Glossary
Repetitive strain injury (RSI)
Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is an umbrella term for pain and damage to muscles, tendons and nerves that builds up from repeated movements, held postures or sustained effort, felt in the hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and neck.
Updated October 16, 20263 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called RSI, work-related upper limb disorder, cumulative trauma disorder.
Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is an umbrella term, not a single diagnosis. It describes pain and injury to muscles, tendons, nerves and the tissues around them that develops from repeated movements, held postures or sustained effort. Other names for overlapping conditions include work-related upper limb disorder and cumulative trauma disorder. RSI is often discussed in connection with typing, mouse use and other hand work.
RSI belongs to a larger group of work-related conditions
Governments count RSI-type conditions under work-related musculoskeletal disorders. In Great Britain in 2024/25, an estimated 511,000 workers had a work-related musculoskeletal disorder 1. Of these disorders, 41% mainly affected the upper limbs or neck 2. Those figures cover all work-related musculoskeletal disorders, not RSI alone, but they show how much of the burden sits in the arms, hands and neck.
Typing is a suspected cause, but the link is not proven
Typing is the activity people most often connect with RSI, but the evidence is less settled than the advice suggests. The U.S. National Library of Medicine says studies have not proved that typing on a computer, using a mouse or other repeated movements cause carpal tunnel syndrome 3. Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the conditions RSI can describe, so the same caution applies. Treat the link as a risk to manage, not as a settled cause.
Dictation reduces keystrokes, but not every repeated movement
Speech can carry much of the drafting, messaging and note-taking that otherwise uses the keyboard. It does not remove the repeated movements of editing, pointing and scrolling. A practical plan therefore combines voice for writing with keyboard shortcuts, scheduled breaks and a review of your setup. The voice control feature on a Mac or Windows PC can take over some of that editing and navigation, and dictation covers the writing part.
If pain persists, see a clinician. An RSI diagnosis and treatment plan are medical decisions, and this entry describes the condition in general terms only.
Related terms and guides
Related terms: median nerve, tendinitis, De Quervain's tenosynovitis.
Guides that cover RSI in depth:
Evidence
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Related terms
- Speech to Text for Accessibility, RSI and DisabilitiesThe topic this term belongs to
- Access to WorkAccess to Work is a UK government grant for people with a disability or health condition who need support to do their job. GOV.UK says it can help pay for specialist equipment and assistive software, among other support, and that the grant does not affect other benefits and does not have to be paid back.
- Assistive technology (AT)Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment or product system that increases, maintains or improves what a person with a disability can do. Speech recognition, voice control and screen readers are common examples.
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a clinical practice area that supplements or compensates for impairments in speaking or understanding language. It uses tools such as picture boards, letter boards and speech-generating devices, and it is augmentative when used alongside speech and alternative when used instead of speech.
- CART captioningCART captioning is a live text service in which a trained captioner types what is said, usually on a stenotype machine, and the words appear on a screen as they are spoken. CART stands for Communication Access Realtime Translation, and it is also called real-time captioning.
- De Quervain's tenosynovitisDe Quervain's tenosynovitis is a painful condition in which tendons that move the thumb become irritated where they pass through a narrow tunnel on the thumb side of the wrist. Repeated thumb and wrist movements, such as texting, can worsen it.
- Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) is UK government support for students with a disability, mental health problem or long-term illness, to cover study costs that come from the condition. It depends on individual needs rather than household income, and it does not have to be paid back.
- DysarthriaDysarthria is a speech disorder that happens when brain or nerve damage changes the way the muscles used for speaking work, so speech can sound slow, slurred or hard to understand. Speech recognition trained on typical voices can make more errors with this speech, so accuracy depends on the person and the software.
- DysgraphiaDysgraphia is a difficulty with writing that does not match a person's cognitive level and age, even after adequate instruction. It can affect letter formation, spacing, spelling, writing speed and composition, and speech to text lets a person get their words onto the page without writing each letter by hand.
- Individualized Education Program (IEP)An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written statement for a child with a disability, developed, reviewed and revised under the federal IDEA regulations. For US students, it is the school's plan for the special education and services the child needs, and the team must consider whether the child needs assistive technology.
- Median nerveThe median nerve is one of the main nerves of the arm. It runs from the forearm through the wrist into the hand, giving feeling and movement to parts of the hand.
- Reasonable accommodationA reasonable accommodation is a change to the job, the workplace or the equipment that lets a qualified person with a disability do the work. Under U.S. law, employers with 15 or more employees must provide one unless it would impose an undue hardship.
- Screen readerA screen reader is software that reads what is on a computer or phone screen aloud, or sends it to a braille display, so that people who are blind or have low vision can use the device. The most used screen readers on Windows are JAWS and NVDA, and VoiceOver is the one built into Apple devices.
Pages that use this term
- Speech to Text for Accessibility, RSI and DisabilitiesTopic
- Dictation for RSI and Carpal Tunnel: Type Less by VoiceGuide
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes and TypingGuide
- Carpal Tunnel Treatment: Splints, Exercises and SurgeryGuide
- RSI From Typing: Symptoms, Causes and RecoveryGuide
- Hand and Wrist Pain From Typing: What Is Causing ItGuide
- Typing Ergonomics: Set Up Your Desk to Prevent RSIGuide
- Voice Coding: How to Program by VoiceGuide
- Dictation Software as a Workplace AccommodationGuide
- Can typing cause carpal tunnel syndrome?Question
- Do compression gloves help RSI from typing?Question
- Do ergonomic keyboards help with RSI?Question
- Do wrist rests help prevent carpal tunnel?Question
- How do you prevent RSI from typing?Question
- How do you treat carpal tunnel syndrome at home?Question
- Is carpal tunnel syndrome an occupational disease?Question
- Should you stop typing if you have RSI or carpal tunnel?Question
- What is RSI called now?Question
- Access to WorkGlossary
- Assistive technology (AT)Glossary
- De Quervain's tenosynovitisGlossary
- Median nerveGlossary
- Reasonable accommodationGlossary
- TendinitisGlossary