HN Books @HNBooksMonth

In this thread there will be many people with many different degrees of RSI who have solved it using a variety of different solutions. That is because the symptoms can be caused by a variety of different things. The defacto standard high level overview is https://www.amazon.com/Its-Carpal-Tunnel-Syndrome-Profession...

⬐ phes

This and the book in the comment previous have both been helpful to me, along with good physiotherapists who understand trigger point release.

I use a split keyboard with a graphics tablet in the middle and a mouse either side of the keyboard - this gives me a good variation of hand position. Right hand mouse is vertical.

I find stretching, weights and cardio to be beneficial. The stretching helps to keep the nerves free from impingement, the cardio keeps a good blood flow, and the weights are rebuilding strength and muscle that atrophied during the year where it was too painful to use my hands & arms.

Thanks everyone in this thread for sharing your techniques - it's always good to hear what other people find effective.

The real solution is we should only work 30 hour weeks. Try telling that to your boss though, it's often hard enough to get an ergonomic pencil.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0965510999?psc=1&redirect=t...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1572240393?psc=1&redirect=t...

Slight tingling in the fingers could mean RSI too. Most people get RSI and not carpel tunnel.

http://www.amazon.com/Its-Carpal-Tunnel-Syndrome-Professiona...

Having suffered with RSI for years (before the advent of current-gen speech recognition, so it really sucked), I heartily echo this advice:

which, let me tell you, you should do at the first sign of pain

Do that. REALLY REALLY do that.

Also, this book is superb:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Its-Carpal-Tunnel-Syndrome-Professio...

⬐ tavisrudd

Great book!

⬐ read

The most surprising information I discovered curing RSI is:

http://aaroniba.net/articles/tmp/how-i-cured-my-rsi-pain.htm...

which recommends

http://www.amazon.com/Mindbody-Prescription-Healing-Body-Pai...

⬐ pierrend

This book has been really helpful for me. I recommend it.

⬐ darkmighty

Pseudoscience? Here?

Placebo pills seem a lot less time consuming than the suggested above...

I was suffering from RSI for a few months, and nothing seemed to work. I tried rest, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory drugs, and acupuncture.

Then I read http://www.amazon.com/Its-Carpal-Tunnel-Syndrome-Professiona..., which led me to trigger point massage therapy.

And that worked. YMMV :)

I think the point being made here is very good and deserves being stressed again: It's usually a combo of workplace, stretching and psychological fixes that works the best.

Also, this book is very good and covers a wide variety of bases to help you understand your problem:

http://www.amazon.com/Its-Carpal-Tunnel-Syndrome-Professiona...

Chances are you are one of the lucky ones, though it doesn't mean that your luck will not end at some point (your body can compensate for a long time, but when it can't anymore, symptoms can appear rather quickly).

This book has been useful to me:

http://www.amazon.com/Carpal-Syndrome-Therapy-Computer-Profe...

And in it they mention that some people do all the wrong things and never seem to get RSI. Better not to count on luck, though. I now wish I had taken preventive measures much earlier. I have my first physical therapy appointment next week...

As a longtime RSI sufferer, I agree with the need for strengthening. However, working out is a long-term preventative measure, not for when you are inflamed and in pain!

If your muscles and tendons are struggling, the last thing they need is more to do. I would strongly recommend doing whatever you can to give your hands a break for a while, and then start strengthening. And for giving your hands a break, you should absolutely feel justified in getting whatever ergonomic gadgets you think will help.

If you are suffering from numbness, that means your nerves (ulnar nerve, etc) are irritated. There are indications that this is not just a hand problem, but is due to postural problems in the upper back and neck from sitting statically in front of the computer for long hours. Google "thorassic outlet syndrome".

I highly recommend you check out the following books:

"It's not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome", http://www.amazon.com/Carpal-Syndrome-Therapy-Computer-Profe...

"Trigger point therapy workbook", http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Self-Tr...

I give these books a lot of credit for my almost complete recovery.

⬐ joe_the_user

Yes, extremely important. Be very careful about any advice to dive into exercise if you have an existing problem.

Trigger point therapy is worth looking into...

4. Not all RSI is carpal tunnel.

It's funny, but the RSI book a friend recommended to me is titled "It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome!":

http://www.amazon.com/Carpal-Syndrome-Therapy-Computer-Profe...

Contrary to the title, the book doesn't rule out the possibility of carpal tunnel, but it correctly points out that carpal tunnel only applies to a small set of RSI-related symptoms. I found the book helpful.