We hear more about repetitive motion injuries than ever before. What is it about our life style that makes them more prevalent? There are many aspects of life today that seem to create a situation where people are constantly doing the same activity over and over, often in poor postural positions, that create the strains that lead to this type of injury.
If you are dealing with a repetitive motion injury then there are things you can do to speed healing and other options that will help prevent recurrence.
The two major results of repetitive motion can be attributed to tendonitis and bursitis. These two conditions can appear similar on the surface, but under the skin things are rather different. The tendon is a strong, fibrous tissue that connects muscles to bones. When this tendon develops inflammation due to repeated stress, it becomes quite painful.
Tendonitis usually appears near the insertion point, which means next to the spot on the bone where the tendon attaches. If the condition affects the sheath surrounding the tendon, the condition is called tenosynovitis. Because tendons have poor blood flow, it can take a long time for an injured tendon to heal completely.
Bursitis develops in the bursae, which are small fluid filled sacs that sit in high friction areas and provide cushioning for a tendon to move over a bone. Bursitis can develop from trauma, repetitive motion, infection, or gout, but the most commonly seen form today is from repetitive motion injuries.
Tendonitis is more common in the shoulders, arms and elbows, while bursitis tends to turn up in the hips, knees and elbows. This is by no means a comprehensive list, both conditions can show up anywhere you have a tendon or a bursa. For both situations the best home treatment involves icing the area for twenty minutes 2-3 times a day and taking an over the counter NSAID for the pain and inflammation.
If your pain continues for more than a few days it is time to consult with your health care provider. Treatment for more persistent tendonitis and bursitis involves a combination of NSAIDS, rest, icing, physical therapy and if needed steroid injections into the site of inflammation.
Prognosis for both situations is quite good, with most people healing fully and resuming all normal activities. For those that continue to have problems with bursitis in the same region surgery to remove the affected bursa may become necessary.
Once you have recovered, it is equally important to prevent re-injury. Avoiding the movement that caused the problem to begin with is the best way to reduce the likelihood of a recurrence, and that might mean making some changes in how you do things. If the injury was work related, finding a new way to do the same job may be necessary. If the injury resulted from sports, it may be time to find a new activity that you enjoy. This is truly a case where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
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