Therapy for repetitive strain injuries (RSI)

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI): What It Is — and How to Actually Fix It

That nagging wrist pain when you type. The burning ache in your forearm after a few reps. The shoulder that flares up every time you reach overhead.

If that sounds familiar, you’re probably dealing with an RSI — Repetitive Strain Injury. And no, you don’t have to be an athlete to earn one. Office workers, gamers, mechanics, nurses, weekend lifters — anyone who repeats the same movement over and over is fair game.

At YFS, we see RSIs all the time. And spoiler: they don’t go away on their own just because you “take it easy” for a week.

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What Exactly Is an RSI?

A repetitive strain injury happens when tissue (like muscles, tendons, or nerves) gets overused without proper recovery. It builds up micro-damage over time, often in areas like:

• Wrists (carpal tunnel, tendinitis)
• Elbows (tennis/golfer’s elbow)
• Shoulders (impingement)
• Forearms
• Neck and upper back
• Hands and fingers

It’s sneaky. It doesn’t usually start with a sudden injury — it creeps in slowly until pain, stiffness, or weakness becomes part of your daily grind.

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Common Signs You’ve Got an RSI

• A dull ache or burning sensation
• Stiffness, especially in the morning or after use
• Numbness or tingling
• Weak grip or fatigue with light activity
• Symptoms that get worse with repetition — then linger after

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So… What Does Therapy for RSI Actually Look Like?

1. Accurate Diagnosis

You can’t treat what you haven’t identified properly. At YFS, we assess your:

• Movement patterns
• Posture and mechanics
• Loading habits
• Daily ergonomics

We find the root cause — not just chase symptoms.

2. Manual Therapy

Hands-on treatment can help:

• Break up soft tissue restrictions
• Improve blood flow to promote healing
• Release nerve tension (if nerve entrapment is involved)

We may use techniques like:

• Soft tissue release
• Joint mobilization
• Myofascial work
• Neurodynamic techniques

3. Targeted Mobility & Strength Work

This is where most people fail — and why RSIs keep coming back.

You need to:

• Rebuild mobility in the affected joints
• Strengthen underperforming stabilizers
• Retrain the movement that caused the injury

We don’t just throw in stretches and random exercises.
We build a rehab plan specific to the stressors causing your RSI.

4. Ergonomic + Movement Coaching

Especially for desk workers or repetitive task jobs, we’ll adjust:

• Workstation setup
• Lifting or movement technique
• Training load pacing
• Micro-breaks and mobility resets

Basically: we show you how to stop feeding the injury while you fix it.

5. Load Management & Gradual Return

Just because it “feels better” doesn’t mean it’s time to go full throttle.

At YFS, we guide your return-to-load process — step by step.
We make sure your tissues can handle the load before you dive back in.

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TL;DR: RSIs Don’t Fix Themselves. We Do.

If your “annoying pain” has been around for more than two weeks, it’s time to take it seriously.

The longer you wait, the more your body compensates — and the more complex the fix becomes.

Therapy for RSI at YFS means:

• No fluff
• No cookie-cutter protocols
• Smart assessment, hands-on treatment, and performance-based rehab that actually lasts

Ready to stop guessing and start healing? Let’s get to work.