my rsi story

[July 14th, 2003]

This is a record based on some memories, of my RSI and all its consequences. If anybody already has the problem, then hopefully this should help. I think after all my research, I have many solutions!

I know many people for whom this has occurred and disappeared never to appear again. So its not necessary that any of this applies to you. But the solutions are good fun anyway, none of them involve any injections or bitter pills ??

To begin at the the beginning…

As I studied engineering, I was a programmer, and apart from than that, also a chatter and emailer. And… an obsessed computer gamer… [Doom (3D virtual reality computer game) among others]. Around the year 2000, I hardly noticed this pain which came in my hands once in a way.

It was around January, 2001 when the pain increased. I started consulting doctors, who referred me to orthopedics (and charged me for consultation anyway). And I had thought orthopedics only dealt with bones. I saw around half a dozen orthopedics, both in Bangalore and in Germany. Bone scan, x-ray, etc didn’t show anything. They all said almost the same thing… just use ice packs… hot packs… ointments… bandages… wrist splints… it would go away in a few days. I went through all kinds of treatment for six months and none of the treatment really helped. I tried typing with only two fingers and wearing my wristbands and using the wrist pad, didn’t help much. Many did give me temporary relief, but after starting to type, it came back.

At first, it used to pain only when I used a PC during the week. It would subside over the weekend. At one time, I applied for 4 days leave from a Thursday to Sunday. I was s*** scared on Saturday because even after two days of complete rest, I still had a lot of pain! The main thing is the more I worried about this, the worse it got!

It didn’t help much when I came to know that were some group of doctors in Australia, who were trying to prove that tendonitis doesn’t exist at all! They were probably being funded by companies who were getting sued by their employees!

One thing I did not like about a couple of doctors I consulted was, the moment I said “hand pain” they would go “oh you’re a computer programmer right? Right! Oh ok I know all about you and your problem. I've seen so many people like you!” And I could make out he wasn’t really listening at all when I started describing my situation. He would gleefully start writing out a prescription even as I was talking, and would typically prescribe some squeezeable toy or some ointment. Even if I said “Ive tried that” it wasn’t very useful.

Anyway, one of the better doctors I consulted said that it is caused mainly because of the “circus” that the wrists do while typing multiple keys simultaneously! Unfortunately this can’t be avoided because that’s the way software is designed… how would I ever code if I can’t use Ctrl-C Ctrl-V ?? Well, came across a solution for that, there’s this Sticky Key option in Win2k (Accessibility Options).

It was amazing how such a simple action as clicking a mouse button could send a mild electric shock down my hand. I started using my mouse with my left hand, not without some initial confusion. Strangely, switching the mouse settings to make it a left-handed mouse made things simpler. Eventually my left hand was affected too, and I had to then keep alternating between my two hands. Came across this neat tool to avoid mouse clicking… www.mousetool.com It was pretty intuitive and I used it for over 6 months… Only thing was if somebody else used my PC, all the windows would go completely berserk with random clicks all over the place… But luckily it had a task bar item through which it can be turned on and off. A very useful feature was the 30 minutes stretch timer which pops up a message box every 30 minutes reminding you to take a break.

We know that muscles typically get strengthened with use, which is why we go to gyms or workouts. On the other hand, fingers do not contain any significant muscles and they move essentially like puppets controlled by cords called tendons. Tendons connect them to other muscles in the palm and?forearm. And tendons don't get strengthened by use, that's why ergonomics is so important.

There were a lot of information available on correct ergonomic postures. Though at times, different sources seemed to contradict each other, the basic principles were the same. But somehow though I corrected my posture, after half an hour I would find myself back in my old slouching position. I even tried really weird shaped ergonomic keyboards and mice. Immersing my hands in hot water did provide some temporary relief.

There was a typing tutor software which said RSI is caused due to the QWERTY keyboard layout. This is because the QWERTY layout was designed for the old models of typewriters to make it as hard as possible for the typist (So that they could keep up!). It suggested that I learn the DWORAK layout. But somehow that didn’t appeal to me… I was a touch typist and the idea of unlearning QWERTY to learn DWORAK didn’t sound great.

