Repetitive Strain Injury


What This Post Is

This post is to act as information for those who are experiencing symptoms of Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) in their wrists and may be Googling for help and beginning to feel helpless, because the internet is full of accounts of RSI suffering and treatment failures. Nobody seems to take the time to report any success or happy stories, which I found incredibly depressing during my experiences. I write this in the hopes that others will find it online and find comfort in it.

I cannot guarantee that what has worked for me will help anyone else, and I am not medically trained at all so don't take this as medical advice (I'm just a programmer, after all). Just know that RSI, if addressed early enough, isn't necessarily The End of your computer usage.

Background

So, I'm a massive computer nerd. I spend a lot of time on computers. Like most people, though, I did very little to ensure I spent that time ergonomically. Eventually, my wrists complained!

What Didn't Work For Me

  • Reducing computer usage slightly
  • Applying hot/cold packs to my forearms on evenings or during work
  • Assorted interesting mice and wrist rests
  • Even quirkier mice, keyboards and reduced computer usage after work
  • Completely avoiding computer usage outside of work
  • Ibuprofen
  • Sleeping wearing wrist splints

What Did Work For Me: Physiotherapy

I saw a physiotherapist, who summarily determined that the muscles in my forearms were terribly tight and the flexibility of my wrists was horrendous. They gave me exercises to do which helped almost immediately, initially to be done every hour, but eventually once or twice a week as desired.

Going Forward

I've updated this post 4 years later with a status update and to remove all the whining. The exercises still serve me well and have kept the symptoms at bay. If I get lazy and miss my exercises for a few weeks then symptoms start to return, but that's my own fault.

Anyway, I hope this post helps someone, or at least, makes someone feel slightly more positive about their experiences. I appreciate not everyone will be this lucky, due to many factors I am probably ignorant to, but I am hopeful that it is useful to at least a few.

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