Repetitive Stress Injuries

What is Repetitive stress injury?

Repetitive stress injuries include a number of problems. RSI or repetitive stress injuries can affect any movable part of the body. The injuries are associated with continuous tasks, vibrations, forceful exertions, awkward position and mechanical compressions.

Symptoms of Repetitive stress injuries:

Repetitive stress injuries have a number of causes and also a wide variety of symptoms. It includes tingling in the arm or hand, Joint Pain or tenderness in the area of the affected joint or muscle, pulsating feeling in the affected area, loss of strength and also decrease in the sensation of the affected area. There are some other symptoms as well which depends on the part of the body which is affected.

Causes of Repetitive stress injuries:

There are various causes behind the development of repetitive stress injuries. Some of them are:

• Activities where great force is needed.
• Using vibrating equipment.
• Overuse of a muscle or a joint.
• Working in very cold temperatures.
• Poor quality of posture.
• Being in the same posture for a long period of time.
• Application of direct pressure to a particular area.
• Carrying heavy weight loads.
• Fatigue.

It has been found that people who have psychological stress, are prone to repetitive stress injuries which usually worsen the condition.

How to prevent repetitive stress injuries?

It has been found that preventing repetitive stress injuries are difficult to prevent from worsening or developing when the cause behind it is related to certain activities or work. The most useful and important way to prevent the injury is to stop the intensity of certain activity or to reduce it. It might happen that the job or activity cannot be stopped, and in that case, there are certain prevention measures.

• Standing up: It is recommended by doctors to stand up and to stretch frequently after continuous work. It can reduce the risk of developing an injury. One should extend the arms, back and fingers after the continuous period of work.
• Taking breaks: Taking breaks in between repetitive activity always helps. It helps to relax those muscles and joints which gets strained due to continuous work.
• Looking up after general health: The best way to prevent injuries is to eat healthy foods. Staying healthy is the most beneficial prevention among all. Doing regular exercises can help to keep the body resilient. One should also avoid smoking as it reduces the blood flow to the muscles.

Treatment of repetitive stress injuries:

There are many treatments for repetitive stress injuries. The most common treatment that can be found is taking medications, especially painkillers. Also, applying heat packs and ice packs can help. There are many steroid injections available for the treatment as well along with the option of surgery. But, today PRP or Platelet Rich Plasma therapy is widely used in place of surgeries, as this treatment has the ability to cure the affected area much faster than surgeries. Also, the PRP Recovery time is much less than surgeries along with adverse benefits as well. Dr Vineeth MB, Orthopedic Doctor in Ernakulam provides Repetitive Stress Injury PRP Treatment in Kochi. RSI PRP Therapy in Kerala, India