I recommend trying for a day or so. Even after a few hours of use it's obvious that you're doing less work to type the same things. In 3 weeks your typing speed should be tolerable (capable of conversing on IRC) and in 3 months you should be up to full speed.
I don't type any faster on Dvorak than I used to. It's just more comfortable for my hands.
The downside is, I'm now stuck hauling around this weird, non-standard keyboard. :)
The only downside I've found (other than cost, which is a non-issue IMO) is that you get very used to the keyboard and now when I go to a conference room or someplace else with normal keyboards, I might as well be typing with my elbows.
I've been using a kinesis freestyle keyboard for about a year, and before that a series of regular chepo 102 keys, but the possibility of having my hands apart a longer distance keeps my wrists more relaxed and overall I get a better body posture.
I think most of the problems other people have come from the latter: my elbows are on top of the table, which means my keyboard is farther away than what I see other people using and so I'm in a very relaxed position. The ubiquity of laptop's small keyboards certainly doesn't help either.
http://www.goldtouch.com/p-133-goldtouch-for-mac-adjustable-...
Because they're close enough to the regular keyboards, while offering both the split (match natural forearm angle) and the tilt (match natural forearm rotation) to better align natural wrist position.
I also like that they ditch the numeric keyboad, so I can put the Kensington ExpertMouse just to the right of the return key and not have to move my hand as far.
Since then, as long as I used standalone keyboards I bought cheap keyboards where the situation of my fingertips hitting the key caps was that the caps evaded my fingers a little and required some kind-of adjusting of my finger movements to the individual key once my fingertips hit the key in question.
I guess the added movement helped to relax my fingers.
Less, though, than when I opened the article; I have independently noticed my RSI worsens when stressed. Im not sure I buy the mumbo jumbo about the solution as much as I buy the explanation of why stress could affect it.
I use a powerball daily which has really helped. Saw the same issues with massage that the article writer had (short term fix) but it feels really great so I stuck with that=. But the powerball seems to really keep it in bay (I think it is the rotational stuff that helps).
When really stressed I do pull ups and press ups to stretch the relevant muscles.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/6a4b/
Also the powerWeb and the wrist roller:
http://www.amazon.com/GoFit-GF-WFB-Wrist-Forearm-Blaster/dp/...
http://www.fitter1.com/Catalog/Category/35/HandWrist.aspx
Also, computer time means the smallest mouse i can find with decent action (Logitech, no model number I can find), and switching between Apple and Matias keyboards (short-travel and long, respectively) and carefully setting the tilt angle of the keyboard and height under heels of my hands (rolled up towel)
Really therapeutic.
Now I appreciate that if the cause is purely neurological then it is a beneficial thing to do. But if it is physical in some way; well that just feels problematic.
If you can tune out pain (and I know this is possible) then what damage are you potentially then doing....
These exercises (http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/04/exercises-that-protect-...) also help though they are for carpal tunnel.
After doing a _lot_ of research into this, I experienced an almost complete short-term recovery. It wasn't just lack of pain... muscles that felt perpetually taut and ropey were suddenly softened, and I became extraordinarily thirsty for a couple of days as healing started again.
Unfortunately, I only have speculation about what's going on here medically. As a seasoned skeptic, Dr. Sarno's explanation of psychological causes is unsatisfying to me. My hypothesis is that RSI is caused by a problem in the autonomic nervous system (i.e. the part that regulates your body). Sympathetic nervous system activity is provoked when your body is in "danger" mode: muscles are tensed, ready to act, etc. Now, what happens in RSI is that your muscles are being stressed through use (typing). This isn't normally a problem: when you stop typing, your muscles heal the tiny amount of damage that was inflicted. But if you are stressed out, then your sympathetic nervous system activity is heightened and your muscles don't get a chance to heal.
Now this is the insidious bit: the pain and injury eventually becomes a danger signal to your body. The injury thus provokes further sympathetic nerve activity. This negative feedback loop can thus perpetuate without the person feeling actively stressed any more, but is obviously exacerbated by feelings of worry about the RSI. Every time you try to be careful, you make the problem worse.
For a more medical take, some pieces are conveyed in this article: http://www.aapb.org/tl_files/AAPB/files/biof_34_2_pain.pdf . Some people speculate that similar issues underlie more serious problems, like RSDS and fibromyalgia
So that's all well and good, but what about the "cure"? Well, it seems that many people have virtually instantly solved their problems by adopting positive beliefs about the nature of the problem, that it is a problem caused by problematic nervous system signals and NOT an insoluble muscular injury. How does that work, exactly? I have no idea. Obviously, some stress is reduced, but that can't explain the magnitude and suddenness of the change. If anyone has ideas, I'd be very interested in hearing them.
