Many occupations present a high risk for work related upper limb disorders (WRULDs) including trauma and repetitive strain injury (RSI) in particular. Best practice employers provide health and safety advice to their employees and wellness programmes to prevent injury and provide early appropriate treatment. These practices minimise costs to the employer and enhance employee loyalty and performance.
Some of the most common upper limb conditions caused by over-use or injury include:
When people first begin to experience symptoms due to overuse they are unsure of what is happening to them. The symptoms initially can be quite mild twinges with a bit of numbness or tingling. However as the condition develops the pain increases until it is with the person for 24 hours, leading to weeks on end of pain and disability.
As the name Repetitive strain injury (RSI) and Work related upper limb disorders (WRULD's) suggest, these injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and bones are caused by repeating the same action over and over again to produce wear and tear, fatigue, inflammation and disease.
For some people it is accumulative over many years, for others it is sudden and life changing.
Occupations or hobbies that include tight grips, bending or twisting the hand, vibration, cold conditions, stationary hand positions are some the the types of situations known to lead to RSI.
Other factors, however, also contribute to the development of a RSI such as not stretching or exercising, not drinking enough fluids, disregarding safety advice and not using the correct posture to perform the job well
Best practice employers provide health and safety advice to their employees and wellness programmes to prevent injury and provide early appropriate treatment. These practices minimise costs to the employer and enhance employee loyalty and performance.
Hand Kinetics recognises that there is a gap in coverage for WRULDs which we can provide. For example, we can provide screening services to identify early signs of RSI and provide the appropriate treatment to avoid long term injury and absence. We can do this on a one to one basis or onsite as a pop up Hand Therapy clinic.
As part of a workplace clinic, we can also provide advice on modifying activities and equipment where we see an injury liability which will complement your workplace risk assessments.
Where an injury has already occurred, we can provide rapid access to treatment including splint fabrication and exercise programmes which enable you to continue to work during the recovery period as much as possible.
Hand Kinetics Telephone: 0044 28 417 72301
www.handkinetics.com
contactus@handkinetics.com
