Our Foe -- Repetitive Strain Injury

Repetitive strain injury accounts for a major cost in the employment market, many people have taken time off due to sickness because the effects of repetitive strain injury have made work difficult to carry out.

Repetitive strain injury not only affects the work place, it also affects the little things we do in everyday life, and it can be frustrating and difficult at times.

How does repetitive strain injury affect the ability to work?

Generally repetitive strain injury is caused by work, whether you work in a warehouse or in an office. Because repetitive strain injury is caused by the actions we do at work, when the pain arrives it means we cannot carry on functioning in our job, the role that caused the condition.

Many employers are now becoming more aware of repetitive strain injury and the affect it has on their work place. If you think about it, employers want to take an active interest because it costs them money in lost man-hours every time someone is off ill with repetitive strain injury.

How does repetitive strain injury affect me personally?

When you suffer with repetitive strain injury it can be really hard to carry out simple functions, especially those that involve making the same movement a few times over, like unscrewing a jar. The reason why these little jobs become difficult is due to repetitive strain injury; making the same movement over and over causes this condition, which adds stress to your muscles and tendons.

What can make life more difficult is the added stress this condition can have emotionally; some people find it hard to have to ask someone else to carry out some of the jobs we perceive as small.

Is there any treatment?

There are many different types of treatment available, some are simple treatments we can carry out ourselves like painkillers and rest while others involve seeing a medical professional or a holistic therapist.

Treatment is not invasive and with the correct treatment you can see improvements almost instantly.

Can I prevent myself getting repetitive strain injury?

If you are more proactive with watching what you are doing then it is possible to keep repetitive strain injury at bay. The steps you need to take are actually very basic and simple steps to take.

You have to try and take regular breaks while carrying out any repetitive job or function, which is quite easy to achieve, as we would all like an extra break now and then.

Carrying out simple stretch and strength exercises on the areas of the body you use most for repetitive work will help keep the area strong and ready for the job you are asking your body to carry out.

If you can, find a way to stop carrying out the repetitive jobs you do, an example of this is to purchase voice recognition software should you work on a computer frequently. This will remove the need to type so much as you will be able to talk into a microphone and the software will automatically type this onto the computer for you.