I had pretty bad RSI some years ago, to the point where I thought I wouldn't be able to program anymore. However, I got through it, and I don't have any pains today. The key thing for me was starting to use a break program on my computer. Every 5 minutes I take a 10 seconds micro-break (let go of the mouse and keyboard). Every 45 minutes I take a 5 minute stretching break, and do 3 or 4 stretches. That, together with…
She suggested that it would just be better to get up and do something completely different for a time. I found that, while working at home, hanging out laundry worked wonders.
I've had a lot of people deride me and laugh at me for that single phrase, but not one of them suffered the pain of RSI. They probably wouldn't laugh so readily if they couldn't feed themselves - or open a locked door - for several months.