Featured Workplace Health Article

Repetitive Strain Injuries is really a blanket name for health problems that result from over-use or misuse of muscles, tendons, and nerves. Unlike strains and sprains, which occurs from a single incident, RSIs develop over time. Therefore, repetitive strain injuries are also called Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTD).

Other names include repetitive stress syndrome, occupational overuse syndrome and repetitive motion disorders.

RSIs are the most common form of occupational (workplace) illness; some so crippling that sufferers may require surgery or face permanent disability. Though RSI is not localized to any one type of job, the odds are higher for occupations that involve repetitive work, such as, working at the assembly line, food processing jobs, or at visual display terminals. It can take years to develop and therefore tend to strike when the worker is in his prime of career usually around the age of 40.

Occupation-related RSIs are caused by any combination of the following factors:

What are the signs & symptoms of RSI?

RSIs can affect almost any part of the body, but they often occur in upper body. The most commonly affected body parts are the fingers, hands, wrists, elbows, arms, shoulders, back, and neck. One or more of the symptoms below may be present in the injured area:

• Tenderness

• Swelling

• Aching

• Electricity-like tingling and/or numbness Loss of joint movement

• Weakness and decreased coordination of the injured body part

• Crackling

• Muscle spasms

Symptoms may occur at any time i.e. during work, immediately after work, or even many hours (or days) after work. Typically, one first experience symptoms when he is not working. For example, an injured worker may have no pain at work and wake up in the night with a painful neck or arm.

Jobs that pose a particularly high risk of RSI are:

• Assembly line worker
• Checkout scanner
• Computer keyboard operator
• Food handler
• Garment worker
• Hand tool operator
• Machine operator
• Materials handler
• Meat packer

RSI symptoms can be mild, but they can also become so severe till activities of daily living become difficult to perform, including turning taps, opening a jar or getting dressed.

What are the most common RSIs?

There are many repetitive strain injuries, because many different parts of the body can be affected. However, most job-related repetitive strain injuries affect the upper part of the body- the spinal column, neck, shoulders, arms and hands.

Now that we understand symptoms and causes of RSIs, we will look at the prevention and management of RSI in Part II.

Resources

International Labour Organization. Listening to our pain. Preventing workplace injuries and illnesses through ergonomics. World of Work. No. 21, September/October 1997

National Education Association. Repetitive Stress Injuries Handbook –Education Support Professionals. Website: http://www.nea.org/esphome/nearesources/repstress-part3.html

New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health. Repetitive Stress Injuries Website:

http://www.nycosh.org/workplace_hazards/ PhysicalHazards/rsi.html