Maybe you’re a bassist who gets an intense twinge in the wrist after a long day of practice. It could be you are a world-class tennis player whose elbows shout in pain with every swing. Or perhaps you work on an industrial assembly line day in and day out, working and stressing the same muscles continuously. All these scenarios are a recipe for repetitive strain injury. A repetitive strain injury (RSI) is defined as damage to muscles, tendons and nerves due to repetitive motions and constant use, also known as repetitive stress injuries.

As summarized by the Cleveland Clinic’s article, “Repetitive Strain Injury,” these common ailments can tend to affect fingers, thumbs, wrists, elbows, arms, shoulders and knees. The area or areas that are most repeatedly used are more likely to present pain symptoms. It doesn’t necessarily matter what the repetitive activity is, and it doesn’t have to be an obviously strenuous activity. It could be as simple as typing for hours on end or strumming a guitar. Most repetitive strain injuries are mild enough for home care or can be supplemented for best healing with chiropractic care.

Though anyone can get a repetitive strain injury, they are commonly associated with workers that do manual or physical labor, athletes, musicians or sedentary workers at a desk or computer all day. The main thing with repetitive strain injuries is to take care of them early on so they don’t develop into more concerning and damaging long-term conditions.

If a repetitive strain injury is present, the symptoms that could arise are:

  • Pain
  • Tingling
  • Stiffness
  • Weakness
  • Cold or heat sensitivity
  • Swelling

Don’t just ignore or fight through the pain if this becomes an ever-present issue. The stress on the body can build up over time and result in many related health issues, such as:

  • Tendinitis
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Trigger Finger, Trigger Thumb
  • Osgood-Schlatter disease
  • Back Strain, Sprain
  • Shin Splints
  • Stress fractures
  • Ganglion cysts
  • Nerve Compression
  • Herniated Disks
  • Bursitis
  • Dupuytren’s contracture

Preventive Measures

There are some steps to be taken to reduce the chances of developing a repetitive strain injury, depending on risk factors. For sports and similar activities:

  • Remember to utilize any proper protective personal equipment (PPE).
  • Listen to your body’s signals. Don’t play through if you notice significant pain during an activity.
  • Rest and recovery after intense movement is key.
  • Stretching and warming up cannot be optional before playing a sport or engaging in a workout.
  • Similarly, do no skimp on the cool down and post-stretch following physical exertion.

For office workers, Healthline recommends practicing good posture, ergonomics and taking frequent breaks to move around. Many common work or activity types have published good rules of thumb to prevent RSI as well.

Recovery and Next Steps

RSI is usually very treatable when proper steps are taken to mitigate damaging life factors. A chiropractor can help you identify an injured area, the cause and practical steps to get better and facilitate self-healing. You should not require emergency attention for an RSI injury unless the pain or swelling is extreme and/or worsening, if you notice a discoloration more excessive than a bruise, or you cannot move a body part that you normally have range over.

To learn more about chiropractic care through Life Chiropractic Centers, visit LifeChiropractic.com.

To search for Life University alumni chiropractors in your area, utilize the Life U Referral Directory.