(no subject)

[desperance]

Oh, hey - hurty hands! Welcome home, it's been a while...

I've had RSI since, oh, 1985 or thereabouts, when I got my first computer. At the time I was writing short stories for a living, and writing my first novel evenings and weekends. Mucho mucho typing, and it took me about three months to foul my hands up. My doctor at the time nodded wisely, said I had tenosynovitis (see, it's that long ago, we didn't even call it RSI) and told me he'd had it himself in his ankles, from cycling too hard, and there wasn't any cure but to walk around flatfooted for a while. So I tried that, but it didn't help...

I lived with it, then, entirely untreated till about five years ago, when I started getting serious neural symptoms on top of the pain. Since then I've had heavyweight physio, mostly on the neck and spine, plus acupuncture, and I've not really had significant pain for a while now. Plenty of other symptoms abide - it would take a lifetime to sort me out properly, and my physio-of-choice is conspicuously not volunteering - but the pain has pretty much been away.

It's back. The word 'vengeance' occurs. The irony, of course, is that I can still type. When it's at its worst I can't carry books or turn a door handle - but I can always type. Which is good. Twenty pages to go, more or less. I have a gig in Middlesbrough tomorrow evening, which is inconvenient, and I really had hoped to be finished by now; end of the week, though. Surely, end of the week...

Comments

[fjm.livejournal.com]

Ok, lets see if I can describe this. It doesn't need a gym but you might want to pop into Argos and buy a set of light weights (they come in pink!).


Hold your hands up so you have your palms facing forward. Your elbows should form a right angle and your upper arms should come more or less straight out of your shoulder.

Rotating mostly from the elbow, bring the palms down like a windscreen wiper, but only about a third of the way you'd have to, to bring them level with your upper arm.

Bring them back to upright.

Repeat five times.

Try to do four sets.


When you can do five, four times, work it up to four sets of eight. Then begin to use light weights.

This was a new exercise for me when I told my trainer about the hand and shoulder pain I get while writing. I only started it a couple of months ago and it's really had an effect.

--

Re that muscle in the back.

Also at Argos, by an exercise band (long stretchy elastic). Sit on the floor, with legs outstretched. Thread the band behind your feet and take an end in each hand. Pretend you are rowing. Each time you pull back try to pinch your shoulder blades together.

Again, start with four sets of five. Increase the number in each set gradually.

This lot will take you ten minutes.

[fjm.livejournal.com]

ps. if you have any friends who are singers or actors, ask them to show you breathing exercises. These are brilliant for the core muscles around the rib cage, and are why I managed excellent posture despite years of back injury. You might find them better for you at this stage than actual physical exercise, because it sounds as if you are too vulnerable in that area and might damage yourself.