Repetitive Stress Injury - Protecting Yourself & Staying Pain Free
Carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, golfer's elbow are all common conditions and from the standpoint of this article fall into a general grouping of injury that has become to be known as RSI (repetitive stress injury or repetitive strain injury).
You've probably heard of all of these types of repetitive stress injuries and likely others as well. They're become quite common in today?s vernacular we tend to do the same things repeatedly. It?s not that we didn?t do tasks that required repetitive motion before? we just hadn?t assigned a specific term other than say? tendonitis. Certainly with the onset of the computer and technology age? typing and computer posture injuries have bubbled to the top of the repetitive stress injury list.
But if we're so vulnerable to repetitive stress injuries because of our choices for work and play, how can protect ourselves against the painful consequences of pushing our joints too far?
By the time you feel the pain, swelling and tenderness that characterize repetitive stress injuries; it's too late for preventive measures, except as a means of preventing further injury. But if you engage in actions such as computer work or regular tennis play that could lead to a repetitive stress injury, you may want to take note of a few of these suggestions regarding how to prevent repetitive stress injury rather than recover from it.
If you have no choice but to go through the motions that could lead to a repetitive stress injury, make sure that when you're finished you take it easy, particularly on the area that could be injured. Do something easy that uses a different part of your body or just sit back and relax for awhile.
Look for others ways to do the same tasks to relieve stress on affected areas. For instance, try using your computer mouse with your other hand for a little while to give your dominant hand a break.
If your daily activity requires more strenuous repetitive motion than pushing a mouse around such daily bending and lifting, you are in danger of repetitive stress injuries to your back, along with other, more serious back injuries.
It's important to know and implement the proper way to lift objects in order to put minimal stress on your back. Bend your knees and do the lifting with your legs, not your lower back muscles.
Your back will thank you.
Marketers are always coming up with new products and gadgets to make life easier. Whenever possible, you should take advantage of them. No matter whether they're kitchen utensils with larger, easier-to-hold handles to prevent stress on your hands or wheeled carts to help you move items from one area to another, you should be mindful and work to save stress on your back and arms.
After a hard day of work, take the time to engage in some type of relaxation techniques that will help your body cope and unwind. Deep breathing exercises, meditation, listening to relaxing music or just taking part in a low-impact, fun activity such as going for a twilight walk or sitting on your deck can actually be a very beneficial tool in getting the day?s stress to drain from your muscles and body parts.
This is true particularly if you work at a desk all day. You must take frequent, brief breaks so that you're not engaged in a repetitive task without pause over prolonged periods of time. Also, you might want to take a look at exercises for your hands, shoulders and back that can strengthen those muscles or at least alleviate some of the stress commonly felt by office workers.
Heed the warning signs when your body is telling you. If you wait to act until after the pain has become chronic, you?ll risk down time and be on a path of a much longer recovery period.
For more important information on repetitive stress injury be sure to visit www.rsi-aid.com where you will find advice and tips on repetitive stress injury treatment and repetitive strain injury and more on staying pain free
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