Treating Repetitive Motion Injuries

By Randi Morse

It's a common misconception that every injury is caused by some sort of traumatic experience. While it's entirely possible to injure your back due to a fall or vehicular accident, it's much more likely that you are going to deal with back injury that is caused by repetitive motion. Repetitive motion is when you do the same thing over and over again. Think about a person who works in a factory and their main job is to remove wood from a machine and place it in a stack. This person is constantly doing the same twisting and lifting movement. Our bodies, especially our spines, are not designed to handle repetitive motion.

Repetitive Motion Injuries

While your spine is definitely a high risk area when it comes to repetitive motion injuries, the truth is that just about every part of your body can be impacted if you are doing the same motions over and over again. Most repetitive motion injuries are seen in bodily parts like:

• Joints
• Nerve tissue
• Soft tissues
• Tendons

Even bursa, the sacs that are filled with fluid and reside in your joints, can become painful if you have a job, or a hobby, that requires you to do repetitive motion. If you work out regularly than you know that there are some good things that can come from repetitive motion. Lifting weights regularly will help your muscles get larger and may increase your bone density as well. But if the body is not able to adjust to the motion, or if you are doing the same movement for much longer than the body can handle, you are likely to have a repetitive motion injury.

Injury Symptoms

When you first get a repetitive motion injury you may not notice it. Because the injury is not acute, meaning it didn't happen from one situation or accident, the pain comes on gradually. It may even begin with you feeling stiff and uncomfortable. The longer you go without treating the injury, however, the more pain you will be in, and eventually it may affect your life. 

At The Joint Chiropractic, our chiropractors are ready to help you handle any repetitive motion injury that you may be dealing with. With walk-in office hours and affordable pricing, The Joint Chiropractic makes it easy for you to get a handle on your repetitive motion injury before it causes issues with your daily life.

To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Columbia, Mo.