It's no secret among my friends and family that I have RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) due to computer use. I haven't blogged about it because, well, it's personal, and because I didn't want to jeopardize any chance of future employment. But I periodically get asked for advice on how to deal with RSI pain and for whatever reason I'm feeling more confident about sharing this.
Doctors
You should see a doctor. Don't expect a cure, but it's important to rule out any more serious diseases that your RSI might be a symptom of. Additionally, RSI specialists can guide you on your options for treatment, and run interference between you, your employer, insurance companies, and those requiring prescriptions.
In New York there are a number of RSI specialists:
Ergonomics
A consultation from an occupational therapist can help a great deal. Where as a doctor will ask you to describe what you do, an occupational therapist will observe what you actually do. The difference might be quite important in finding treatment. Additionally occupational therapists will have more specific advice on ergonomic equipment purchases.
Equipment
Keyboards
There are a lot of keyboards on the market, expect it to take some time to find the right one for you, but again don't expect a miracle cure.
Pointing devices
Mice are a disaster, ergonomically speaking, lots of people like trackballs as a replacement. I loves me my Wacom Graphire tablet.
Speech Recognition
Speech recognition is one of the most powerful equipment options, but with great power comes a big learning curve. The technology is effective enough to allow you to dictate most documents, emails, and blog posts. But don't expect Star Trek like accuracy.
Even though Windows Speech Recognition has come a long way, for those with typing injuries it's still not good enough and Dragon Naturallyspeaking is really the only option worth considering. But make sure you get a good microphone.
Treatment
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy is frequently prescribed. As with nearly everything related to RSI YMMV, so make sure your therapist is familiar with RSI injuries. In NY, Joint Effort Physical Therapy seem to have a clue.
Acupuncture
American Style Acupuncture Physical Medicine, developed by Dr. Mark Seem can be very effective in alleviating pain
Surgery, Drugs, Chiropractors
Be skeptical. For surgery recommendations in particular, get second and third opinions.
I've added a few more features to the Fuzzy Task List so that it's now approaching the point where it's usable. The code's been cleanup up and released to CodePlex.
Fuzzy task lists are useful for kinds of tasks that don't have fixed times, such as:
- getting a hair cut
- scheduling your dentist appointment
- keeping in touch with old friends
Unlike the actual appointment for the dentist - 4:45pm on Tuesday, the reminder to schedule the appointment doesn't really work for these kind of activities. There's no impact if you miss the date by a few days and often there are more important things to do. The fuzzy task list solves that problem.
Fuzzy Task List CodePlex project site
The project site has the code in source control and .rar package. You can also install a ClickOnce preview.
If you'd like to contribute, just drop me a note.
