Hi there,

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post as my query relates to RSI (repetitive strain injury) also known as Work Related Upper Limb Disorder. It is recognized sometimes as a disability so I hope this is the right place.

I have basically suffered from RSI since November 2005 due to extensive computer use i.e. mouse work and typing. I get pains and numbness in my hands, wrists and forearms, sometimes with sharp shooting pains that go up my forearms. It affects both sides but started in my dominant right hand. I have tried ergonomic alterations such as purchasing a vertical mouse and a split keyboard but it does not seem to make a lot of difference. I have also tried Physiotherapy and received a steroid injection as an anti-inflammatory. These did not work either and I still get the problem.

Is there any advice that anyone can give me to help fight this problem. I know that many will say, find alternative employment that does not involve computer use but this is not really practical. I was wondering if anyone has suffered from this and if it eventually goes away or is it a lifelong problem, once you have it, it stays with you.

Thanks for your help.

Nosnosna

I have a host of issues of this type... RSI predominantly in my left arm (which was my preferred mouse hand for the first ten years of computer use), arthritis coming up in both elbows, some wonky nerve pinch thing in my left elbow, and a handful of soft-tissue issues in both shoulders from various things through the years. Yeesh, I'm falling apart

The biggest thing I did to get the RSI under control was to switch hands with the mouse... when the problems first popped up, I used the mouse with my right hand for a while. Once the left hand recovered a bit, I started switching between the two regularly, and now I try to change back and forth every other week or so to avoid over-using either one. Wearing a brace on the affected wrist helped a lot as well, both at the computer and away from it. If you wear a brace on both wrists and type like that for a while, you may be able to do like I've done and change your typing style such that your wrists remain stationary, and only your fingers move... this will help decrease much of the irritation you get from day to day activity. Some degree of weight training with free-weights will toughen up your joints in general, if done carefully, as the muscles, tendons, and ligaments will be strengthened and provide a natural brace for these joints.

It is a lifelong thing... there's no magic pill for it, at least not that I've found, but with being careful about the wrist movements and balancing the load between the two, it should be more than bearable.

Geoffersonairplane

Thanks,

That was great advice and it is good to know (not in a bad way) that others have experienced it...Not that this is a good thing but that others can provide advice on it. I hear that RSI is actually very common among computer users. I have started a routine of Swimming combined with some weight training in the hope that this will help somewhat.

Thanks again for your response and I am sorry to hear that you have suffered so long with this.

Allheart

Hi Geoff,

I hadn't heard of RSI but I have heard of carpal tunnel. Sounds similar to what you were describing. Not sure if this helps. I do know of people who suffered with it and had an operation and did have some relief afterwards. Here's the link. I may be way off, but
here ya go:

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Fact Sheet: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Geoffersonairplane

Thanks Allheart...

I have seen a few specialists and they have tested for that but say it is not CTS. Rather more like diffuse RSI.

Thanks for your response though Allheart and that was a good theory as CTS is quite similar.

Thomas1970

Massage therapy can be excellent for treating many such disorders such as carpal tunnel and thoracic outlet syndrome. Though you would need to find someone with relatively advanced training in injury management and rehabilitation, and at least in the US, many insurance companies still don't cover such modalities.
Other than that, just take a quick break periodically and do some simple stretching or flexing exercises, with a particular focus on the wrists.

Geoffersonairplane

Thanks for all your advice. May I ask, has anyone tried voice recognition software so as to reduce the amount of typing + how user friendly is it?

Curlyben

Geoff before you go down the voice route have you had your working conditions professionally reviewed.
If you are lucky it maybe something related to your posture or some other easily resolved situation.

As I am the whole IT department at my place of work, this kind of stuff falls to me to do.
With me its the normal do as I say and not as I do. Reason being I'm constanly n the move from place to place, using multiple machines and generally being a slob

Geoffersonairplane

Thanks for you response curleyben..

Yeah I have tried that route including ergonomic mouses, posture changes, physiotherapy, split keyboards and joystick type mouses to try and keep wrists in a neutral position. I have also had steroid injections as anti-inflammatory but this did not work. I get quite sever pain in my wrists and forearms if I continue typing for more than 10 minutes without a break and my arms sometimes go numb..

RSI is a real pain..LOL

I have experienced this pain for around 18 months although I have used computers for 14 years.

I was considering accupuncture or perhaps even tens treatment.

Exercise helps but it is not enough.

Thomas1970

Hi Geoff,
Accupuncture would likely be very beneficial, particularly in the way of pain reduction. I swear by it for a lot of things. A TENS unit may also be beneficial. I have a similar sort of unit I occasionally use myself -- picked it up in an import shop -- as I have osteoarthritis in my neck. Definitely worth looking into.
Another thing that may help, if you can still find one, is a trackball, as opposed to using a mouse. I used them years ago, and greatly preferred them at the time, as they maintain continous subtle movement in the wrist and fingers -- probably helping to keep the tendons better lubricated, as well as keeping the muscles somewhat active.