repetitive strain injury

n. Abbr. RSI

Damage to tendons, nerves, and other soft tissues that is caused by the repeated performance of a limited number of physical movements and is characterized by numbness, pain, and a wasting and weakening of muscles.

repetitive strain injury

A work-related injury caused by overuse of a particular musculoskeletal group to perform a task that is repeated hundreds to thousands of times in day-to-day work; repetitive motion injury affects workers in the textile industry, meat-packers, keyboard operators and others.

repetitive strain injury

A disorder of motor function caused by any often-repeated activity that is persisted in beyond a particular threshold, especially if the activity involves an inherently awkward or uncomfortable position of the body. RSI particularly affects musicians, keyboard operators, cleaners, packers and machine operators. There is acute pain and cramp-like stiffness, and sometimes total inability to continue in the associated occupation. Initially, the condition explicitly, and by definition, excluded all disorders of known cause, but this led to many legal and other difficulties, and accounts now list numerous causes. RSI is, however, often stress-related and in many cases no muscular, tendon or neurological abnormality can be found, except that affected people often have raised thresholds for the appreciation of vibration. In some cases it appears analogous to WRITER'S CRAMP. Changes in the proportions of the different types of muscle fibres and an increase in the number of muscle cell MITOCHONDRIA have been described. The condition is usually managed by rest and rationed periods of work.

Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005

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