All those helped, but didn’t really eliminate the problem.

At one point, my hand became very weak. I had difficulty lifting small objects with trivial weights which I didn’t have earlier. That’s when I really panicked. I had to seriously start considering giving up the use of a computer forever.

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One rare Sunday morning when I successfully woke up early in the morning, and was walking on the 18th cross grounds near Sankey Tank (Malleswaram, Bengaluru)...

I saw some people playing frisbee – not just the typical way, but nothing like I’d ever seen before. One end of the field across the entire expanse of the field, over the heads of others jogging around or playing cricket etc., all the way to the other end. It was just amazing simply to watch them. After a while I wondered if they’d let me try. What do I have to lose in asking them. So I asked, and they very kind enough to cordially invite me. They taught me the basics of throwing accurately, covering a long range. It was difficult and quite demanding at first, needing a run-up and then swinging of one's entire body. After a while, I got the hang of it - and found it was really fun! At the end of the session, though perspiring thoroughly… I was left exhilirated.

I observed one strange thing… my long long pending wristache always in the background, had disappeared. It seemed to be a miracle… and I became quite regular from that day onwards. Though it recurred mildly after a couple of days, the very fact that I had a glimpse of a solution had given me a tremendous sense of relief.

When it returned on Thursday, I knew that it was not invincible and permanent. The relief had brought tremendous confidence within me. I started experimenting with different ways of tackling the problem, this time from a fresh perspective, from a scientific point of view. The pain which had been my enemy was now the subject of a very interesting investigation!

I found that practicing the karate punches which I had learned a long time ago from my brief martial arts stint helped. Badminton and table tennis were very good. I tried my best to burn fat and lose weight… one theory was that due to fat in blood vessels, blood circulation is not enough for hands.

There’s no permanent cure for RSI, it keeps recurring again at again at unpredictable intervals.

Sree Kumar (from icope, renamed Trivium) told me an inspiring story – that of Sachin Tendulkar. When Sachin was diagnosed with a back-injury many years ago, the doctors told him that he cannot play cricket any more. He didn’t give up, and did some back exercises and got back to form. His back injury is permanent .. but he still continues those exercises… and he still plays cricket.

At one time when my pain recurred, I decided to give a friend’s recommendation a try. I went to a “natural healer” (I forgot the exact term). Her system was based on massages with some weird smelling oil, pressing the arms with a cloth dipped in boiling hot water (ouch!) and reiki and meditation and what not. I was sceptical at first, because till the day I consulted her, I had thought that allopathic system of medicine was the only one which worked, all others were based merely on psychological effects. Anyway most such impressions changed that day. She was the first doctor (though not officially) I had consulted till then who could explain the root cause of the problem.

She told me that its not just because of wrong computer usage, it also gets aggravated by the way I ride my 2 wheeler. In both situations, I unconsciously tense my elbows. She suggested that I make it a point to relax the arms while riding.

However it was easier said than done, and it took quite a while to undo the old habit pattern of the mind of tightening the arm muscles, especially while driving in heavy traffic involving frequent use of the accelerator and brake.

Years rolled by and I took up some meditation, and that made observation easier. Learnt yoga and was lucky that my instructors did not pre-condition my mind with a lot of theory before practicing. The mind didn't have to “expect” any particular thing to happen, but instead look at what is actually going on. I could simply learn as it was, and it was a lot of fun.

I was able to observe the tension of the muscles in my wrists, elbows and shoulders, as well as the slouching of my back while riding my scooter. With the very attention to it, the body automatically corrected itself. It gradually made the new posture the “default” behavior.

At the risk of sounding like some stereotype advertisement, my suggestion to others about RSI would be… don’t fear it, face it and get over it.

As I type this now, in July 2003, I still have the occasional sharp shooting pain. I smile at it and acknowledge it. I know I am more powerful than it. And I keep on typing.

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2022: I don't have any trace of tendonitis/rsi