RSI / Elbow & Wrist Pain

At ONE HEALTH we try to look at the whole picture. We look at what problem you are presenting with and treat that accordingly.  Repetitive strain injury or RSI is a condition where pain and other symptoms occur in an area of the body which has done repetitive tasks (often arms or hands).

 

What is repetitive strain injury?

RSI is a term used to describe a whole host of different injuries which can affect various tissues in the body. Its not just a muscular problem. The other term used for RSI is overuse injury. RSI is exactly what it says on the tin, it is injury caused by a repetitive action that aggravates the tissues and/or joints in the body. However, the repetitive action may not be the culprit of the injury. Just because you use a computer daily does not mean you will develop RSI. There are methods we can use to help minimise RSI. You do not have to live with it.

 

Causes of RSI?

The main cause is frequent and repetitive movements of the affected muscles, tendon or joint. The main reason people suffer RSI is due to poor working posture.

 

As anything that can go wrong in the body there are always exceptions to the rules. Sometimes it is hard to locate the precise reason why RSI develops. In many patients there is no swelling, inflammation or other obvious problems which develop in the muscles or tendons and yet symptoms develop. Also, it is not clear why some people develop RSI and not others who do the same repetitive tasks.

 

A huge amount of blame is labeled to computers but this is not the main cause. At ONE HEALTH, we tend to see acute RSI just after the public holiday weekends. This is due to many people completing DYI tasks that have been lying around for months.

 

What are the symptoms of repetitive strain injury?

There are many symptoms that can present due to RSI:

• Pain - sharp, stabbing

• Tightness

• Dull ache

• Throbbing

• Numbness

• Tingling

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Firstly the symptoms tend to develop gradually and may only occur whilst you do the repetitive task that actually affects the area and eases off when you rest. In time the symptoms can be present all the time, but tend to be made worse by doing the repetitive task. Symptoms can range from mild to severe.

 

RSI can be divided in to 2 types:

 

Type 1 RSI

This includes well-defined syndromes such as carpal tunnel syndrome (pain and compression in the wrist), tendonitis (inflammation of a tendon), tenosynovitis (inflammation of a tendon sheath) etc. These conditions may be due to, or be made worse by, repetitive tasks. However, these syndromes are also common in people who have not done repetitive tasks. These syndromes may have other symptoms such as swelling, inflammation, nerve compression problems, etc.

 

Type 2 RSI

This is where symptoms do not fit into a well-defined syndrome. Also, there are no objective or measurable signs such as inflammation, swelling or problems with nerve function. It is sometimes called diffuse RSI or nonspecific pain syndrome.

 

How is repetitive strain injury diagnosed?

Overall is can be difficult to diagnose RSI injuries. Saying this, at ONE HEALTH our therapists are trained in using their diagnostic assessments skills to try and give you an idea of what the problem is and start a management plan to get you through it.

 

Occasionally we would refer you for further tests to rule out any possibility of you suffering from an inflammatory joint disease. The further tests would be blood tests, X-rays/MRIs nerve conduction tests.

 

What can we do at ONE HEALTH?

If we feel that we are able to help your symptoms through manual therapy you may be referred to any one of our trained Osteopaths, Physiotherapist or Remedial massage therapists.

 

Your treatment will consist of hands on treatment to help restore the function to the area combined with interferrential/ultrasound therapy, home care advice such as: ice/heat treatment to mobilisation exercises and stretching/strengthening exercises.

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