A brief guide to understanding repetitive stress injuries

RSI is what it sounds like: the irritation and injury to muscles and tendons that comes from overuse, in other words, from repetitive stress. Here's a guide to understanding repetitive stress injuries:

RSI's are extremely common, and most people just write them off to normal strains from a hard day's work.

• Carpal tunnel syndrome is just one of a number of types of repetitive stress injuries (RSIs).
• You've probably heard of tennis or golfer's elbow.
• Also, there's Achilles tendinitis, the runner's nightmare.
• Add rotator cuff injury to the list, which is irritation to the muscles and tendons in the shoulder that can come from enjoyable activities like swimming or throwing a baseball, or from those that are less enjoyable, like painting the garage or stocking overhead shelves.
• Initially, you may not suspect a thing. However, keep up that raking, say, hour after hour, day after day, and the irritation to the muscle accumulates until you are saying "Ow!" with each stroke.

Who's most likely to get a repetitive stress injury? The weekend warrior who exercises more in two days than she has since college.

• Other prime candidates are those whose work requires repetitive movements:  "athletes and factory workers, or someone at a computer straining neck muscles," says Mara Vucich, DO, a spine specialist at the Maryland Spine Centre in Baltimore. "And if you continue to put demand on the muscles involved, they will become fatigued and break down."

The signs range from soreness and stiffness to a joint that may be swollen, tender, and hot.

• It's an injury that just seems to get worse until you may feel tingling or numbness, and weakness — and coordination loss — in that area.
• RSI can even include stress fractures, or tiny cracks in a bone, most commonly in the ankle.

Your doctor will examine you, asking you about activities and patterns of pain.

• She may also suggest that you have imaging tests to determine if you have a torn muscle or tendon or a stress fracture.
• Once she has determined the root of your pain, she may suggest one or several treatments.

RSIs are mostly treated with rest, anti-inflammatories, ice, and other simple self-care measures.

• If diagnosed early, you can get yourself on the mend before the RSI becomes severe.
• Most RSIs heal with rest, but an injured muscle or tendon occasionally requires more serious attention. Talk to your doctor.

Like many common ailments, RSIs get worse the longer you ignore them. By acknowledging the problem early, you can take measures to prevent making the injury worse. Your body will thank you in the long run.