Many of my patients ask how Bristol osteopaths can treat or prevent RSI and elbow injuries, often sustained while at a fixed position in a workplace.
RSI stands for Repetitive Strain Injuries, and can vary a great deal on individual patients depending on their activity levels.
It is often due to over-use of a joint or muscle, causing tendon overload which then results in inflammation or irritation called Tendinopathy.
RSI can occur anywhere in the body but elbows are prone to this type of injury. It has been nicknamed Tennis Elbow or golfers Elbow in the past, but the injury is not exclusive to those sporting activities.
What causes RSI and elbow injuries?
Overuse on elbow joints and forearm muscles or repeated movements can cause it: such as prolonged periods of typing, mouse movements on a computer, over-gripping in certain sporting activities, carrying out manual work and while doing weight training.
RSI commonly effects desk workers, where typing and mouse overuse or misuse can lead to problems.
Manual workers repeating the same movements can experience RSI, as can keen gardeners completing repetitive tasks such as pruning over periods of time.
What aggravates RSI and elbow injuries?
It can often be aggravated by the following:
Poor posture in desk workers and the length of time spent sitting
Incorrect desk height
Sitting for too long without frequent movement without taking micro breaks to ease tension build-up
Repetitive finger movements on mouse, phone or tablet causing build-up of tension in forearm muscles
Good prevention techniques include:
Maintaining good posture at all times
Move more and take micro breaks
Change tasks and take regular breaks in manual work to rest forearm muscles
Consider core exercises to help overall posture
Improve body flexibility by taking yoga and pilates classes
Sports and therapy massages can help to prevent excessive load on tendons
How can RSI and elbow injuries be treated?
Osteopathic treatments at my Henleaze clinic for RSI and elbow injuries will focus not only on the injured area, but the whole body.
This helps to alleviate tension and lower restriction throughout the body that could be creating a focus of strain on a specific area such as an elbow.
Treatment for the elbow will usually involve the whole arm, but I will also look at the shoulder, back and neck to improve health in these areas and restore equilibrium.
This in turn reduces tension into the injured area, allowing the elbow to rest.
I wrote a Blog post about how to avoid joint pain which will provide useful additional tips.
What can I do to prevent RSI or elbow injuries?
Self-help is an excellent way to reduce the pain, inflammation and possible ongoing effects of an RSI or elbow injury before it is professionally treated.
The best forms of self-help are to use ice, rest, and massage tight sore muscles.
Prevention is always the best form of cure, and I advise patients with RSI and elbow injuries to ensure that they move more, have good posture, and take breaks often.
If you have suffered from an RSI or elbow injury, please book a treatment rapidly and easily with me online here.
My Bristol osteopath clinic is fully open so if you’re looking for Covid-safe treatment of RSI and elbow injuries, please read this news post to find out about the measures in place at my Henleaze osteopathy clinic for all patients.
To find out more about the full range of Covid-secure osteopathic treatments that I provide in Bristol for RSI and elbow injuries, please visit here for details.