I had RSI for several months a year or so back. After seeing three doctors, none of whom could really help, and a masseuse, who helped tremendously, I figured out that my pain was basically stress related. I suppose you could call that "hysteria". No less painful for that. At one point I could barely move my right arm well enough to drive. The pain had crept up my forearm, into my bicep, and up into my shoulder, and was severe enough that I was quite reluctant to move. I wore braces, gobbled ibuprofen, got a new mouse and keyboard, exercises, posture training, the usual regimen. It took getting away from the medical establishment to get better.
As always I want to recommend the books of John Sarno. He writes specifically on back pain, but I found his ideas very helpful. Mind Over Back Pain can probably be found at your public library.
Obviously there are lots of testimonies about surgery, better ergonomics, stretching, other stuff fixing RSI as well. My brother had some type of RSI that went away with a cortisone shot. I'm not knocking other treatments, or the idea that RSI is sometimes a purely physical problem. But if you have gone to a lot of doctors and gotten no relief, I'd recommend either checking out Sarno's books, or going to an experienced masseuse and getting a deep tissue BACK massage. You might end up rethinking your RSI.
John Sarno is a doctor who spent a lot of time studying back pain. He contends that most people with severe back pain have induced this pain psychologically as a subconscious ploy to distract from things that are upsetting them, and the most effective way to treat the pain is to address the psychological causes rather than attempting physical treatment.
This probably sounds far-fetched. It did to me when I first heard of it. But I used his methods to almost completely cure my "tendonitis" in my arms. I've been nearly pain free for a year now (with a couple of minor relapses).
You can probably find his first book, Mind Over Back Pain, at the public library. If you spend half an hour reading it you will know whether or not you want to pursue his suggestions further. When I read it, I found myself being described over and over, started thinking about my pain in a different way, and noticed all kinds of clues that my pain was mostly an expression of high stress.
Chronic pain is no fun. My experience with doctors for my tendonitis suggests the medical community doesn't really understand it very well. Hang in there, try different things. Don't give up. Good luck.
Katz has the nerve to call himself an individualist, and writes this:
Perhaps we should require that before new technologies are licensed, deployed or sold, we need a technological impact statement. Like the environmental statements designed to make people aware that their surroundings could be affected by construction or research projects, a TIS would mean that before projects like the gene map are sold and distributed, ordinary people are aware of the technology and its possible impact on their lives and those of their children.
This is not individualist. And it is not pro-technology. I can hardly think of a better way to ensure that technological development is restricted to the well-financed and well-connected.
Slashdot Mirror
I had RSI for several months a year or so back. After seeing three doctors, none of whom could really help, and a masseuse, who helped tremendously, I figured out that my pain was basically stress related. I suppose you could call that "hysteria". No less painful for that. At one point I could barely move my right arm well enough to drive. The pain had crept up my forearm, into my bicep, and up into my shoulder, and was severe enough that I was quite reluctant to move. I wore braces, gobbled ibuprofen, got a new mouse and keyboard, exercises, posture training, the usual regimen. It took getting away from the medical establishment to get better.
As always I want to recommend the books of John Sarno. He writes specifically on back pain, but I found his ideas very helpful. Mind Over Back Pain can probably be found at your public library.
Obviously there are lots of testimonies about surgery, better ergonomics, stretching, other stuff fixing RSI as well. My brother had some type of RSI that went away with a cortisone shot. I'm not knocking other treatments, or the idea that RSI is sometimes a purely physical problem. But if you have gone to a lot of doctors and gotten no relief, I'd recommend either checking out Sarno's books, or going to an experienced masseuse and getting a deep tissue BACK massage. You might end up rethinking your RSI.
Matt
Since nobody has mentioned this yet . . .
John Sarno is a doctor who spent a lot of time studying back pain. He contends that most people with severe back pain have induced this pain psychologically as a subconscious ploy to distract from things that are upsetting them, and the most effective way to treat the pain is to address the psychological causes rather than attempting physical treatment.
This probably sounds far-fetched. It did to me when I first heard of it. But I used his methods to almost completely cure my "tendonitis" in my arms. I've been nearly pain free for a year now (with a couple of minor relapses).
You can probably find his first book, Mind Over Back Pain, at the public library. If you spend half an hour reading it you will know whether or not you want to pursue his suggestions further. When I read it, I found myself being described over and over, started thinking about my pain in a different way, and noticed all kinds of clues that my pain was mostly an expression of high stress.
Chronic pain is no fun. My experience with doctors for my tendonitis suggests the medical community doesn't really understand it very well. Hang in there, try different things. Don't give up. Good luck.
Matt
Katz has the nerve to call himself an individualist, and writes this:
Perhaps we should require that before new technologies are licensed, deployed or sold, we need a technological impact statement. Like the environmental statements designed to make people aware that their surroundings could be affected by construction or research projects, a TIS would mean that before projects like the gene map are sold and distributed, ordinary people are aware of the technology and its possible impact on their lives and those of their children.
This is not individualist. And it is not pro-technology. I can hardly think of a better way to ensure that technological development is restricted to the well-financed and well-connected.
Shame on you, Katz, you big poser.