Coping Successfully with RSI

by Maggie Black, Penny Gray

Repetitive Strain Injury--muscle pain resulting from long-term repetitive activities such as computer use--is becoming more and more common. Is there something you can do if you are beginning to suffer from it? Can you prevent it in the first place? And can you alleviate the pain if you already have it? The answer is "yes", and this book explains how with information on workign patterns, posture, and complementary therapies.

Genres: Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 1999

About the author

Maggie Black is the author of several publications including From Handpumps to Health: The Evolution of Water and Sanitation Programmes in Bangladesh, India and Nigeria and In the Twilight Zone: Child Workers in the Hotel, Tourism and Catering Industry. She has worked as a consultant for UNICEF, Anti-Slavery International, and WaterAid, among others, and has written for The Guardian, The Economist, and BBC World Service.

Reviews

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a good overview of various treatments available to sufferers of RSI and advice on how to change your lifestyle to improve your recovery. It’s UK-centric, so it advises in terms of the NHS, which is useful. I worried that it might be rather dated, but apart from the chapter on computer software (good for a chuckle), the advice seems timeless.

What is limited is its information on useful stretches. There’s a very short list, poorly described, with stick-figure illustrations (which are close to useless). So read this book as a starting point for learning more about RSI, not as a complete guide to recovery. I’ve also picked up a book of stretches/exercises, called ‘Conquering Carpal Tunnel Syndrome’, which seems more helpful in that respect.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having recently been diagnosed with RSI (or work related upper limb disorder) I figured I need all the help I can get. Well, all I can say is that the authors are a bunch of doom merchants. Every other page demanded that I be depressed and anxious because there is no cure!! Okay, so I've accepted that I'm facing a lifetime of pain and discomfort but there's no need to cry about it (must be my tough Yorkshire spirit). There were some useful points and I will be looking into some of the alternative therapies suggested but I didn't like the constant reminder that it's a chronic pain disorder 'with no cure'.