Meaning & use
repetitive strain injury
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablemedical
A painful condition caused by doing the same movement many times, especially at work.
Grammar: Uncountable: you say 'suffering from repetitive strain injury', not 'a repetitive strain injury' unless referring to a specific episode.
Patterns
- repetitive strain injury from something
- repetitive strain injury in something
- suffer from repetitive strain injury
She developed repetitive strain injury from typing all day without breaks.
The factory worker was diagnosed with repetitive strain injury in his wrist.
Repetitive strain injury is common among musicians who practice for hours.
Common combinations
- repetitive strain injury from typing
- He got repetitive strain injury from typing for hours without a break.
- suffer from repetitive strain injury
- Many office workers suffer from repetitive strain injury.
- diagnose repetitive strain injury
- The doctor diagnosed repetitive strain injury after examining her arm.
- prevent repetitive strain injury
- Taking regular breaks can help prevent repetitive strain injury.
Synonyms and how they differ
- RSI
- The abbreviation is more common in everyday speech and writing; use RSI when you want a shorter form.
- overuse injury
- A broader term for any injury caused by repeated use, not just strain; it can include repetitive strain injury.
Word family
- repetitive adjective
- Done many times in the same way.
- strain noun
- An injury to a muscle or tendon caused by too much effort or pressure.
- injure verb
- To harm or hurt a part of the body.
Commonly confused: repetitive strain injury or carpal tunnel syndrome?
repetitive strain injury vs carpal tunnel syndrome
A specific condition affecting the wrist and hand, often caused by repetitive strain, but not all repetitive strain injury is carpal tunnel syndrome.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'repetitive strain injury' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Repetitive strain injury' is typically uncountable, so no article is used. 'A repetitive strain injury' would suggest a specific, countable instance, which is less common. 'Injuries' is plural and would refer to multiple distinct injuries, and 'the' is not used in this general sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “repetitive strain injury”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.