Re: RSI

"Wendy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> I have worked as a secretary for the past 9 years with the same
> company and am beginning to have pains in my wrists with shooting
> pains up my arms, can anyone tell me if this is realted to RSI and
> what treatments are available.

It could well be RSI. That sounds ominously like the symptoms I had.
Often pain becomes worse at night. You should seek professional medical
advice.

DON'T put it off until pain becomes unbearable - it will just take you
longer to recover. Indeed, if you wait too long you may create
some permanent nerve damage.

Typical treatments range from rest (stop doing what hurts)
temporary reduction of inflammation with non-specific anti-inflamatory
drugs (e.g. Asprin, Ibuprofen), physiotherapy (didn't work for me),
to surgery for carpal tunnel symdrome (luckily mine was never that bad).

But don't rely on the Internet newsgroups for medical advice because
(a) some of it is wrong, and (b) a physical examination may notice
factors that you didn't mention.

So seek medical advice. In the meantime you may wish to consider
the ergonomics of your work environment - are your wrists bent at
awkward angles while you type? is your keyboard at an appropriate
height and angle? Also try taking short breaks at regular intervals
to give your wrists time to recover.

RSI can be triggered by returning to intensive keyboard use after an
extended break. (That's what triggered it in me). What used to be a
normal workload becomes excessive unless built up to slowly. (Someone
once likened it to a marathon runner attemping to run a marathon
after taking a year off running).

There's a lot of RSI information available on the web. I've
listed some of the better sources I know of at:
    http://www.albionresearch.com/astopnow/rsi.htm


Good luck!

-- Mike --

-- 
Mike Bell, Albion Research Ltd.
"RSI? Need a good break reminder? Try Albion StopNow! for your PC."
http://www.albionresearch.com/astopnow/