Understanding RSI's

Understanding RSI's can be a tricky business. With these injuries, nothing is as it seems and symptoms can be confusing and completely different from person to person.

The human body is designed for movement. Muscles, bones, and connective tissues are components that allow movement to happen. With every move we make, each of these parts contributes to the whole movement process.

Many people are concerned that repetitive movement is detrimental to the human body, but this is not so. The human body is designed to manage the effects of repetitive movement such as walking, running, and even chewing by the balanced use of associated muscles, bones and connective tissue.

So, what happens to create a repetitive strain injury? Notice the addition of the word "strain" to this very descriptive injury title. A repetitive strain injury forms when normal repetitive motion becomes strained for any reason. Such sources of strain include poor posture, unconscious habits that produce stress to the muscles and/or connective tissues, physical trauma, surgeries and other soft tissue injuries.

In the case of poor posture and unconscious habits, stress occurs because the body is constantly being subjected to the effects of gravity and makes accommodations when the body is not used in a balanced way. Physical trauma, surgery and other soft tissue injuries cause the body to adapt to the physical changes brought about by these events. This, in turn, causes us to use our bodies differently than originally designed. This results in the "strain" component of repetitive strain injuries.

So, how does this adaptive change in connective tissue actually happen? An analogy might be if you take a look at the cotton that comes in a pill bottle. If you notice, the cotton fibers are in a random pattern when the cotton is at rest. Once you begin pulling on the cotton, the fibers begin to line up in the direction of your pull.

The connective tissue in the human body is similar to that cotton. It is composed of ground fluid, collagen fibers, elastic fibers and either white or yellow fibers which do not stretch. When you repeatedly perform the same task over and over with strain (poor posture, unconscious habits, etc.) the fibers inside the connective tissue line up along the line of strain, just like the cotton fibers. Microscopic hydrogen bonds form between the lines of fibers to help hold them in place. This tends to fortify the affected area, protecting it somewhat from repetitive and strained overuse.

This chemical change affects and changes the quality of normal connective tissue. Rather than being able to continue functioning in a normal, random orientation that allows for easy movement and stretch in all directions, the connective tissue now has a propensity for movement in fewer directions, more in line with the directional pull created when the hydrogen bonds formed between the fibers in the connective tissue.

You can experience an example of this habitual holding by crossing your arms across your chest. Notice the ease you experienced when you crossed your arms and how effortlessly you chose which arm would be on top. Notice how this position feels. Now, cross your arms with the other arm on top and notice how much more difficult it is to not only figure out how to get the other arm to end up on top, but to also notice how different and uneasy it feels.

This effect is the result of a lifetime of habitually crossing the same arm over the other, thousands of times throughout your life. The connective tissue related to this movement has become patterned and locked into an orientation that makes one version of the position feel "right" and the reverse to feel "wrong". The same effect happens when we, as creatures of habit, reproduce the same movements over and over again in the course of living our lives.

To the trained therapist, connective tissue that has undergone this type of adaptation will feel differently to palpation. It is often slick, slippery, thickened or ropey, yielding muscles that feel like they are encased in a tight sleeve of tissue.

Another very common effect is that the tissue becomes sticky, causing it to stick to neighboring bones, muscles, skin or nerves and blood vessels. This sticking effect will inhibit the normal movement of these components, making muscles feel weaker, compromising blood flow, irritating nerves and limiting range of motion. Naturally, this kind of restriction adds even more strain to the mix, resulting in ever-widening areas of the body that become affected by repetitive strain, and contributes to the often confusing kinds of symptoms that people experience.

The quickest and most optimal way to get adhesions to release is to visit a therapist who understands the adhesion process. This therapist will use hand or finger pressure and slow motion in the region of the adhesion to stretch it into releasing. This breaks the hydrogen bonds holding the affected tissue in its compromised state, allowing it to return to its normal condition. Gradually, the body's ability to move in all directions, with full range of motion is restored.

Another effective way to release adhesions is to utilize specially designed stretching exercises that reach the affected tissues and encourage them to release slowly and measurably. Using this technique is much more available to the average person, is less expensive than seeing a therapist and can be enjoyable at the same time.

It is important to recognize that repetitive strain injuries are a natural response to inappropriate or strained use of the body. It is possible to restore the body to a more normal state, but if the body is used inappropriately once again, the same adhesion patterns can form all over again. It is important that corrective stretches and other appropriate measures to reduce strain such as good ergonomics be incorporated into the daily life of a person who has suffered from RSI's. This will help maintain the highest level of relief and prevent future recurrences.