Anyone else suffering from RSI? Nightmare come true...

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Well, one of my worst nightmares was realized the other week. I have RSI. After years of slouching and using a computer for hours a day, not caring about the comfort and positioning when I was using the mouse/keyboard, my hand, wrists and arms are now a bit of a mess.

I fist started noting some slight pains and twitches, but didn't attribute them to anything to do with the computer. Certain moves in my martial arts caused a bit of pain, but it would come and go. However, over the last couple of week it has now reached a point where being on the computer for longer than 15 minutes results in numbness, tingling, and pains down my arms and hands. My wrists also click when I move them up and down.

The doctor has told me to take a week off work and get some physiotherapy, and hopefully i've caught it at such an early stage that it should be reversible without too much difficulty, especially with the prospect of a forthcoming I.T. job i'm hoping to get...

But my message here kids, is just because you don't have any pains or discomfort at the moment, still make sure you take precautions at your desk/workstation. Take regular breaks during a gaming/internet session (every hour or so), and make sure your mouse/keyboard is positioned correctly and ergonomically.

I'm going to post a guide to computer usage safety soon (said i'd do it ages ago and never got round to it) and I advise people to start thinking about it. I have used computers constantly for years and never once worried about the effects of sitting there clicking the mouse constantly during a game, or typing many posts without a break. I guess what I have received is a major kick up the backside. And I SERIOUSLY advise poeple here, no matter how young, to start thinking about it before they one day wake up and find themselves having a physical nightmare. Prevention is the best cure, something I wish I had considered in retrospect.

WHAT IS RSI? http://eeshop.unl.edu/rsi.html

 

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WOW


Firstly, sorry to hear of your diagnosis, Rich - hope the treatment sorts you out. I believe physiotherapy is wonderful nowadays.

Secondly thanks for the sounds advice - I bet I'm not the only one who subconsciously straightened by my back and neck and sit up a bit whilst reading this. I guess it's just one of those things that you don't think about till it hits you - cheers for raising our awareness .

Good luck mate

 

One of my previous slave jobs was working at a large mail processing plant operating high speed machinery. Loading mail into and sweeping it out of the machine involves lots of repeative motions and occasionally, my left arm will go tingly and then numb.

I have to watch how much time I spend at the keyboard or both my wrists will start to bother me. I suspect many of us are on the road to the same destination in terms of our health.

 

So true, i suffer from Tinosinovitis which is a form of RSI in my right wrist. On a bad day my hand swells up and goes purple with my wrist sounding like a cement mixer.

Usually when it flares up i end up on anti-inflamatory painkillers and with ultrasound treatment. So like Richdog says its better look at what you can do to prevent getting it before its too late as it can be permanent and painfull, and a good wrist support can be as little as a few pounds.

Stu

 

Yes it has happened to me, about a year ago, I started getting realy weird pains and numbness in my hand. It also felt like someone had punched me in the arm and given me a dead arm. I honestly believe that this was caused by using a mouse too much. Too many hours spent clicking on this and clicking on that.

I was forced into using the mouse with my left hand and doing nothing with my right hand for months, eventually it cleared up but it took ages. So, now I can use the mouse in either hand but strangely prefer the left

This is annoying and painful and we should all take Richdog's sound advice and take precautions now, before you start to have symptoms!

Pete

 

Yeah please take notice of it all people, don't want anyone getting bad pains in their joints. This thread I started at my home forum has a few tips and a bit of info/warning signs you may find useful http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?t=153293

Really wish i'd thought about it sooner, lol. Oh well, i'm off work for a week now anyway so time to let it calm...

 

Richdog, your forum link requires registration, otherwise we can't read the thread. Thanks anyway

Pete

 

Ahh no problem sorry about that, keep forgetting our Off-topic section can't be viewed unless you have 100 posts, forget it.

Back at work Friday though, think my arms have improved a lot in this week.