Based on my own experience I would definitely recommend being very cautious about RSI, i.e. especially resting carefully, as well as investing in solutions like more ergonomic devices, voice control, reading different resources (e.g. about good posture and different solutions) and visiting physiotherapists and other specicialists. I was largely unable to type or use a computer for 2-3 years due to RSI and I attribute a lot of this not having rested enough early on (despite the fact that I actually did reduce my activity quite dramatically almost immediately upon experiencing symptoms).
Another thing I would note is that although I think it’s good to seek help from different experts, I would treat this very critically. I received completely conflicting, but entirely confidently expressed, diagnoses and recommendations from a number of different GPs, physiotherapists and consultant rheumatologists. Some of the literature I read myself also explicitly suggested that tendinopathies tended to be poorly understood by frontline medics, though I’m not in a position to evaluate whether that is the case (or at least true relative to other conditions). Some of the things which were recommended seem to have some evidence suggesting potential for harm (e.g. strengthening exercises, anti-inflammatories and immobilising wrist braces), so there are some grounds for caution.
One of the few things I would recommend that wasn’t mentioned in Max’s post, so far as I recall, and isn’t mentioned in a lot of resources was keeping your hands warm, but I see you mentioned that in your own comment. There also seems to be some evidence that nutrition can be relevant for tendon healing (assuming that your RSI is related to your tendons): see this review. The main things they point to are vitamin C, taurine, vitamin A, glycine, vitamin EA and leucine.
I’m also happy to talk about this 1-1 if you like.
One of the things Max recommends are mobilizations and stretching. While the links he provides explain why mobilizations may be important, they don’t actually do that good a job of directly showing you the stretches in a video.
For that, you may want to watch Day[9] demonstrate the stretches people in the StarCraft community use before playing in a professional eSports match or before starting any serious practice session.
+1 to stretching and mobilization, helped for me. Rock climbing helped my partner.
(the best theory I’ve found so far, but hard to tell if true) Often times muscle injury prevention is helped with teaching your brain/body how to activate the muscle in healthy ways (in addition to rest/stretching/etc). Sometimes much of the problem is your brain/muscles are trying to protect other muscles that are being used poorly, and this compounds (the ‘helping’ muscles get overworked, and other muscles try to save those ones, etc).
I endorse most of Max’s recommendations.
Based on my own experience I would definitely recommend being very cautious about RSI, i.e. especially resting carefully, as well as investing in solutions like more ergonomic devices, voice control, reading different resources (e.g. about good posture and different solutions) and visiting physiotherapists and other specicialists. I was largely unable to type or use a computer for 2-3 years due to RSI and I attribute a lot of this not having rested enough early on (despite the fact that I actually did reduce my activity quite dramatically almost immediately upon experiencing symptoms).
Another thing I would note is that although I think it’s good to seek help from different experts, I would treat this very critically. I received completely conflicting, but entirely confidently expressed, diagnoses and recommendations from a number of different GPs, physiotherapists and consultant rheumatologists. Some of the literature I read myself also explicitly suggested that tendinopathies tended to be poorly understood by frontline medics, though I’m not in a position to evaluate whether that is the case (or at least true relative to other conditions). Some of the things which were recommended seem to have some evidence suggesting potential for harm (e.g. strengthening exercises, anti-inflammatories and immobilising wrist braces), so there are some grounds for caution.
One of the few things I would recommend that wasn’t mentioned in Max’s post, so far as I recall, and isn’t mentioned in a lot of resources was keeping your hands warm, but I see you mentioned that in your own comment. There also seems to be some evidence that nutrition can be relevant for tendon healing (assuming that your RSI is related to your tendons): see this review. The main things they point to are vitamin C, taurine, vitamin A, glycine, vitamin E
Aand leucine.I’m also happy to talk about this 1-1 if you like.
One of the things Max recommends are mobilizations and stretching. While the links he provides explain why mobilizations may be important, they don’t actually do that good a job of directly showing you the stretches in a video.
For that, you may want to watch Day[9] demonstrate the stretches people in the StarCraft community use before playing in a professional eSports match or before starting any serious practice session.
+1 to stretching and mobilization, helped for me. Rock climbing helped my partner.
(the best theory I’ve found so far, but hard to tell if true) Often times muscle injury prevention is helped with teaching your brain/body how to activate the muscle in healthy ways (in addition to rest/stretching/etc). Sometimes much of the problem is your brain/muscles are trying to protect other muscles that are being used poorly, and this compounds (the ‘helping’ muscles get overworked, and other muscles try to save those ones, etc).
Thanks, very helpful. Especially knowing about your experience (what you said in the first paragraph) seems helpful.
Would love to get some more of that vitamin EA! ;)
Oh dear, I guess I’m too used to always following any capital E with an A automatically.
How did your pain eventually go away, David ?