If you suffer from RSI, the advice I would have is to think about this explanation while researching the ideas thoroughly to see if you're convinced. In the meantime, the best thing to do is daily exercise that isn't too intense, but gets your blood flowing for 20-30 minutes. Biking, running, yoga all have good benefits. You can do things like lift weights as well, but it is easy to overdo it, so I don't recommend it if your symptoms are severe. It's worth reading Dr. Sarno's book, but keep in mind that he uses words like "freudian unconscious rage", which made it hard to take anything he said seriously. In my mind, he is inaccurately explaining something which isn't true but corresponds to _some_ true phenomenon.
I've wanted to write this up for a while, but while I'm relatively convinced that I have a better explanation for RSI than most doctors, I don't really understand how "the solution" works (nor for how many people it does). I also realize that it sounds exceptionally hokey, which fuels my reticence. We'll see how it goes over here... ask me anything.
His explanation for what is going on is not credible - but that does not mean that I don't find his solution credible. Biofeedback techniques are noninvasive and always merit a try.
In the absence of actual evidence, I cannot conclude that the technique works any better than placebo - but I am certainly glad that your pain is gone. The placebo effect (if that's what this is, which it may not be) is quite real.
You also have to completely believe in the TMS diagnosis.
That means that you have to completely accept the fact
that your symptoms are emotionally induced. If you still
believe that there may be something physically or
structurally "wrong" with you, you're not yet "cured."
You're not paying attention to the underlying emotions,
which means that the symptoms can still work as a
distraction, and it's likely that they will return.
It also sounds like a good excuse to explain the people who aren't helped by the therapy - if they don't get better they don't believe in it enough and have themselves to blame (or they have the wrong diagnosis).
The problem with stress as the root cause is that after I resolved my RSI pain, I have been through tremendously stressful situations during which I was typing a lot, but these have not triggered any RSI pain. So I think there's something more going on unconsciously, and yes I agree with you it sounds pretty far out.
As for exercise, I should have mentioned in the article that I have always exercised regularly and exercise is a big part of my life, even while I was typing a lot, so in my experience exercise (while having may other benefits) did not help my RSI pain.
Then I hit the next chapter where he lists Deepak Chopra as a supporting figure for the TMP idea. At that point, it's an instant Home, Left Arrow, Remove From Device.
map <up> <nop>
map <down> <nop>
map <left> <nop>
map <right> <nop>
imap <up> <nop>
imap <down> <nop>
imap <left> <nop>
imap <right> <nop>
But now that my RSI is manageable as well (two words: wrist breaks) perhaps I should try going back to hjkl.
(global-unset-key [left])
(global-unset-key [right])
(global-unset-key [up])
(global-unset-key [down])
(global-unset-key [prior])
(global-unset-key [next])
(global-unset-key [home])
(global-unset-key [end])Events include {Started Acupuncture, Started using ergonomic product A, EtherPad acquired}, etc;
I wish to exclude these 2 possible reasons for the cure:
a) a simple reduction in the number of hours on the keyboard b) the acquisition of your start-up, which may have released a lot of mental stress
* Exercise arms with light weights (~10lbs)
* Adjusted chair height
* Started using a real keyboard (I think typing on a MBP for extended periods was a big contributor to my RSI)
* Drink more water, get better sleep, get some kind of exercise
These days, I don't notice any kind of RSI pains. I think generally, RSI (for a typist) is due to combinations of stress, poor posture, lack of general wellness, etc.
We've referred a bunch of other friends to that same physio, all with excellent results. If you're anywhere near Brighton, UK drop me a line and I'll send you her details.
If you need to find your own physio, be aware that just like anything you should be ready to shop around for one. Personal recommendations from fellow RSI sufferers are incredibly useful here.
What this guy experienced definitely sounds different though, but it's shocking that he never tried one of the most basic solutions.
Anyone have a link to the actual "How" part?
The book is worth reading. It worked for curing similar wrist pain that I suffered starting about 1.5 years ago. I actually managed to cure it just by reading about Dr. Sarno's ideas online, as unlikely as that sounds. I bought the book, after, though, to get more details. I think he takes it too far in terms of the types of ailments to which he ascribes a purely psychological origin. But I was definitely impressed with how effective his explanation/techniques were for wrist pain.
I'm pretty skeptical of his claims, though I too agree with what he notes as useless.
The only thing that has worked for me has been strengthening my wrists. I do about 600 reps a day (variety of axes and loads) and it has stabilized my RSI.
Oh - and I make sure that my keyboard is rather low.
