Description

This guide offers computer users who suffer from repetitive strain injury (RSI) an effective program for self-care. It explains the symptoms, prevention, and treatment of RSIs and also addresses the often-overlooked root causes of RSIs. This holistic program treats the entire upper body with ergonomics, exercise, and hands-on therapy, increasing the likelihood that surgery and drugs may be avoided.It’s Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! RSI Theory & Therapy for Computer Professionals” would be the first book we’ve looked at on the site. It was written by a physical therapist paired with a long time computer user recovering from repetitive stress injuries. What I found in the book that I haven’t found on the internet is that it lays out a general theory about how people even in their 20’s lately are developing RSI starting with anatomy.A very small fraction of people who call their discomfort carpal tunnel syndrome actually have it. The book describes the tests doctors use to diagnose it in a manner which you can do yourself (and save some time). Most often it’s repetitive stress injuries stemming from overuse, lack of movement, and a dozen other factors. More importantly, they talk about every facet of how to treat it. I’d call it a multifaceted approach that uses a triage of behavioral, lifestyle, and workstation changes to make. They make no claim there’s any one silver bullet. Instead they discuss the entire arsenal of treatments and it’s up to you to pick a few & try them. They do talk about the carpal tunnel surgery you can get and why it’s generally not what you want to do.As the author of this site I’d like to say I’m pretty well versed on the subject, but I still gleaned a lot of good information from the book and would highly recommend it. A coworker told me about it several years ago when he saw me wearing a wrist brace (I was 24 at the time). Typing & mousing was constantly painful for me to the point that it threatened my career which was just getting started. After reading, I realized my lifestyle of sitting at a computer 10 hours a day with zero exercise or stretching wasn’t going to cut it long term. I joined a rock climbing gym because it makes exercising fun and is also a very intense workout on the forearms & hands. I also take frequent breaks before & during work to do some of the stretches they talk about in the book. That, coupled with improving my work-station’s ergonomics have completely turned my situation around. I’ll always be in “recovery” mode, but I no longer need a wrist brace and I’m not in pain anymore. For me, it took a little educating myself to motivate me to do what had to be done.