Workers from all industries who make the same type of motions daily are at risk for developing repetitive stress injuries. If you notice chronic pain and tension in your joints and muscles after using repetitive motions to complete your job, you may have a stress injury.
If you are nursing a work injury, knowing the basics of these types of injuries and understanding how you can recover from the damage may alleviate your stress.
What is a repetitive stress injury?
Repetitive stress injuries, also known as repetitive motion injuries, encompass many types of disorders. These conditions triggered by the same, constant body movements temporarily or permanently affect muscles, ligaments, nerves and tendons. For example, if you work in construction, you might feel back pain from the overuse of your body working heavy machinery.
After excessive, repetitive activity you might notice clumsiness, numbness, loss of motion or diminished strength in the affected areas.
What is the recovery process?
Without proper and prompt treatment, a repetitive stress injury can worsen over time and even become permanent. Many patients first visit their primary care physician who will then refer them to specialists such as neurologists or orthopedists. After a variety of diagnostic tests and examinations, the doctor will diagnose your symptoms.
To care for repetitive stress injuries, patients complete recovery programs tailored to the type and severity of the damage. Conditioning exercises, pain management techniques, the use of splints or braces and occupational therapy are parts of the recovery process.
Overall, the costs of these medical treatments quickly add up. You can file for workers’ compensation benefits as an injured employee if the wear and tear on your body affects your job.