Health Wealth and Happiness Blog

Repetitive Stress Disorder (RSD): Bursitis

Posted on May 13th, 2007 by admin.
Categories: Repetitive Stress Disorder.

One thing that has me scared out of my mind is the idea of repetitive stress disorders. Although I may admittedly be a bit of a hypochondriac, I spend the majority of my waking time either playing musical instruments (usually guitar) or using a computer. Recently, I’ve been dealing with a constant dull pain in each arm, so I decided to check things out, both in print and in person.

First, what I had heard so much about were repetitive stress disorders, or RSD, which are medical conditions resulting from overuse and overexertion of certain joints. Basically, when you make the same motion too many times, your body can react with pain, which is usually the result of inflammation. People who play tennis and golf often get pain in their elbows, and baseball pitchers feel it at several places in their arms. Unfortunately, those of us behind computers are also at risk. Scary.

I found out from my doctor that I had a problem with the fluid in tiny sacs in my wrist joints. These sacs are called “bursa”, and they become inflamed when they experience too much friction. He told me to alternately ice them and heat them, and take some over the counter painkillers if they hurt. That was a relief. It turns out, however, that the condition is called bursitis, and is, indeed, an example of an RSD.

Luckily, most bursitis cases heal fairly well and can be treated at home with ice and ibuprofen. If you are feeling regular pain at work, I highly recommend getting checked out. If it is something simple, you might as well just get rid of the pain. If it is something more serious, though, getting rid of it before requiring serious treatment and immobilization will save you a lot of agony and money.

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