Repetitive Stress Injuries: Causes, Prevention, and How Osteopathy Can Help
Suffering from persistent pain from repetitive tasks? Learn about Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSIs), their common causes, and how osteopathy offers a whole-body path to recovery and prevention.
In our modern lives, many of our daily activities involve repetitive motions—whether it's typing at a computer, using a smartphone, or performing specific tasks in a trade or sport. Over time, these repeated actions can lead to a class of conditions known as Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSIs), also called overuse injuries.
Unlike an acute injury from a single event, RSIs develop gradually, making them easy to ignore until the pain becomes persistent. Osteopathy offers a proactive and whole-body approach to managing RSIs, focusing on identifying the root causes and supporting the body’s natural healing processes.
Key Facts About Repetitive Stress Injuries
A Broad Category: RSI is an umbrella term for a range of conditions affecting the muscles, tendons, nerves, and other soft tissues. Common examples include tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, golfer's elbow, and tennis elbow.
Prevalence: They are a leading cause of pain and lost productivity in the workplace, affecting millions of Australians. They are equally common in athletes and musicians.
The Gradual Onset: Symptoms often start mildly and intermittently, worsening over weeks or months if the causative activity continues.
Common Causes and Risk Factors of RSIs
RSIs occur when the body's healing capacity is overwhelmed by repetitive micro-trauma. Key factors include:
Repetitive Motions: Performing the same movement pattern over and over again (e.g., clicking a mouse, scanning items, swinging a racquet, twisting a screwdriver).
Forceful Exertions: Tasks that require significant muscle force, even if not highly repetitive.
Awkward Postures: Maintaining poor or static postures for prolonged periods, such as a forward head posture while at a desk or holding a tool in an unnatural position.
Poor Ergonomics: A workstation that is not set up to support neutral joint positions (e.g., a chair that is too high, a monitor that is too low).
Insufficient Recovery Time: Not allowing adequate rest for tissues to repair between periods of activity.
Underlying Biomechanical Issues: Pre-existing muscle weakness, joint stiffness, or poor movement patterns can increase an individual's susceptibility to RSIs.
How Can Osteopathy Help with Repetitive Stress Injuries?
Osteopathic management of RSI goes beyond treating the site of pain. We assess the entire musculoskeletal system to understand why a particular area is being overloaded.
During your initial consultation, we will:
Take a detailed history of your symptoms, daily activities, work environment, and hobbies.
Perform a thorough physical examination of the affected area, assessing range of motion, muscle strength, and tissue tension.
Conduct a comprehensive postural and biomechanical assessment to identify contributing factors from other parts of your body, such as your spine, shoulders, and pelvis.
This whole-body approach allows us to create a tailored treatment plan that addresses the root of the problem.
What Does Osteopathic Treatment Involve?
Using a range of gentle, hands-on techniques, we aim to:
Reduce Pain and Inflammation: Soft tissue massage, dry needling, myofascial release, and gentle stretching can help alleviate muscle tension and improve circulation to the affected area.
Improve Joint Mobility: Articulation and mobilisation techniques are used to restore normal, pain-free movement to stiff joints that may be contributing to compensatory patterns.
Address Biomechanical Imbalances: We treat dysfunctions throughout the body to ensure balanced movement and reduce strain on the overused area. For example, treating the neck and upper back is often crucial for a wrist RSI.
Provide Personalised Advice and Rehabilitation: You will receive tailored guidance on ergonomics, posture, activity modification, and specific exercises to strengthen supporting muscles, improve flexibility, and prevent re-injury.
When to Seek Medical Help
While osteopathy is highly effective for most RSIs, it is important to seek a proper diagnosis. Please consult your GP for a referral if you experience:
Severe, worsening, or unremitting pain.
Significant numbness, tingling, or weakness in a limb.
Symptoms that persist despite conservative management, including rest and osteopathic care.
Visible joint deformity or swelling.
Your GP can help rule out other conditions and may discuss other management options, such as medication or specialist referral, if necessary.
Take a Proactive Step Towards Recovery
Living with the persistent pain of an RSI can be frustrating and limiting. Osteopathy provides a safe, non-invasive, and drug-free pathway to not only alleviate your pain but also to address the underlying causes and empower you with the knowledge to prevent future issues.
Click here to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced osteopaths. Let us help you restore balance and function to your body.
References
*Bureau of Statistics. (2018). Work-related Injuries. [Link: https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/work-related-injuries/latest-release]*
*Huissetede, B. M., et al. (2018). Multidisciplinary consensus on the terminology and classification of complaints of the arm, neck and/or shoulder. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 75(2), 113-119. [Link: https://oem.bmj.com/content/75/2/113]*
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. (2023). Repetitive Motion Disorders Information Page. [Link: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Repetitive-Motion-Disorders-Information-Page]
Disclaimer: This blog post provides general information only and is not intended as a substitute for professional health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a registered health practitioner, such as your General Practitioner (GP) or osteopath, for diagnosis and treatment of health conditions. The information provided is based on the best available evidence at the time of publication but should not be relied upon as a sole source of information. Individual results from osteopathic treatment may vary based on the individual’s specific condition and response to care.