A repetitive strain injury is an "injury to the musculoskeletal and nervous systems that
may be caused by repetitive tasks, forceful exertions, vibrations, mechanical compression,
or sustained or awkward positions." RSIs are also known as cumulative trauma disorders,
repetitive stress injuries, repetitive motion injuries or disorders, musculoskeletal disorders,
and occupational or sports overuse syndromes.
Definition Repetitive strain injury and cumulative trauma
disorders are umbrella terms used to refer to several discrete conditions that can be
associated with repetitive tasks, forceful exertions, vibrations, mechanical compression,
or sustained/awkward positions. Examples of conditions that may sometimes be attributed
to such causes include edema, tendinosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome,
De Quervain syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, intersection syndrome, golfer's elbow, tennis
elbow, trigger finger, radial tunnel syndrome, and focal dystonia.
Since the 1970s there has been a worldwide increase in RSIs of the arms, hands, neck,
and shoulder attributed to the widespread use of typewriters/computers in the workplace
that require long periods of repetitive motions in a fixed posture.
Popular terms Specific sources of discomfort have been popularly
referred to by terms such as Blackberry thumb, iPod finger, gamer's thumb, Rubik's wrist
or "cuber's thumb", stylus finger, raver's wrist, and Emacs pinky, among others.
History Although seemingly a modern phenomenon, RSIs
have long been documented in the medical literature. In 1700, the Italian physician Bernardino
Ramazzini first described RSI in more than 20 categories of industrial workers in Italy,
including musicians and clerks. Carpal tunnel syndrome was first identified by the British
surgeon James Paget in 1854. The Swiss surgeon Fritz de Quervain first identified De Quervain’s
tendinitis in Swiss factory workers in 1895. The French neurologist Jules Tinel developed
his percussion test for compression of the median nerve in 1900. The American surgeon
George Phalen improved the understanding of the aetiology of carpal tunnel syndrome with
his clinical experience of several hundred patients during the 1950s and 1960s.
Treatment RSIs are assessed using a number of objective
clinical measures. These include effort-based tests such as grip and pinch strength, diagnostic
tests such as Finkelstein's test for Dequervain's tendinitis, Phalen's Contortion, Tinel's Percussion
for carpal tunnel syndrome, and nerve conduction velocity tests that show nerve compression
in the wrist. Various imaging techniques can also be used to show nerve compression such
as x-ray for the wrist, and MRI for the thoracic outlet and cervico-brachial areas.
The most-often prescribed treatments for early-stage RSIs include drug therapies such as anti-inflammatory
medications combined with passive forms of physical therapy such as rest, splinting,
massage and the like. Low-grade RSIs can sometimes resolve themselves if treatments begin shortly
after the onset of symptoms. However, some RSIs may require more aggressive intervention
including surgery and can persist for years. General exercise has been shown to decrease
the risk of developing RSI. Doctors sometimes recommend that RSI sufferers engage in specific
strengthening exercises, for example to improve sitting posture, reduce excessive kyphosis,
and potentially thoracic outlet syndrome. Modifications of posture and arm use are often
recommended.
See also Carpal tunnel syndrome
List of Repetitive Strain Injury software Sports Injury
Tendinitis Tendinosis
Notes
External links Repetitive Strain Injuries at DMOZ
Musculoskeletal disorders from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work
Workrave application for prevention of RSI Amadio PC. "Repetitive stress injury". J Bone
Joint Surg Am 83–A: 136–7; author reply 138–41. PMID 11205849.
Harvard RSI Action Prevention and Management of Repetitive Strain
Injury Epidemiological and ergonomic study of occupational
factors associated with syndromes of upper limb disorders in keyboard operators by M
Hanson and others. Institute of Occupational Medicine Research Report TM04
Development of an aid to identifying task elements, which may predispose individuals
to work related upper limb disorders by RA Graveling and others. Institute of Occupational
Medicine Research Report TM08 Clinical epidemiological study of relations
between upper limb soft tissue disorders and repetitive movements at work by CJ English
and others. Institute of Occupational Medicine Research Report TM19