the reality of some peoples lives. Because a lot of people do not understand, or have knowledge about repetitive strain injury they can cause themselves harm over time if they do not seek medical help should symptoms of repetitive strain injury arise.

My first nugget of gold to share with you information wise is to research and learn about repetitive strain injury. This condition is fast becoming an epidemic due to the long hours many people spend on computers typing away and the amount of people standing on assembly lines, or walking around warehouses like the young man in the story.

Many people know of certain types of repetitive strain injuries, but few realize that they fall under this type of umbrella condition. There are many different types of repetitive strain injuries, and they are a type of injury categorized by an overuse of simple motions. More often than not, repetitive strain injuries are caused by carrying out the duties of an occupation; making the same movements, over and over again, can lead to strains on certain parts of the body. Computer workers and assembly line workers are particularly prone to developing a case of repetitive strain injury. In this article, we’ll discuss the different types of repetitive strain injury that exist so that you can better tell what types of overuse to avoid in order to maintain a decent level of health.
One of the most commonly known types of repetitive strain injuries is carpal tunnel syndrome. A case of carpal tunnel syndrome develops when the median nerve which is located inside of the wrist becomes compressed. When this occurs, the afflicted individual will experience feelings of numbness and tingling within their wrist, sometimes causing them to awaken in the middle of the night due to the pain. The range of motion of the wrist may also be affected in the afflicted individual.
Another type of repetitive strain injury is known as DeQuervain’s syndrome. Also known as washerwoman’s sprain, this type of repetitive strain injury affects the thumb. There are two tendons within the body that work to control the movement of the thumb, and when the sheaths that hold these tendons become inflamed, pain and swelling may occur within the thumb. Those afflicted with DeQuervain’s syndrome also often experience a lack of ability to grip with the affected thumb.
One type of repetitive strain injury that often is confused with DeQuervain’s syndrome is known as intersection syndrome. It’s a painful type of repetitive strain injury that occurs when muscles within the forearm overlap with wrist tendons.
A type of repetitive strain injury that is similar to DeQuervain’s syndrome is known as trigger finger. In a case of trigger finger, the sheath surrounding the tendons of the thumb becomes swollen or a type of nodule becomes present on the tendon. These two types of afflictions can cause the tendon of the thumb to be unable to move through the sheath, causing cracking sounds when motion occurs and often causing pain when bending the digit.
Most of these different types of repetitive stress injury require the same types of treatments. More often than not, the use of non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs can be helpful in reducing the inflammation and the swelling of the affected area. In all cases, resting the affected area of the body is of the utmost importance, with most doctors recommending at least 2 weeks of rest. In the event of an advanced case of repetitive stress injury, surgery may be necessary to correct the problem. Luckily, most surgeries that are performed to treat repetitive stress injuries are outpatient surgeries which require little down-time.