Understanding Repetitive Strain Injury
Repetitive strain injury, RSI, occurs when you strain a muscle because you repeat the same motion again and again or simply put muscle overuse.
The symptoms include loss of range of motion in the affected area, a burning sensation, tingling, or even numbness.
Many of the people who suffer from RSI work on an assembly line, computer work, or any other favorite physical activity.
If you discover you have a repetitive strain injury it can set you back and restrain you from the things you enjoy and your job.
It's important to keep RSI under control; but how? Just how do you heal RSI? The first step in keeping your repetitive strain injury from getting any worse is to rest it for an extended amount of time; doctors suggest about 2 weeks.
Don't use the overworked muscle for hardly anything at all and if you think you may be tempted then use a splint to keep it in place.
If resting the area doesn't seem to work then the next step would to be to take medication designed to help.
It has been proven that the drugs working best on RSI injuries are inflammatory and non-steroidal drugs, like ibuprofen and aspirin.
These medications are designed to reduce swelling and stress.
In some rare cases of repetitive strain injuries surgery is needed for a more definitive solution.
Although, surgery may sound a little extreme in reality, it is a one day procedure (typically no overnight hospital stays), only requires general anesthesia, and is usually very successful in more permanently correcting the problem of RSI.
Once the repetitive strain injury has been resolved either through time, rest and medication or even through surgery, the final step in the healing process would be to seek physical therapy.
Physical therapy can be very helpful when trying to re-strengthen the muscle, especially if you have decided to undergo surgery.
Also by talking about RSI with a physical therapist you can learn how to prevent it again in the future, without sacrificing the physical activities you enjoy or even your job.
In conclusion, the condition of repetitive strain injury is not something you have to live with...
there are options.
You can choose to treat the problem first yourself with rest and avoiding the irritating activity, or if it becomes out of hand you can seek professional help.
Either way, RSI is not the end of the world.
A repetitive strain injury may have knocked you off your feet but you can get back up!
The symptoms include loss of range of motion in the affected area, a burning sensation, tingling, or even numbness.
Many of the people who suffer from RSI work on an assembly line, computer work, or any other favorite physical activity.
If you discover you have a repetitive strain injury it can set you back and restrain you from the things you enjoy and your job.
It's important to keep RSI under control; but how? Just how do you heal RSI? The first step in keeping your repetitive strain injury from getting any worse is to rest it for an extended amount of time; doctors suggest about 2 weeks.
Don't use the overworked muscle for hardly anything at all and if you think you may be tempted then use a splint to keep it in place.
If resting the area doesn't seem to work then the next step would to be to take medication designed to help.
It has been proven that the drugs working best on RSI injuries are inflammatory and non-steroidal drugs, like ibuprofen and aspirin.
These medications are designed to reduce swelling and stress.
In some rare cases of repetitive strain injuries surgery is needed for a more definitive solution.
Although, surgery may sound a little extreme in reality, it is a one day procedure (typically no overnight hospital stays), only requires general anesthesia, and is usually very successful in more permanently correcting the problem of RSI.
Once the repetitive strain injury has been resolved either through time, rest and medication or even through surgery, the final step in the healing process would be to seek physical therapy.
Physical therapy can be very helpful when trying to re-strengthen the muscle, especially if you have decided to undergo surgery.
Also by talking about RSI with a physical therapist you can learn how to prevent it again in the future, without sacrificing the physical activities you enjoy or even your job.
In conclusion, the condition of repetitive strain injury is not something you have to live with...
there are options.
You can choose to treat the problem first yourself with rest and avoiding the irritating activity, or if it becomes out of hand you can seek professional help.
Either way, RSI is not the end of the world.
A repetitive strain injury may have knocked you off your feet but you can get back up!
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