Repetitive Stress Injury
by Melodie Davis
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"In a way, it is remarkable that my arm, hand and finger didn’t burn out long ago: like tires, we have to rotate how our body parts are used if we want them to last!
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If you use a computer all day or have any symptoms of repetitive stress injury, stay tuned. If you don’t, maybe you can learn something about stress.
In my 50-something odd years, I have never really had to live with much pain. I know I am extremely fortunate. I try to remember how lucky I am and try to pray for and help out those with ongoing pain, illness and physical problems.
But my arm, hand and pinky finger became increasingly painful in the last several months, mainly from clicking the computer mouse. Several times I was almost reduced to tears, a rare thing for me at work. I love my job. I enjoy working on the computer. But I have clicked away for too long and too hard.
Like one website said which was offering products to relieve repetitive stress injury, the ads all make “clicking” sound so easy and effortless: “Just a click away!”
But constant, repetitive clicking, sometimes up to 1000 times a day, adds up for the intricate bones, muscles and tendons of the hand and wrist.
This is a very specific kind of body stressor, but it is not unrelated to overall body stress, as we shall see as we make our way to some remedies.
I tried a new chair. It was marginally helpful. I got a new mouse. I was worried that I couldn’t adjust to some of the weirdly shaped newer ones, so I settled for a normal looking one that promised to be “ergonomic.” It is okay, but wasn’t a magic pill either. I took anti-inflammatory drugs. A massage therapist who also understands ergonomics came and analyzed the way people were sitting and using their computers at our office. She gave me some helpful tips, like encouraging frequent breaks from the computer and sitting up straighter, but it didn’t totally fix things either. She also said I probably didn’t want to take anti-inflammatory drugs all the time. My brother-in-law urged me to take Vitamin C to help fight inflammation. I’m doing so. I didn’t think there would be much use in going to the doctor, because it is not carpal tunnel syndrome per se, and I don’t think there are any pinched nerves.
One frustrated evening I crawled onto my husband’s lap for some sympathy, almost in tears. Recalling his similar problems months earlier, he asked, “Which side are you sleeping on?” My favorite position, indeed, was curling up on my right side to go to sleep. Who knows how long I spent on that side every night, adding stress and weight to my “mouse” shoulder and arm. I’ve switched to sleeping on my back and left side more and it has helped the overall pain in my arm and shoulder a whole bunch.
But down to the clicking hand. I took some time to do some research and discovered a website selling software that actually clicks for you. A video tutorial showed how you can move the mouse, rest, and then it clicks for you. It is programmed to follow that sequence, thereby avoiding many clicks, but also, in the process, forcing you to rest your arm rather than constantly grab the mouse like it was a lifeline.
I didn’t want to buy the software (I’d had enough with new gadgets), but I did improvise several techniques to get relief from the mouse. I retrained myself to use many of the key functions to get around on the computer screen. (After all, we didn’t used to use a mouse.) If I need to wait momentarily for the computer to do something, I take my hand off the mouse and put it in my lap, and forcibly relax. (I know, sounds like an oxymoron.) I take a deep breath. That act alone, deep breathing, is one of the greatest stress relievers I know. It forces you to slow down. I am managing the repetitive stress thing on my hand that way, at least for now. I signed up for a Yoga class to help learn more deep breathing and relaxation techniques. After my very first class, I thought, “I can do this. This is like nirvana, compared to how I was feeling.”
I still have deadlines and much work I have to accomplish in a day. I don’t think there has been a noticeable drop in my productivity by resting my hand and taking short stretch breaks (one minute or less). If anything, productivity improved because I wasn’t moaning and groaning about my hand so much. All of the techniques I’ve implemented cost far less than one MRI.
I hope you’ll excuse the personal references here, but I hope that the ideas might be helpful for anyone who might be experiencing similar problems. In a way, it is remarkable that my arm, hand and finger didn’t burn out long ago: like tires, we have to rotate how our body parts are used if we want them to last!
Another Way column by Melodie Davis. Send your comments to melodie@MennoMedia.org or dialogue with others on this topic or previous topics at Another Way Conversation - http://www.thirdway.com/aw/conversation.asp
My thoughts...
I too have lived a relatively pain free life and thank God every day for that. Even though I have a moderate hearing impairment and am blind in one eye, from childhood meningitis, I have been blessed with a 30 plus year career in IT and have not suffered work related injuries other than an occasional sore hand or bleary eyes. The message from Melanie that was so timely is she looked at herself and made changes in her life. Too often people reach for a pill and play the victim rather than make a concerted effort to change their life.
