Repetitive Strain Injury
Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is a growing diagnosis within the medical professions used to explain recurrent or
chronic pain
in virtually any area of the body. Other common names for RSI include CTD (cumulative trauma disorder), repetitive stress syndrome and occupational overuse syndrome. Most often, this diagnosis is made in relation to a person’s occupation or regularly occurring activities. RSI is one of the conditions most often diagnosed without much supportive evidence of any anatomical injury having occurred. In other cases, diagnostic imaging will produce evidence of joint or tissue degeneration, but the patient may or may not be informed that these changes are normal and expected in all typical adult anatomies.
What is Repetitive Strain Injury?
RSI is actually the heading of a category of conditions affecting almost every area of the human anatomy. Many of these conditions are idiopathic in nature, but have been grouped together, nonetheless, as is common in the medical industry. Most RSI is theorized to be caused by
repetitive stress,
overuse and constant motion on the muscles, ligaments, bones and joints in a particular bodily region. All this use and abuse is thought to wear away the body’s nature protective mechanisms, leading to structural damage and general regional degeneration. As opposed to singular injury, RSI is theorized to consist of many repetitive small traumas to the area incurred over time. The recurrent damage may cause pain through the body’s inability to heal the area completely before a new injury occurs or through the theorized existence of scar tissue which may become symptomatic unto itself.
Types of Repetitive Strain Injury
Most RSI conditions are linked to a person’s job function or extracurricular activities. A great number of professions have been included in groups considered susceptible to RSI including: assembly and factory workers, computer workers and typists, musicians, office workers, cash register operators and anyone else who performs repetitive motions throughout their workday. Some of the most common sub divisions of RSI include:
Carpal tunnel syndrome,
reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a wide range of
tendonitis
conditions,
thoracic outlet syndrome,
certain types of
arthritis,
and general
elbow,
shoulder,
wrist or hand pain. Less commonly, RSI can include lower body symptoms, such as leg pain and
foot pain
theorized to come from overuse or recurrent strain.
Repetitive Strain Injury Advice
RSI is an
epidemic
in the healthcare system. According to some opportunistic doctors, it seems that almost any activity can and will cause RSI, leading to general or specific functional disability. Insurance and disability benefits for RSI are at an all time high, which certainly helps to escalate and perpetuate symptoms in diagnosed patients. Of course, there are forms of RSI which are structurally based, however many are simple misdiagnosed
psychologically induced pain syndromes.
RSI is commonly caused by
primary gain,
but can also sometimes be the result of
secondary gain,
especially in disgruntled workers. I have seen the incidence of RSI diagnosis rise steadily year by year and have been particularly sickened by the medical mismanagement of this seeming disorder. While it is impossible to generalize about every case, this is the typical version of RSI I see most often… Most patients are given drugs and therapy, which rarely resolve the complaint. Injection therapy and surgery are often performed, relieving some or most of the pain short term. Not long after treatment, the pain either returns anew or more often, moves to a related or even unrelated bodily location and the entire process begins again. This should be no surprise, given the mistaken structural explanations for most RSI scenarios and the underlying
symptom imperative
which WILL NOT BE DENIED. There are many excellent resources detailing the use of
knowledge therapy
treatment for RSI conditions. Generally, patients who have not found lasting relief from traditional medical practices might be wise to consider this alternative path, since there is truly nothing to lose and possible symptomatic resolution to gain.
Repetitive Strain Injury to Back Pain
7/22/09 Revised 2/7/12
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