Many jobs require people to keep performing the same movements over and over. This puts stress on the affected parts of the body and can result in repetitive strain injuries.
Repetitive strain injuries affect people in all sorts of occupations. Common sites of injuries include arms, legs, eyes, neck and back. It may be possible to prevent repetitive strain injuries. If prevention fails, there are often several treatment options.
Prevention
Preventing repetitive strain injuries can be difficult because they arise from tasks that people have to keep doing to earn a living. Medical News Today offers several prevention tips. For example, it is a good idea to maintain general health by exercising regularly and eating right. A healthy body is more resilient and better able to recover from injury.
Another way to prevent repetitive strain injury is to take breaks to give the body a chance to rest from the repetitive activity. Five minutes every hour or so may not seem like much but can make a big difference.
Treatment
A doctor seeing a patient for an RSI usually recommends conservative treatment first. Nonsurgical treatment options include physical therapy, splinting and ice packs or heat packs. The doctor may recommend the patient ice the affected area one day and then apply heat the next, alternating in this fashion until symptoms improve.
Anti-inflammatory medications may improve pain from RSI. Medications to relieve tension, such as antidepressants or muscle relaxants, may also help.
If conservative treatment measures are not effective, a doctor may recommend surgery for a work-related repetitive strain injury.
