Repetitive use injuries are all too more common in our society.

These injuries involve overuse and continual similar movements that create harsh joint and soft tissue (muscle and ligament) imbalances.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), ‘Tennis Elbow’ (really lateral epicondylosis), DeQuervain’s Disease, Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome, tight hip flexor muscles that cause low back pain, and poor postural patterns that cause neck and upper back pain are good examples of repetitive use injury.

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Let’s take a look at CTS. Nobody is born with CTS!

You develop it through your life with activities, such as too much gripping, typing all day long, mousing, yard work, etc… (hence the name ‘repetitive use injury’) Over time, the constant same activity forces certain joints to ‘fixate’, or not move properly, and certain muscles and ligaments to either tighten or loosen up too much.

This is where the imbalances lie.

Failure to catch the problem early can lead to so much damage that you will need surgery! Fortunately, conservative measures are very effective if the problem is caught early enough.

In our CTS example, many times the joints of the hand, wrist, elbow, and even the shoulder and neck can be involved.

The mechanics of such need to be corrected.

There also tends to be a large imbalance between the flexor muscles of the hand/wrist and the extensor muscles.

Due to this imbalance, the muscles on the flexor side tend to get so tight that they compress the nerves. This is most often the cause of CTS.