Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS) / Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

In today’s fast paced world, many people find themselves spending hours engaged in repetitive tasks, whether at work, with leisure activities or using digital devices.  Have you heard of repetitive strain injuries? Sometimes these are abbreviated as RSI or can also be known as overuse injuries or occupational overuse syndrome (OOS).

Most Common Causes of OOS /RSI

OOS is a term covering a range of conditions that cause pain or discomfort to your muscles, joints, tendons, nerves or soft tissues. It is caused by repetitive movements and awkward postures. It usually affects the upper body - fingers, hands, wrists and elbows, shoulders, back and neck. Here are some common activities that can cause problems when they’re repetitive;

• Prolonged use of mouse or keyboard at work or poor workstation set-up,
• DIY related- painting, sanding,
• Gardening like digging, weeding, pruning,
• Gripping sports items - using a racket, or golf club,
• Cleaning – dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing,
• New mums – lifting and carrying baby on one side,
• Gadget related – using same thumb when messaging on phone, playing games on phone/ tablet/ computer.

When muscles and tendons are worked repetitively, tiny micro tears can form in the tissues. Inflammation occurs in these areas as the body works to repair the tissues. If these tissues get damaged, it can impact the health of the nerves as they run through and alongside your muscles and tendons. This can cause pain and tingling or numbness.

Some of the common conditions caused by OOS include

• Carpal tunnel,
• Tennis elbow and Golfer’s elbow,
• Back and Neck Pain,
• Headaches,
• Shoulder impingement.

Common Symptoms May Include

• Pain, weakness and discomfort in the muscles,
• Swelling,
• Tenderness,
• Throbbing,
• Sensitivity to heat or cold,
• Discolouration of hands and fingers,
• Reduced range of movement and mobility in affected joints,
• Tingling and numbness.

How osteopathy can support you with OOS/RSI

Osteopathy is an effective treatment option for repetitive strain injuries and occupational overuse syndromes for many reasons.

Osteopathy is proven to assist in the relief of pain. Osteopaths are specifically trained to find the root causes of problems, approaching the body holistically and determining which tissues are responsible for the associated pain.

Your osteopath can use a range of gentle manual therapy techniques to relieve pain and inflammation, relieve muscle tension and mobilise joints. They can also work with you to address posture, assist with workplace ergonomics and help correct poor movement patterns to prevent re-injury. 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

This syndrome is caused by nerves being impinged in the space between the bones and ligaments in the front of the wrist. It can also be brought on by non-repetitive injuries like swelling during pregnancy, but it’s a good example of how osteopathy can help these types of injuries by relieving pressure in the carpal tunnel. We use techniques such as;

• stretching soft tissues to enlarge the carpal tunnel
• mobilising restricted bones of the wrist,
• strengthening muscles,
• removing excess fluid.

 All of which can result in improvements in circulation and median nerve function, relieving pain and tingling/numbness.

If you are concerned you might be experiencing an RSI or OOS, reach out to our friendly osteopathy team for an assessment and work together to come up with a treatment plan that works for you.

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