Repetitive Strain Injury- More common in those with ASDs?

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Hi,

Someone else has a thread on RSIs and they have inspired me to make a thread because I have many questions about it.

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The questions I have are:

1) Do you think people on the spectrum are more likely to have repetitive strain injuries of various types, from hand and arm injuries to eyestrain or other types of injury... than NTs?

2) Have you ever gotten a repetitive strain injury at the workplace?

3) Have you ever gotten an unusual/bizarre injury which is due to habits or actions or rituals that you perform/performed in the past?

risk factors include; stress, repetitive motions (obviously) & postural habits, so id say that makes neurodiverse people far more susceptible. dehydration might also apply, as we can get absorbed in an activity and forget to drink.

Ive had problems with tingling/numbness etc. in my hands. All of the above apply as causes. IMO it has very little to do with the 'carpal tunnel' itself, but rather fascial adhesion starting from the neck area. I get similar tingly/static sensations in my lower body as well, but its never developed into numbness.

i'll just link to the other thread

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt90667.html

yeah, my lack of 'sense' of a body has compounded the problems, history of bad posture while doing office work, i think most of my office work was prior to 'ergonomics' so that didn't help. i remember being so bored with data entry that i'd try to see how fast i could do it, just to make it more interesting.

I don't think I have this.

1) Do you think people on the spectrum are more likely to have repetitive strain injuries of various types, from hand and arm injuries to eyestrain or other types of injury... than NTs?

Yes. Repetitive movements are more common on the spectrum, either due to stimming or special interests that involve repetitive movements. They can also happen with Tourette's, which is more common on the spectrum.

2) Have you ever gotten a repetitive strain injury at the workplace?

Yes. I had to wear a wrist brace for a while when I worked at a distribution center and routinely lifted textbooks in one hand while putting them into boxes.

3) Have you ever gotten an unusual/bizarre injury which is due to habits or actions or rituals that you perform/performed in the past?

I do not think they are bizzare. They are just normal result of doing the same movements too often, for too long.

I have gotten similar injuries from doing crochet (a special interest) for upwards of 16 hours in a row, or else six to ten hours multiple days in a row; from pressing computer keyboard keys repetitively while playing a game I was obsessed with; or from continuing to work on something even though it was making me sore, because I had trouble stopping.

Thankfully, I am rather aware of physical sensations for the most part (except for proprioception and some sorts of pain), and that means that once I stop doing whatever I'm obsessed with and realize I have hurt myself, I can easily keep myself from making it worse. Generally when I get an injury of this sort, it's just a matter of wrapping it in an ace bandage and not using the affected joint(s) very much over the next few days to a week.

The only such injury that has been permanent is a shoulder injury that still aches occasionally, which I got when I was hired to shovel snow and did not stop shoveling when my shoulder got sore from lifting two feet of soggy snow, because I had not finished the job and so could not think of stopping.

I get repetitive strain injuries to my right wrist a lot of the time.

I suppose I do. I'm on my laptop the majority of the day and I've got a ganglion cyst on my wrist from using the trackpad so much. It comes and goes, but it's back with a vengeance at the moment. I just get so focused and forget to keep track of time. I log online to check my email, Facebook, etc... Next thing I know, half the day is gone. Perhaps I should try a timer or alarm clock...

I type when off of work and work when in work (construction). Doesn't help that I swing a hammer all day, lol.

I have abnoxious amounts of pain+tingling while trying to sleep in my hands and forearms.

Major issues with sleeping due to that as of late - and I notice most people don't have this problem when they've been working the job a lot longer than myself. *shrugs* .. I get dehydrated, don't know my own body - always have had problems with writing because my wrists and hands get sore/a pencil is a small object to hold. Perhaps that's a norm for peeps? Because I don't notice many NT's with that problem.

What about eye strain? I never had much of a problem with my hands or arms, it was my eyes that always suffered in the workplace.

yes, I spend a lot of my time trying to monitor my body for being in an awkward position. I have to feel my muscles to see what is sore and go over my bodily habits to see what I am doing with out even thinking about it. I was using my keypad on my work computer and forcing my thumb down as I typed out the numbers because it 'felt good'. Only it wasn't making my thumb feel so great, it ached and throbbed and got stiff. I examined my use of the thumb and stopped using it like that and now, a couple of months later, it is moving naturally again, and not aching.

When I had a car, I would get out of the car ( on the driver's side) stand on my left leg with my whole body weight (no uncommon load, there) and twist my knee to get out. I was using a cane and wrapping the knee with ace bandages before I caught on to get out of the car in a different way. Three years later (and cortisone shots every 6 months), now I don't have a car and am walking around on it like there was never a problem. I have to watch how I sit at computer and how I crick my neck to see through the 'sweet spot' on my bifocals. I finally got a pair of 'computer glasses' and my neck doesn't hurt as much any more.

It takes constant patrol to check out what my body endures because I can't feel it until it becomes intolerable. (don't EVEN get me started on teeth!) Sometimes I get settled in bed and know I have my sheet or a twist of nightgown beneath me and I will not want to move because I might disturb the cat, or my sleep pattern or something. I will just take the ache instead. What an idiot I can be! truly! but until it gets really bad, I can't feel it.

Merle

Yeah, I can relate. Those awkward positions are a real b***h at my age.

This reminds me I should have followed up on my own RSI-related thread.

I recently got it at work, or rather developed it over time. My wrists are in a bit of a state due to extreme repetition of typing, getting anxious about meeting a piece rate (meaning I'd go as fast as possible) and staying at the same job for a while doing the same thing.

I guess it would be likely to affect spectrum folk as we would tend to get more anxious over meeting deadlines or targets and getting comfortable in repetitive patterns (no matter how awkward these patterns can be).

Luckily I had a chat where I basically told "them" I couldn't physically do my job anymore, barely. It's actually pretty painful typing this post still! So I need never do data entry again and have other activities set aside for me.

Which is also good as I don't have feel I have to lie to people about that I do for a living any more.

I know what you mean. I love reading but it is painful even being on the internet and typing this. I think I have strained my eye muscles and they have never had the chance to recover because I could never stop reading and doing visual stuff. I am like a visual addict.

I have problems with muscle spasms so perhaps that contributes to getting strains. I dont think my mind/body is good at coordinating muscle movements so it can all go a bit haywire.

When you think about it, stuff like reading and typing involves the coordination of many small muscles. I think it is easier to notice strain in an area of the body where there are fewer, larger muscles, such as the upper arm, or thigh, etc.