What is a repetitive strain injury/ repetitive motion disorder?

A repetitive strain injury refers to the damage caused by repetitive motions and constant use to your muscles, tendons or nerves. They're also sometimes called repetitive stress injuries.

Extremely common repetitive strain injuries affect your

• Fingers and thumbs.
• Wrists.
• Elbows.
• Arms.
• Shoulders.
• Knees.

As their name suggests, repetitive strain injuries result from doing the same motion or activity repeatedly until it starts to hurt your body. Any activity or movement-from typing at work on a computer to practicing an instrument-can result in a repetitive strain injury if performed repeatedly.

Most stress injuries due to repetition can be managed at home.

The following people are suffering from repetitive strain injuries:

• Any person can develop a repetitive strain injury. Some of the most affected people include:
• Those with jobs that involve lots of physical activity.
• Athletes.
• Musicians.
• Those who spend lots of time sitting at a desk or in front of a computer.

How common are repetitive strain injuries?

Repetitive strain injuries are quite common. They cause many conditions, including

• Tendinitis.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Tennis elbow.
• Trigger finger and trigger thumb.
• Osgood-Schlatter disease.
• Strains and sprains of the back.
• Shin splints.

What part of my body is damaged by a repetitive strain injury?

The most obvious way a repetitive strain injury will affect you is the pain, pain and other symptoms you experience.

On account that these injuries build up over time, that slow repeated damage can also lead to other conditions, such as:

• Stress fractures.
• Ganglion cysts.
• Nerve compression syndromes.
• Herniated disks.
• Bursitis.
• Dupuytren's contracture.

What are the symptoms of a repetitive strain injury?

A repetitive strain injury has symptoms that include:

• Pain.
• Swelling.
• Tingling.
• Numbness.
• Stiffness.
• Weakness.
• Cold or heat intolerance.

What causes repetitive strain injuries?

Any movement or task you do repeatedly is a potential cause for repetitive strain injury. They develop after your body has been subjected to the same amount of stress and strain time and again. Some examples are:

• Excessive overstrain during physical exercise without adequate pre-and post-exercise warm-up and cool-down exercises.
• Sports or any other activity that tends to use the same motion repeatedly.
• Poor sitting and standing postures.
• Working with vibrating tool.
• Working in cold conditions.

How is repetitive strain injuries diagnosed?

Your health care provider will diagnose a repetitive strain injury through a physical exam. They'll want to know when you started having symptoms and whether anything you do on a regular basis worsens them.

What tests are performed to diagnose repetitive strain injuries?

This depends on what is actually causing your symptoms or where you're experiencing the pain in your body. Your doctor may require a few imaging tests to diagnose a condition caused by repetitive strain, such as:

• X-rays.
• Magnetic resonance imaging, otherwise known as MRI.
• A CT scan, or computed tomography.
• An ultrasound.

How is repetitive strain injuries treated?

You will depend on the cause of your injury, as well as the severity of the symptoms in the treatment of a repetitive strain injury. The best treatment may be to not change or reduce an activity that caused your injury to prevent further damage to your body. The damage is usually not permanent and will heal with time.

You should be able to treat the symptoms at home if you follow the R.I.C.E.

• Rest: Steer clear of the activity that caused your injury. Don't overuse the injured area of your body as it heals.
• Ice: Use an ice pack applied to your injury 15 minutes at a time, several times a day.
• Compression: Use an elastic bandage to wrap your injury and help reduce swelling.
• Elevation: Keep your injury above your heart as much as you can.

You may also be able to reduce the pain and inflammation through over-the-counter use of NSAIDs like aspirin or ibuprofen. If you will use NSAIDs for more than 10 days, you should talk to your provider about this.

Your doctor also may send you to a physical therapist for changes in your posture, strength, and range of motion. You'll probably also be assigned an occupational therapist, who may be able to tailor your recovery so that you are ready to get back to work- if that's what led to your injury.

If your injury is severe enough to cause significant destruction inside your body, you will require surgery, and these are relatively rare.

How quickly will I recover after treatment?

Gradually, you are likely to start feeling better as you deal with the symptoms and avoid the activity that led to the injury. This can vary depending on what type of injury and what kind of activity caused it. Discuss your provider with them for a more specific timeline.

How might I prevent repetitive strain injuries?

Not overusing your body is the best way to avoid getting a repetitive strain injury.

When participating in exercise or sports:

• Dress appropriately in safety equipment.
• Don't "play through it" when you experience pain during or after physical activity.
• Give your body a rest and time to recover after intense activity.
• Stretch and warm up before playing sports or exercising.
• Cool down and stretch after engaging in physical activity.
• Your good posture will also contribute to the elimination of excess stress on your body.
• Federal laws and regulations require the employer to make accommodations to accommodate the needs of employees so that they avoid injuries associated with repetitive strain.

What can I expect about a repetitive stress injury?

You are likely to recover completely from a repetitive stress injury. They are normally transitory in nature and, under normal circumstances, will not have any long-lasting effects on your health and/or ability to enjoy things you love to do.

Will I have to miss work or school with a repetitive strain injury?

If your work or your activity on school caused the repetitive strain injury, you might have to take off some work or classes.

Consult with your doctor before you resume any physical activity, especially if that is what led to your initial injury.

Talk with your provider about which accommodations you may be eligible for while you recover if your injury was caused on the job.

Living With

When should I contact my healthcare provider?

See your doctor if your symptoms are interfering with your ability to do your activities of daily living (such as your job). They can better understand what is injured, why, and how you might modify your daily routine to help your body recover.

Greatest recovery will be achieved by stopping the damage from repetitive strain as soon as possible.

To seek an expert consultation for any orthopedic condition.

Call us at +91-9076972161
Email at care@tenderpalm.com

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