What is RSI called now?

RSI is still called repetitive strain injury, and there is no single official name that has replaced it. The NHS describes RSI as a term sometimes used for pain caused by repeated movement ¹. Other official guidance uses different labels for the same broad group of symptoms. In UK government guidance the names you will see are work-related upper limb disorder and upper limb disorders, and clinicians can name the specific condition they find instead of using an umbrella term. This page explains each name and when it applies. For the full guide, read RSI from typing: symptoms, causes and recovery.

RSI is written out as repetitive strain injury

RSI is the short form of repetitive strain injury. The NHS page on the subject is titled "Repetitive strain injury (RSI)", and it is the name the NHS uses in its patient guidance. The glossary entry on repetitive strain injury lists the other names that appear in older documents.

Government guidance uses upper limb disorders as the umbrella

The names in use depend on the document you are reading. This table sets out the main ones and where they come from.

The HSE definition is the widest of the three, because it includes the neck and shoulders as well as the hands. Treat the three names as overlapping labels for one area of complaint, not as three separate diagnoses.

Clinicians prefer named conditions to umbrella terms

A UK clinical reference for general practitioners says that terms such as repetitive strain injury and cumulative trauma disorder are unhelpful and contentious, because they are ambiguous in what they cover ⁴. Because the umbrella terms are ambiguous, a named diagnosis is the more precise label when one is known.

In practice, a doctor may name carpal tunnel syndrome, de Quervain's tenosynovitis or tendinitis, and each has its own treatment. The glossary entry on tendinitis and the glossary entry on de Quervain's tenosynovitis explain two of these. If a diagnosis is not yet clear, the umbrella term is still the one that describes the symptoms.

Which name to use in a form, a claim or a workplace letter

Use the name that the document or organization you are dealing with uses. The term work-related upper limb disorder names the work link directly. If you have a named diagnosis, use it in the letter as well, since it is more specific than any umbrella term.

If a document uses older terms such as cumulative trauma disorder, it describes a similarly broad group of symptoms. The question is the same too: whether a clinician has named a specific condition that needs its own treatment.

What the name tells you about treatment

The name matters less than the decision it leads to. Whatever the label, treatment is decided with a clinician. A named condition may need more than general self-care, such as a splint, an injection or surgery. For what the evidence says about each step, see how long RSI from typing takes to heal. For the early pattern of symptoms, see what RSI from typing feels like.

Read the glossary entry on repetitive strain injury for a short definition, and the guide to carpal tunnel syndrome if a clinician has mentioned that condition.