OOS/ Occupation Overuse Syndrome or RSI/Repetitive Strain Injury seem to be one of the plagues of the 21st century; with office workers spending even more time behind desks, computer screens, in office chairs and utilising a mouse. Studies show we are spending up to 8 hours a day in this kind of environment and unfortunately the body 'evolutionary wise' hasn't caught up!
That pain, tingling/ numbness, burning sensation or loss of strength is a sign your forearms, wrists, hands, joints are not recovering from the load they're having put on them; chronic fine muscle movements such as that of a computer mouse, wreak havoc on small muscle groups and tendons. This unfortunately tends to lead to another condition: chronic inflammation. The inflammatory response is crucial for the body’s survival and repair with acute injury, however when it becomes persistent and chronic, this beneficial role reverses and it actually starts to do damage.
Acupuncture can provide some much needed relief from the constant discomfort of OOS/RSI. This is achieved through stimulating the afferent nerve fibres in the tight restricted forearms, which makes them relax and release some of the tension.
Then the increase in fluid circulation, stimulated by an Acupuncture needle, works as a natural anti-inflammatory, assisting in breaking the cycle of chronic inflammation and lessening the destructive effect it has on tissues. The end result is more mobility and most importantly, a reduction in pain. This results in muscles becoming healthy and being able to open a jar or lift the kettle. Body movements which were difficult or painful become achievable again!
Research:
Branco, K & Naeser, M 1999,’ Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Clinical Outcome After Low-Level Laser Acupuncture, Microamps Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, and Other Alternative Therapies – An Open Protocol Study’, The Journal of ALternative and Complementary Medicine, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 5 – 26,
Amirlak, B, Wolff, T, Ahmed, O, Upadhyaya, K, Tsai, T, Scheker, L & Tabbal, G 2016, ‘Median Nerve Entrapment – Anatomy’, Medscape Website, http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1242387-overview#a12,
Ho, C, Lin, H, Lee, Y, Chou, L, Kuo, T, Chang, H, Chen, Y & Lo, S 2014, ‘Clinical Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome’, The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 303 – 314,"
