Questions and Answers

Q: I have been hearing about repetitive trauma and cumulative trauma at work. What exactly do these terms mean?

First you should know that Repetitive Trauma, Cumulative Trauma, and Over-Use Injuries are all one and the same condition. Basically there are two types of "Repetitive Trauma" injuries. The first type is an injury to the nerve, the best known being Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. The second is an injury to the muscles and/or tendons, the most common being< tendonitis at the elbow (tennis elbow).

It has been shown that the tendency for this type of injury is directly related to posture, amount of force required to perform the task, and the amount of repetition involved. Preventing these injuries involves looking at one's activities and minimizing these contributing factors.

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