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Ask HN: Remedies for RSI?

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Re: Ask HN: Remedies for RSI?

#11

Post by trapper »

Off the top of my head things you could try:

1. Go to a paul chek, nasm or shirley sharman practitioner. They will check out your posture. Ignore anything they say about the one true way [edit - I mean the research is inconclusive - either may work, but all will claim their way is correct].

2. If you already have bad posture you need to correct it. Some good [alternative] ways:

- overhead lifting and overhead shrugs

- heavy front squat holds (just the hold, not the squat)

- go look at at mike robertson or gray cook for corrective exercises

3. If you haven't already tried, go to an ART practitioner. It's very sore but effective for a lot of people.

Re: Ask HN: Remedies for RSI?

#12

Post by silentbicycle »

curej wrote: post #7
gruseom wrote: post #3

Two things I don't see on your list: 1. I do finger, wrist, and forearm stretches regularly. For me, they prevent RSI and even get rid of it when it's starting. I don't know if this would help for chronic pain. 2. Chronic conditions can sometimes be alleviated by hypnosis. Here the challenge is finding a skilled practitioner. I know one. I can put you in touch if you like (email me). I suppose these are long shots. G…

I do appreciate the offer but I have some psychological resistance to hypnosis - my mother has tried to get me to do it also but to no avail :) The hand/arm stretches help but only up to a point. A lot of the tension I get seems to arise in the neck and upper back areas. I feel great when I get out of the gym or after a hot bath but I work in a pretty high pressure environment where I sometimes can't take breaks for…

You will probably have to change your work environment (in either sense).

Re: Ask HN: Remedies for RSI?

#13

Post by chris_l »

Alexander Technique worked for me. But it is not miracle cure, you have to work on yourself to make it work. A one line takeaway is that you're probably doing something too hard as a matter of habit when typing.

Re: Ask HN: Remedies for RSI?

#14

Post by curej »

trapper wrote: post #11

Off the top of my head things you could try: 1. Go to a paul chek, nasm or shirley sharman practitioner. They will check out your posture. Ignore anything they say about the one true way [edit - I mean the research is inconclusive - either may work, but all will claim their way is correct]. 2. If you already have bad posture you need to correct it. Some good [alternative] ways: - overhead lifting and overhead shrugs…

I do have very bad posture. Good suggestions - especially the workout suggestions - my trainer recommended those to me a year ago and I stopped doing them but it was probably a mistake. Those are changes I can easily make to my workout. The rest I didn't know about at all. Thanks.

Re: Ask HN: Remedies for RSI?

#15

Post by curej »

SwellJoe wrote: post #8

When I started having problems about 7 year ago, I did a handful of things, but the two that made the most difference were: Better chair (Aeron). Sounds odd, I guess, but being the right height and having good posture makes a difference. I also dropped the arms way down, so I simply cannot lean on them no matter how lazy I'm feeling (among many other pains, my left elbow had a permanent twinge of pain, which still po…

You've obviously struggled with this a lot. A lot of ideas here to think about - some stuff I knew about but had forgotten - I have to keep churning this stuff over in my head and making different variations so it's good to think about what has worked for others. Thanks.

Re: Ask HN: Remedies for RSI?

#16

Post by curej »

silentbicycle wrote: post #12
curej wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do appreciate the offer but I have some psychological resistance to hypnosis - my mother has tried to get me to do it also but to no avail :) The hand/arm stretches help but only up to a point. A lot of the tension I get seems to arise in the neck and upper back areas. I feel great when I get out of the gym or after a hot bath but I work in a pretty high pressure environment where I sometimes can't take breaks for…

You will probably have to change your work environment (in either sense).

Yes. I'm constantly making adjustments but still have not hit on a comfortable setup. I think I need someone to monitor me while I'm working some day - or maybe videotape myself typing for a few hours.

Re: Ask HN: Remedies for RSI?

#17

Post by curej »

chris_l wrote: post #13

Alexander Technique worked for me. But it is not miracle cure, you have to work on yourself to make it work. A one line takeaway is that you're probably doing something too hard as a matter of habit when typing.

I like it in theory but I find it hard to put into practice. I have very poor awareness of my body so when others recommend changes I usually feel like I'm already doing it the way they suggest. It's the same reason I sucked when I tried to learn swing dancing.

Re: Ask HN: Remedies for RSI?

#18

Post by curej »

sutro wrote: post #10

I used to have very bad RSI, and two things saved me: 1) this book: http://www.amazon.com/Repetitive-Strain-Injury-Computer-User... , and 2) this doctor: http://www.yelp.com/biz/mehaffy-rick-dc-redwood-city (only helpful if you live in the Bay Area). Good luck.

Interesting to hear that a chiropractor was successful for you. I've heard a lot of skeptical feedback on using them. The Pascarelli book is good - my physical therapist recommended it to me and the exercises were helpful (unfortunately I overdid some of the stretches and had to stop as a result - but I should probably re-incorporate some of them). Thanks.

Re: Ask HN: Remedies for RSI?

#19

Post by gruseom »

curej wrote: post #7
gruseom wrote: post #3

Two things I don't see on your list: 1. I do finger, wrist, and forearm stretches regularly. For me, they prevent RSI and even get rid of it when it's starting. I don't know if this would help for chronic pain. 2. Chronic conditions can sometimes be alleviated by hypnosis. Here the challenge is finding a skilled practitioner. I know one. I can put you in touch if you like (email me). I suppose these are long shots. G…

I do appreciate the offer but I have some psychological resistance to hypnosis - my mother has tried to get me to do it also but to no avail :) The hand/arm stretches help but only up to a point. A lot of the tension I get seems to arise in the neck and upper back areas. I feel great when I get out of the gym or after a hot bath but I work in a pretty high pressure environment where I sometimes can't take breaks for…

A lot of the tension I get seems to arise in the neck and upper back areas.

This reminds me of a third option that I'm surprised I didn't think of earlier: the Alexander Technique. Tension arising in the neck and upper back areas is practically their specialty. I got some amazing results working with a good Alexander teacher.

Incidentally, if your situation is anything like mine (and of course I don't know), you may need to make some changes in your life in order for the pain to go away. I'm not talking about techniques, I mean fundamental personal change. I had a headache for 9 years. No one ever explained it. But it eventually went away as I addressed some important issues in my life.

Re: Ask HN: Remedies for RSI?

#20

Post by curej »

gruseom wrote: post #19
curej wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do appreciate the offer but I have some psychological resistance to hypnosis - my mother has tried to get me to do it also but to no avail :) The hand/arm stretches help but only up to a point. A lot of the tension I get seems to arise in the neck and upper back areas. I feel great when I get out of the gym or after a hot bath but I work in a pretty high pressure environment where I sometimes can't take breaks for…

A lot of the tension I get seems to arise in the neck and upper back areas. This reminds me of a third option that I'm surprised I didn't think of earlier: the Alexander Technique. Tension arising in the neck and upper back areas is practically their specialty. I got some amazing results working with a good Alexander teacher. Incidentally, if your situation is anything like mine (and of course I don't know), you may…

I got kind of a chill when I read this. It hits close to home.
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