Monique Rana - The truth about repetitive stress injuries?

Truth: You don’t have to put up with Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI).

Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) has many different names - among them, Overuse Syndrome.  But whatever name it goes by, it can result in persistent discomfort and diminish quality of life. For many athletes, particularly runners and cyclists, shin splints and knee pain are all too common forms of RSI, both of which can result in a fracture or disability if ignored.

According to the Cybex Research Institute*, even by understanding what the condition is and how it develops, the high frequency of certain movements throughout a workout can make it seem like there's no way to prevent RSI. However, there are measures that may reduce the risk of developing the condition.

Those who engage in contact sports or other forms of intense endurance activity should stretch after their warmup before every workout. By ensuring the limbs are warmed up before a run or similar exercise, it's possible to significantly prevent RSI from developing. Taking breaks, exploring strength-training routines and using proper posture can also be essential in building resistance to the condition.


Or you could change the way you exercise!
If you experience RSI and are looking for better means to keep fit and avoid injuries caused by impact forces associated with steady state repetitive exercise, you may want to look at the advantages of switching to High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). HIIT is a very potent way of achieving a high level of fitness without exposing yourself to high impact forces associated with longer duration workouts or exercise.  Because of the high intensity nature of training, exercise bouts must be brief and infrequent. But the pay off for harder, shorter exercise is that it’s a better way to burn calories, and build aerobic and anaerobic endurance.  

HIIT is a versatile workout that describes any activity featuring rigorous bursts of exercise with intermittent periods of rest. Men and women alike can reap benefits from HIIT, which can help people reduce fat, prevent stress and develop endurance - not to mention, save time at the gym or pounding the road!


* http://www.cybexintl.com/education/cri.aspx