Hello and welcome to the zero to finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about repetitive strain injury.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero to finals.com slash repetitive strain injury

or in the orthopedic section of the

Zero Definals Surgery Book. So let's get straight into it. Repetitive strain injury or

RSI is an umbrella term that refers to soft tissue, irritation, micro trauma and strain

resulting from repetitive activities. It can affect the muscles,

tendons and the nerves. A specific example of a repetitive strain injury is lateral epicondylitis

or tennis elbow. Let's talk about the causes. Almost any repetitive movement

can result in repetitive strain injury if it's done long enough. It often results from occupational

activities where the same movement is performed for many hours at a time day after day. Some common

examples of activities are working on an

assembly line in a factory doing the same movements over and over, using a computer mouse or keyboard

affecting the wrist and the forearm, having a poor posture for extended periods whilst reading

or using a computer, affecting the neck

and the shoulders, and texting or scrolling on a smartphone, affecting the base of the thumb.

Certain characteristics of an activity increase the risk of repetitive strain injury, such as

small repetitive movements, for example scrolling on a smartphone repetitive movements, for example, scrolling on a smartphone,

vibration, for example using power tools, or awkward positions, for example when painting a ceiling.

Let's talk about the presentation. Usually there will be a history of repetitive activities, often related to work.

Symptoms will be located in an area that relates to that activity. They can include pain,

exacerbated by using the associated joints, muscles and tendons, aching, weakness, cramping of the muscles, or numbness.

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