The term Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS) was adopted in Australia
following consultative public forums co-ordinated by the National
Occupational Health and Safety Commission, a tripartite body established by
the Commonwealth Government to develop, facilitate and implement a national
occupational health and safety strategy.
The forums were open to all professionals (and public) interested (not just
physios) and included ergonomists, doctors, physiologists, psychologists,
occupational therapists, chiropractors etc etc and were held at major cities
and regional areas.
After much deliberation the following definition was derived:
"Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS), also known as repetition strain injury
(RSI), is a collective term for a range of conditions characterised by
discomfort or persistent pain in muscles, tendons and other soft tissues,
with or without physical manifestations. It is usually associated with tasks
which involve:
a) repetitive or forceful movement or both; and/or
b) maintenance of constrained postures."
Syndrome being a collection of symptoms.
I am aware that it is called other things in many other countries.
Occupational stress is also a compensible but different condition and does
not necessarily involve muscles in its primary diagnosis although they are
often involved in abnormal patterns, so to me Occupational Stress Syndrome
would be confusing terminolgy.
Cheers,
Anna.
Anna Lee
Principal,
Work Ready Industrial Athlete Centre
Write to me at: [log in to unmask]
Visit me at: www.workready.com.au
Snail mail:
Suite 3, 82 Enmore Road,
Newtown NSW 2042
Australia
Phone: (612) 95197436
Fax: (612) 95197439
Mob: 0412 33 43 98
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, 19 February 2001 11:25
Subject: OCCUPATIONAL STRESS SYNDROME?
> On 2/18/01, Anna Lee<[log in to unmask]> writes:
>
> << Sorry, OOS stands for Occupational Overuse Syndrome - the old RSI or
> repetition strain injury. Here in Australia, we changed the name because
RSI
> was a misnomer - did not really reflect the condition at all because RSI
was
> not always caused by repetition and not a true injury as such and it had a
> huge stigma when the epidemic came through. >>
>
> *** There has always been some disagreement over what so-called RSI
injuries
> should be called. Even attempts to rectify the misconception that
repetition
> was always an aetiological factor in their onset did not take into account
> the occurrence of that type of injury among those who manually handled
loads
> at slow speeds or isometrically, or manoeuvred them using poor body
> mechanics. Thus it has become apparent that overuse may not even be an
> appropriate part of the name for describing these conditions. This is
> because they tend to fall into the even broader category of what in sports
> medicine are called "overtraining" injuries, which comprise injuries due
to
> overuse (i.e., repetition related) or overload (i.e. intensity related).
>
> Possibly a term such as OSS (Occupational Stress Syndrome) would be more
> appropriate and all inclusive than a term like OOS, which tends to
> overemphasize the role played by "overuse" which, among other things, does
> not take into account the central role played by inappropriate
occupational
> biomechanics in producing these types of trauma. What do the rest of you
> think?
>
> Dr Mel C Siff
> Denver, USA
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Supertraining/
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