Is Repetitive Motion the Main Issue in Cumulative Trauma Disorder?
No and possibly yes. Repetitive motion does cause friction wear damage in tissues and this contributes to CTD problems.
Although repetitive motion does cause friction wear damage in tissues and this contributes to CTD problems, it is sustained posture which keeps the blood supply away from the working tissues, reducing the rate of repair, that eventually pushes these tissues into a disease problem such as carpal tunnel syndrome and/or tendinitis. It is the lack of blood supply that is the primary mechanism of injury. When you watch people at work, you quickly realize that it is very difficult to eliminate repetitive motion from most jobs. A good strategy instead, is to decrease sustained posture and to increase blood supply to the working tissues. You may not be able to reduce repetitive motions, but you can usually improve the blood supply to the working tissues by reducing posture stress and stretching exercises. That is one extremely effective and efficient strategy for preventing cumulative trauma disorders.