I also have 'evasive action' that works well. When I feel pain typing, I immediately stop and give the offending hand a workout with a stress ball for 5 minutes. Then I massage the tendons in my forearm and then stretch my wrist on all axes. I haven't had significant RSI pain in a few years, and at this point I'm not brave enough to test which part of the routine helps most :D
I'd tried pretty much everything in that list, as well as an operation on my right wrist. I won't say nothing worked .. because I was able to go from not being able to hold a pen .. to not being able to hold a plate :)
I'd actually given up (both therapy, and Music/Software Engineering) due to nothing seemingly working, and by chance started hitting the gym. As a part of my regular workout I integrated some basic wrist exercises (initially, I think it was wrist curls / reverse wrist curls).
So fast forward 10+ years and I now have absolutely zero problems. In hindsight I'm sure it was a combination of all the treatments and building significant forearm strength .. but not one Doctor, or Physiotherapist mentioned physical training as part of the path to recovery/prevention.
Vacation, chiropractor, surgeons, acupuncture, massage, micro-breaks...but no exercise? A light dumbbell routine and a few walks or runs per week can work wonders on RSI and any other aches and pains we encounter while at the computer.
There is a certain "common knowledge" among computer workers that RSI is the result of poor ergonomics. This fails to explain why some people can work for long periods of time under conditions of atrocious ergonomics, but not experience the same pain that I did.
In my experience, an increase in RSI and back pain correlate directly with my level of physical activity outside of the work environment. A combination of fitness and ergonomics have absolutely made the difference.
Ice bathes for my arms: I filled a sink with water and ice and submerged my arms up to the elbows; this was obviously useful for short term pain relief, and might have helped reduce inflammation over the longer term. It was important to wait until the arms were warmed up again before going back to typing.
Keeping fingernails well trimmed; surprising, but it made a big difference.
Massage; I think it was through massage that I started realizing that even though my symptoms were in the wrists the problem was probably more systemic, it's amazing how much pain a good massage can discover in surprising places!
Stretching; stretching the wrists felt immediately good, as did standing in a doorway, arms on the door frame, and leaning forward. Working on the hamstrings probably helped longer term.
Weight lifting, particularly exercises that strengthened the back; lots of people have mentioned it here, and I credit this for being the biggest long term help.
http://www.amazon.com/Mindbody-Prescription-Healing-Body-Pai...
I also love my Kinesis keyboard, too. It is well worth the price if you want to continue programming for decades. After discovering what was causing the pain, it helped me recover quickly and prevent it from occurring again.
I haven't read many posts on this solution, but want to remind people to examine all aspects of their ergonomic setup, not just the source of the pain (e.g., hand/fingers).
Sarno's ideas are a little flakey and a little offputting. But if you have RSI and nothing else seems to help, I recommend swallowing your embarrassment and giving Sarno's approach a real try.
On and off for the past two years I've experienced similar pain. (see http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=889067). The last three weeks have been particularly bad: I've taken time off, I continue to wear wrist braces at work and at night when I program, I've started doing rigorous hand and wrist exercises daily, and while it has helped a little bit, I still experience a lot of pain. It scares the hell out of me because a lot of my future plans depend on me being able to spend a lot of time programming; without my wrists, I'd be lost.
What occurred to me reading this article is that about three weeks ago I found out about an incredible opportunity that may drastically change my life. (Stay at my day job or leave and work on a startup full time). I've spent a lot of time dwelling on it, trying to decide what to do. It can't be just a coincidence that my debilitating wrist pain started at about the same time.
I'm going to buy the book. I have high hopes. We'll see what happens.
This sounds a whole lot like Dzogchen meditation practices, their way of cleansing the mental palette, achieving "mindfulness". I remember faintly reading a book my one Norbu Chogyal, or a russian translation of said book. I remember it being the only coherent piece of material on meditation that I have ever come across.
The stiffness in muscles is ultimately caused by poor circulation through the muscle. The sarcomeres pump their own blood supply and if the demand is greater than the supply, the sarcomere can run out of energy in its contracted position.
This contraction shortens the entire muscles when many sarcomeres are affected. New blood cannot enter the sarcomeres until something pushes out the depleted blood.
Massage can do this, but massage will not correct the poor circulation that caused the stiffness to begin with.
And that circulation problem is usually caused muscle sheaths that have not been stretched frequently enough. The body's natural collagen deposition essentially gluing it to itself so that it cannot expand or stretch normally.
This creates a tight situation when you use the muscle inside of this sheath. The muscle is thicker when contracted and pushes out against this sheath. That creates pressure and blood takes the path of least resistance away from your tight muscle.
The tightness inside the muscle must be massaged and then the sheath must be manipulated and stretched. Otherwise, the sheath is too stiff due to the stiff, thick muscle inside it.
Further compounding the situation is the way tense muscles effect other muscles and spread the problem. Muscles work together and communicate that a load needs to be moved. A great system when things are healthy, but a permanent source of stress that will thwart efforts just limited to a muscle and its sheath.
Thanks .