Repetitive Strain Injuries In Detail
Repetitive Strain Injury, or RPI, is a group of conditions occurring due to repeated movements made in the course of using a computer keyboard or musical instrument or other such actions. Even though the source of inflammation connected with cumulative trauma hasn't been made clear, numerous things, such as mechanical fatigue in the ligaments, tendons and other soft tissues may be involved.
The site of inflammation is the key to differential diagnosis. Differential diagnosis can be used to diagnose Acromioclavicular degeneration, Ankle degeneration, Anterior cruciate laxity, Achilles tendon injuries and tendinitis, Knee degeneration, Neck pain, Shin splints, Suprascapular nerve compression, tendinopathy, Carpel tunnel syndrome, Elbow degeneration, and also Gamekeeper's thumb. A well known injury among this list is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). A small injury to the cartilage-like structure in the wrist joint is know as a Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex Injury (TFCC). Clicking sounds in the wrist, a reduced strength in grip and pain on the ulnar side of the wrist are all symptoms of TFCC. In patients with systemic sclerosis, wrist pain may also be caused by Osteonecrosis of the lunate bone in the wrist. This is an important cause of wrist pain in many people and especially those with scleroderma. If the presence of a scaphoid fracture cannot be determined with initial X-rays then a positive compression test can confirm that it is indeed fractured.
The scaphoid shift test uses pressure against the scaphoid tubercle to uncover scaphoid instability. Carpal tunnel syndrome is also known as median neuropathy at the wrist and is characterized by the compression of the wrist's median nerve which causes pain in the hand. It is not known what causes this, but it has been associated with repetition strain. Even though it is not known what causes pain in the dorsal wrist nerves, there is an apparent link between a painful wrist nerve and a dysfunctional wrist joint. An injury to the scapholunate ligament can result from scaphoid fracture, and this ligament is crucial to maintaining the stability of the wrist joint during rotation of the hand and flexing of the wrist.
De Quervain's tenosynovitis is a condition in which the sheath of the tendons on the wrist's thumb side gets inflamed or swollen, which then limits the movement of the tendon. A bone x-ray will help make an indirect diagnosis of this syndrome. For instance, radiographic imaging often elucidates etiology, and then treatment, of any ulnar wrist pain.
Scapholunate injuries often coincide with distal radial fractures. Distal lunate joint instability is caused by conditions involving the distal radio-ulnar joints. Distal lunate joint instability is often found in patients suffering from rheumatoid disease or those who have fractured their distal radius. Known as Hamate fractures, these comprise 2% of all the carpal fractures related to recreational sports such as racquets, bats, and clubs. A hamate bone is triangular in shape and is made up of a body and a hook.
Repetitive Strain Injuries are especially common among information workers, who work at a computer for long hours. Often, RSIs can be avoided by following a few simple ergonomic rules.
Published November 24th, 2008
Filed in Career
