RSI-Relief

Reviews 

• Everything I need to know 

  I can't say enough positive things about this book. At first the amount of information and the detail is overwhelming; but it does contain everything I need to know about my condition and seems to be written just for me. I have been reading and re-reading it, one section at a time, in an effort to learn all I need to know to defeat my neck and shoulder trouble. Even though I realize that recovery isn't instant, it has been comforting to know that I have all of this information at hand.

• Seeing benefits after only two weeks 

  Years of heavy computer use in the home and the office finally began to take their toll on my body, to the point where I wondered if I would be able to continue doing computer based work. I would go home with my wrists burning and numbness in my index finger.
  
  Something had to change. The doctor gave me two options: surgery or medication. But having read that the success rate for carpal tunnel surgery is less than 30%, I decided to explore other options, and bought this book. Two weeks later and things are getting better.
  
  The authors really opened my eyes to the fact that wrist and finger pain are the symptoms - the cause of the pain could be anywhere in your upper body. There is a very detailed introduction to the physiology of the upper body, and how nerves, muscles, ligaments and tendons are all interconnected. At least half the book is dedicated to explaining the cause of RSI. The second half tells you how to treat it. Based on their advice, I have taken these four steps.
  
  1) Reduce the amount of time spent on the computer - seemingly obvious, but how many people ignore this?
  2) Incorporate frequent rest breaks into my daily routine. (I have a great free open source program called workrave that tells me to take a "microbreak" every three minutes).
  3) Stretching - before, during and after using the computer.
  4) Strength training, particularly for the shoulders. Despite being a regular gym goer, I realized that I had neglected certain parts of the back and shoulders.
  
  My guess is that 1,2 and a bit of 3 have made the difference so far. Two weeks isn't long enough to see benefits from the strength training, but I'll continue to do it and hope for the best.
  
  The authors are surprisingly humble. They explain that there is still a lot to learn about RSI and there is no quick fix. Nevertheless, they have proven to me that, if caught early enough, RSI can be controlled.
  
  The manuscript would have benefited from a professional editor to remove a few of the amateur writing idiosyncrasies, so for that I give it four stars instead of five.
  
  
  

• Did what doctors and PT couldn't! 

  I have been a programmer and heavy computer user for around 10 years and for the last 2 have been having mild back pain, but didn't think much of it. 6 months ago I started getting pain and numbness in my fingers, hands and wrists so I went in to my doctor. He assumed I had injured them somehow and put me on steroids, and then anti-inflammatories. After being on drugs for 2 months I figured it wasn't helping and went in to PT. He treated my symptoms and worked with my hands and wrists for a month with little improvement. The pain began interfering with my ability to sleep, and was very discouraging considering I make my living on a computer! About that time I saw this book on Amazon, read the reviews and decided it was worth a try. Within a week of reading this book and working through the stretches and strength building exercises in it, the pain and numbness began to reside! I then went in for PT on my back instead of my hands as the book recommends, and have since greatly improved my posture and lengthened the amount of time I can be at a computer without the pain setting in! The book offers no quick fix, but it took years to break my body down so far so it will probably take months to recover. This book has given me results that no doctor or PT could! If you sit at a computer all day, you need to read this book! Don't let your body collapse as far as I did before you do something about it! It won't heal on its own!

• Pinpoint accuracy on a relatively new kind of injury 

  Suparna and Jack have given a huge gift to the software development industry. Reading this book back in 2002 helped me begin my journey to recovery after I had gotten to the point of not being able to throw a football to my son. I fully recovered in about a year. Unfortunately, this year (2008), I got so excited about a project at work that I got laser-focused for about 4 months and have re-injured myself. My problem is (and I suspect also for other RSI sufferers) is that I don't pay attention to my posture and ergonomics when I'm well. So I pulled this book off the bookshelf and have begun again. The medical profession still seems in the dark on this subject. For others out there who have the "all or nothing" personality, I also recommend, The DaVinci Method by Garrett Loporto. This will help you understand how some people get laser-focused which is often when these injuries occur.

• Dangerous information that leads you down an endless path of pain 

  I, like many of the reviewers on this site, thought this was the best book written on the subject of RSI. It was my bible for over a year. I bookmarked the pages about stretches and exercises and read them daily. I brought it to my physical therapist, and used the information as a justification and proof of my very real 'physical' injury. The book explained to me and others why my 'poor' posture and 'over' exertion were the cause of regenerative dispositions in my body.
  
  I am a cello player, computer gamer, and person that tends to push themselves very hard.
  
  As far as i am concerned, there is only one part of this book worth the two stars I give it. This is the chapter that briefly mentions in a very skeptical manner a man named John E. Sarno.
  
  I laughed at the description of this Doctor who claimed that the pain was caused by emotions. It was a con and placebo if I ever heard one.
  
  After 2 years of studious, dedicated, fully applied physical therapy, and using the concepts in this book, I was in more pain than I was when I first read it. How could this happen? My anger about my lack of recovery fueled my rage.
  
  Then, my doctor, a specialist in RSI, recommended Sarno's book to me. I remembered reading about Sarno in Damany's book. Could that really have any basis in reality?
  
  So I read Sarno's book and I got better in a week. Send me a message if you don't believe me and I'll tell you again. ONE WEEK.
  
  So, this book, like all the other books on the subject, is completely wrong. It never helped me, it only prolonged my 'injury' for years. I really wish the writers of this book would begin to look at facts rather than assumptions about cures.
  
  Don't read this, don't recommend it. I keep a copy in my library so I am familiar with the literature that misinforms and is contrary to the truth.
  
  Read "The Mind-body Prescription" by John Sarno.
  
  Good luck.

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