When people talk about debilitating injuries, many often think about catastrophic injuries first and foremost.
However, many of the injuries that affect workers the most are actually relatively simple. This includes repetitive stress or strain injuries, called RSIs for short.
Who can suffer from an RSI?
Cleveland Clinic takes a look at repetitive strain injuries. These injuries occur when a person repeats a physical action over and over again, utilizing the same area of the body.
Under this definition alone, it is easy to see how RSIs can affect just about anyone. Many jobs require a person to do the same things over again and again, as that is simply the nature of work. Anyone from chefs to doctors, from teachers to cashiers will have to perform the same actions every shift.
Anyone who does these physical actions repeatedly is at risk for an RSI. These can take weeks or months to form. In some cases, they can even take years. A person’s physical state of health and the type of work they do are contributing factors.
Why are they so debilitating?
RSIs pose the biggest problem because of how they heal. The only way to recover from an RSI is through the appropriate amount of rest. In some cases, RSIs are also bad enough that a person may need surgery to correct the issue, which results in an even longer rest period.
Because a person cannot do the action that caused the RSI while recovering, this can take them out of work for weeks or even months at a time. Needless to say, this is a huge financial burden and one that a worker must avoid.