Home Treatment for Repetitive Stress Injury

I’ve posted previously about alternate types of treatment for relieving the pain and helping to heal from repetitive stress injuries. One treatment I have not thought much about or explored (but have heard good reviews about) is chiropractic work.

A friend of mine recently threw out his back and visited his local chiropractor, who had him healed in about three days, after a total of about 40 minutes of treatment over two sessions. That’s pretty remarkable, but I was still doubting whether RSI would benefit the same way an acute injury does.

First off, I understand that many RSI issues are caused by problems in the musculature, rather than the nerves and joints. Although in reflection, that’s not necessarily the case either. Chiropractic work is interested in the alignment of the spine and the bones, with the understanding that if bones are out of alignment, the nerves and muscles will be affected. Naturally, since all of the above are inter-related, the play between nerves and bones and muscles is inter-dependent, and it’s difficult to separate cause and effect. One source suggests that in some cases, problems with the spine can radiate and cause problems with nerves and pain in other areas of the body, causing or exacerbating a flare-up or injury: “Spinal misalignments reduce normal vertebrae movement and will interfere with the nerves supplying different areas of the body.”

In doing some research into chiropractic treatments for RSI, I found some interesting links, suggesting chiropractics may be useful depending on the circumstance, and the type of treatment. Like any treatment, some doctors are going to be able to look at the problem holistically, and treat it comprehensively, while others who just focus on one area are not going to be successful in treating it.

In particular, an essay from a chiropractor in Castro Valley (about a thirty minute drive from where I live), suggests that neither chiropractics nor any other treatment can really be effective on its own; a doctor must take a holistic view of the injury in order to properly treat it.

I recommend you read the entire essay, but here’s an excerpt –

The doctor that singles out the symptom as your main problem, and only works at
reducing your symptom is doing a disservice to you – and is
wasting your time and money. The prime example is the musician
who is experiencing wrist pain and abnormal finger sensations.

The substandard doctor is one that only investigates the wrist
and hand, and fails to investigate the forearm, elbow, shoulder,
neck, posture, playing technique and style, and the other
factors mentioned.

There are chiropractors who limit their practices to spinal
manipulation only, and although effective in some conditions, I
do not recommend it for the complex nature of repetitive strain
injuries.

My friend who recently received chiropractic treatment recommended that RSI sufferers might get benefit from chiropractors who also perform other types of treatment, to help work on the muscles and break up scar tissue. Who knows, maybe I’ll try it one of these days.

Has anyone had experience with chiropractors for your RSI? If so, what were you getting treated, and did it provide you any relief? I’m curious to your thoughts.

Related posts:

1. What is Alternative Medicine?
2. Using Chinese Medicine Balls for Therapy
3. Tools for Self-Massage
4. Ice Massage — Quick Cold Therapy
5. What Qualifications Do Hand Therapists Have?