Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is a condition that causes pain and discomfort in your wrists, fingers, and other parts of your body.
The most common symptoms of RSI include swelling, tingling, burning, and stiffness. RSI can occur anywhere on the body, but it commonly occurs in the wrists and fingers.
Workplace-related causes of RSI include typing, computer use, hand-held machinery operation, painting, and working on assembly lines. In addition, activities that can cause RSI include weight lifting, bowling, and playing musical instruments.
Repetitive strain injury (RSI)
Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is an umbrella term for conditions that can cause pain and discomfort in your wrists, fingers, and other body parts. RSI is caused by repetitive movements of your muscles, tendons, and nerves, which can result in inflammation or damage to soft tissues such as muscles, nerves, and ligaments.
If you have been diagnosed with RSI, it’s important to take time off work if you are able. Otherwise, speak to your employer about how best to manage the condition.
If you think you may have developed RSI, there are things you can do yourself to help relieve symptoms:
- Rest the affected area.
- Use ice packs regularly.
- Take regular breaks when performing tasks that cause pain.
Causes of RSI
RSI is caused by repetitive movements of your muscles, tendons, and nerves. It can affect any body part, including the neck and upper back, wrists, hands, arms, and shoulders.
RSI is not caused by one specific movement. Instead, it occurs when you repeat certain activities over time without allowing your body to recover properly between them. RSI can also be caused by various activities, such as typing on a keyboard all day or using a mouse excessively at work or play.
Common symptoms of RSI
The most common symptoms of RSI include swelling, tingling, burning, and stiffness.
- However, symptoms can be mild or severe.
- Symptoms can occur on and off or constantly.
Affected areas
RSI can occur anywhere on the body and is caused by repetitive movements of your muscles, tendons, and nerves. The most common sites are the wrist and finger, but they can also affect other parts of your body, such as the neck, elbows, shoulders, and back.
RSI is an umbrella term for conditions that can cause pain and discomfort in your wrists, fingers, and other body parts. Symptoms include pain in a specific area when using a computer mouse or keyboard; soreness in arms after repetitive tasks such as typing or assembly line work (for example); numbness or tingling in hands or fingers; weakness or stiffness in arms or legs; general aches throughout the body due to poor posture while seated at a desk for extended periods (e.g., slouching forward with shoulders hunched up around ears).
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is a musculoskeletal disorder caused by repetitive movements. RSI can also be caused by working in an awkward position, poor posture, and/or bad ergonomics.
Workplace-related causes of RSI include typing, computer use, hand-held machinery operation, painting, and working on assembly lines.
Activities that can cause RSI
Activities that cause RSI include weight lifting, bowling, and playing musical instruments. If you are in a profession where you need to use your hands or arms extensively, such as a musician or athlete, this can put you at risk for RSI.
RSI is caused by repetitive movements of your muscles, tendons, and nerves. The condition is most commonly seen in people who work on computer keyboards for extended periods. Still, it can also affect those who perform manual labor (such as construction workers) or gardeners who use sharp tools for long periods.
Exercises for people with RSI
- A neck stretch
- A wrist stretch
- A triceps stretch
- A finger stretch
- Forearm flexion exercise (which is performed by extending your arm out to the side, then bending your elbow and bringing your hand back towards you)
- Forearm rotation exercise (which is when you rotate your arm like a windmill)
Exercises to prevent RSI
To prevent RSI, you should perform exercises to warm up your muscles. These include arm circles (which can be done standing up or sitting down), neck rolls, and seated arm rotations. You can also do light stretching exercises like bending your arms at the elbow while holding onto a chair and pulling it toward you.
It would help if you exercised before and after tasks that stress your hands, wrists, or arms. If possible, take frequent breaks throughout the day as well — this will reduce fatigue to help reduce the risk of RSI developing in the first place!
Avoid painful activities while recovering from RSI.
While RSI is not permanent, and most people recover with time, it’s important to be aware of the best ways to prevent repetitive strain injuries from reoccurring. You can also do some things at home to help ease pain and avoid further damage.
- Avoid painful activities while trying to recover from RSI. If your symptoms worsen when performing certain movements or tasks, stop doing them immediately and consider seeing a doctor if the pain continues for more than two days or worsens. You may need physical therapy or surgery to return to normal daily activities.
- Use ice or heat to help reduce pain and swelling in the affected area(s). However, don’t use heat on any part with nerve damage due to lack of circulation (for example, fingers with Raynaud’s disease). Apply ice packs wrapped in cloth around injured joints every couple hours while awake until symptoms improve. It will help reduce inflammation and relieve joint stiffness caused by muscle spasms during sleep.
Do not work through the pain
If you are experiencing RSI, don’t force yourself to work through the pain. RSI is a serious condition that can cause permanent damage to your body if left untreated. Although there is no cure for RSIs, they can be managed with professional treatment and changes in your daily routine and work habits.
For example: If you have carpel tunnel syndrome, avoiding repetitive movements can be an important part of managing this ailment and preventing further injury. Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by repetitive movements of your wrists’ muscles, tendons, and nerves that pressure the median nerve (which runs through a narrow passageway called the carpal tunnel).
Symptoms include:
- Numbness or tingling sensations in hands and fingers
- Weakness
- Burning or a pins-and-needles feeling
- Clumsiness or loss of coordination when performing tasks requiring fine motor skills like writing or typing
These symptoms may subside at night when the arm/hand rests by placing them over pillows while sleeping (the weight puts pressure on them).
Steps you can take to prevent or treat RSI.
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is a common condition affecting hundreds of thousands of people yearly. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prevent or treat RSI.
RSI is caused by doing one specific activity over and over again. The repetitive movements can cause pain in your neck, shoulders, arms, and hands; they may also make it difficult to perform everyday tasks like typing on a keyboard or driving a car with an automatic transmission.
Most cases of RSI are work-related problems: people who work as cashiers often experience it because they’re constantly reaching for money out of the cash drawer; taxi drivers develop painful symptoms after driving for long periods at high speeds; assembly line workers develop pain in their elbows from repetitively lifting heavy objects without rest breaks between shifts.
RSI can be frustrating and painful, but it is important to remember that there are treatments and steps you can take to prevent it. First, if you have RSI, try some exercises or activities and see how they work. If not, try keeping your hands warm when doing repetitive tasks like typing or working with hand-held machinery. In any case, make sure that if something hurts, then stop doing it immediately!
