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Geoffersonairplane · Jan 16, 2007, 10:19 AM

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 · Jan 16, 2007, 10:31 AM

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 · Jan 16, 2007, 10:39 AM

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 · Jan 16, 2007, 10:41 AM

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 you go:

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

Geoffersonairplane · Jan 16, 2007, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by 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:

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 · Jan 16, 2007, 10:53 AM

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 · Jan 31, 2007, 01:17 PM

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 · Jan 31, 2007, 01:26 PM

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 it's the normal do as I say and not as I do. Reason being I'm constantly n the move from place to place, using multiple machines and generally being a slob ;)

Geoffersonairplane · Jan 31, 2007, 01:40 PM

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 · Jan 31, 2007, 02:40 PM

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 continuous subtle movement in the wrist and fingers -- probably helping to keep the tendons better lubricated, as well as keeping the muscles somewhat active.

Geoffersonairplane · Feb 4, 2007, 06:46 AM

Thanks Thomas1970, I appreciate your help. I have a trackball marble mouse and use this in combination to an Anir vertical mouse and swap between the two to give variation. I was considering tens but I am told that the results last only a few hours at best. How does tens actually work?

Some people who suffer from this say acupuncture is the best form of treatment as it lasts months and they too swear by it. Can you advise how acupuncture actually works and is it a painful form of treatment?

I have this vision of being prodded with 50 different needles and being strapped down to a hospital bed.. LOL

Thomas1970 · Feb 7, 2007, 02:28 PM

Hi Geoff,
Sorry I haven't been on for a bit. I don't know a great deal about TENS units, though I know they roughly work by periodically altering the frequency or pattern of the electrical current, which somehow tricks or perhaps overloads the nervous system causing certain nerve impulses to temporarily cease. The unit I have is called an "electro-accupuncture unit" -- something of a pseudo-medical device -- it uses a steady pattern of electrical impulses run by a 9-volt battery, and essentially causes the muscle to forcefully contract repeatedly, in time legnthening and eventually exhausting if overused. No needles involved here. I picked it up for $100 in a Chinese import shop. Expensive, but very useful at times.
Accupuncture is based on the meridian system known to Chinese medicine. It is described as a series of invisible channels throughout the body through which our chi (lifeforce or vital energy flows). It is believed that imbalances, or stagnations or blockages of such energy lead to pain or illness. Needles are superficially placed in specific points (accupoints) along these meridians, which are labeled and related to the body's various organs, to balance yin and yang energies and improve the free circulation of chi.
Some Western theories of why accupucture is so effective range from the release of endorphins and other hormones, to the "gate" theory, which I briefly alluded to above. I myself believe it is something of a combination of the two theories, East and West. One probable reason for the often near immediate relief experienced is that nerves pathways can only effectively transmit one specific succession of impulses at any given time, regardless of the strength of the stimulus, and this is always the impulse furthest down the pathway (away from the brain). This perhaps explains things such as why deeply pressing on the fleshy part between the thumb and index finger (the "harmony point") can often temporarily relieve toothaches or headaches. As well, when the nervous system is sufficiently overloaded with (conflicting) impulses, it has a tendency to "collapse" in a sense, therefore in a way subverting many of the signals received or processed by the brain.
Accupuncture is generally painless and often very relaxing. The needles are very fine, about the width of a hair almost, and only placed a short distance into the skin. Occasionally one might feel a localized "buzzing" or vibrating sensation for a time, particularly if the needle is manipulated slightly. The only points that tend to be at all painful are nail points, in which needles are placed directly into the cuticles of the fingernails -- this is not real common, though I have had it done many times.
All in all, it is done in the accupuncturist's office lying on a comfortable table, they never strap you down (:) ), and they will be very attentive to what you are feeling, proceeding at your own pace.
Initially, regularity is the key to great success, and it's not the most inexpensive treatment if not covered by insurance -- but I've always found it greatly worth it, and as relaxing to me as any good massage I've had.
I hope this is of some help. Let me know if you have any questions. Take care. :)

Geoffersonairplane · Apr 1, 2007, 05:03 AM

Hi Thomas1970, I was considering purchasing a Medisana Electro-Acupuncture unit. May I ask if this is what you were referring to? Do you think that this would be of benefit alongside some real accupuncture treatment. The problem with me also is that I believe I type too fast and this may have been why I have developed this condition and maybe need to slow down.

Also, has anyone ever had rsi, and the condition has got better over time? If so are we talking years? I have had my rsi for just under 2 years.

candacep · Apr 3, 2007, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by Geoffersonairplane

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.

7 surgerys later.. I am now completely disabled , get help asap