RSI - Repetitive Strain Injury

2011 Update

I started to get pain in my risk while driving our car on long journeys in 2011. Anything over an hour was painful. So I started to wear by wrist support while driving.

Then, in around May, I reach for a heavy-ish box out of the cupboard and I got shooting pains down my hand and into my forearm. This was just one pain too much. So I vowed to go to the doctors.

My GP refered me for physio and after a wait of a couple of months, I got an appointment. The physio advised my that my problems were not to do with the carpal tunnel in my wrist but with the lack of smooth movement of nerves along my arm. So instead of smooth movement of structures within my arm against each other, there was stiffness and therefor pain.

So I now have a simple exercise to do everyday to try and stretch everything in my arm but in my wrist in particular to see if this reduces the pain. This is going to be a long process but I have to say that I can now drive our car again without pain.

NHS introduction to RSI.

Prior to 2010

I have been having wrist problems for the past 6 years or more. Probably because I use a mouse all day long at work.

My first solution was to switch hands and for a year or so I used my left hand to control the mouse. This wasn't as hard as it sounds. It's probably only as hard as driving a left hand drive car rather than a right hand drive. I only stopped doing this when I was given a wrist support to try.

The wrist support works by preventing the wrist being bent. It has a metal plate in it and you fasten it to your wrist with 3 Velcro straps. When I replaced it, I got a new one from a company called Westons - but I'm sure there must be lots of other companies who can supply a similar thing. They cost about £22.

Go here for a picture - Westons

You need to get the right size and for the correct hand i.e. they are not ambidextrous.

The wrist support definitely works. I still work all day long on a computer and as long as I wear it, my wrist doesn't hurt. But if I don't wear it and I use a mouse for more than about 5 mins, then I do get pain.

The third thing I tried is a pen and tablet. This, for me, is great. I now find using a pen and tablet much faster than I could ever use a mouse. Also I can do this for long periods of time without my wrist support on. I guess if you can use a pen and not get pain then you will be able to use a pen and tablet. The pen and tablet I use is made by Wacom and is called a Graphire. They are about £70 from Amazon or other online suppliers.

Go here for details of the Wacom pen and tablet - Wacom Graphire.
Note: The Graphire is no longer a current Wacom product. They now sell the Bamboo tablet and pen.

Get in touch if you have other RSI avoidance tactics!

For more information, go to the RSIA website.