Home Treatment for Repetitive Stress Injury

Question: Ergonomic mice, keyboards, and other products are made from the same basic materials as their standard, non-ergonomic counterparts. So why are they so expensive?
Answer: They aren’t mass produced in the same way as regular keyboards, mice, and so on, so the costs to make them are higher. When items are in high demand, they [...]

Computer users aren’t the only ones who get Repetitive stress injuries. Many people who do crafts and tasks with their hands, such as knitters, crocheters, or other creative people, tend to get repetitive injuries too.
But you don’t have to give up your after-computer hobbies just because they’re also hand-intensive. You just need to give your [...]

If you have regular painful flare-ups, or you know someone who does, here’s a new word you’ll want in your RSI vocabulary — tendinosis. It’s an important concept to understand, even if you forget the word itself right away.
It Starts with Tendonitis
You’re probably familiar with tendonitis (or tendinitis), a common term meaning inflammation in [...]

Laptops are great tools for business users and students on the go, but they’re from an ergonomic standpoint they’re badly designed. They lead us to hunch over, push our necks forward and squint at the screen till we look a little too much like Quasimodo…
but there are solutions! One is to use a notebook [...]

In previous posts, I’ve written how many types of activities beyond computer use can cause repetitive stress injuries like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or Golfer’s Elbow or Epicondylitis… anyone from pizza makers to archaeologists to musicians can be at risk of this kind of injury.
However, it’s not just your usual motions that put you at [...]

I spent Saturday at the Maker Faire in San Mateo, and found some cool related tutorials for modifying your own computer input devices like mice and scroll wheels. Some of them don’t require much electronics savvy, while others are serious mods that need a few tools and some background. Either way, they’re fun [...]

If you have a hand injury and seek treatment, you may end up in a physical or occupational health center being treated by a hand therapist. While you sit there receiving treatments, you might wonder what training they’ve received before working on you.
Hand therapists have to demonstrate the following experience to receive certification:

A demonstrated [...]

Last week, I mentioned a lot of good alternative therapies you can turn to for pain relief.  Of course, you can also perform massage, acupressure and trigger point therapy on yourself.
You can use your own fingers, knuckles, even the palm of your hand or elbow.  However, you might prefer to use some of the tools [...]

A cloth tote bag with a shoulder strap is a good alternative to those plastic grocery bags, because it can help relieve the tension and stress on your arms.  Using a tote with a shoulder will shift the weight of your purchases from the small muscles of your hands, to the larger muscles of your shoulders. [...]

Most doctors and therapists will recommend that after working your body too hard or after an acute injury, that you ice the affected area.  Use a cold pack or ice cubes wrapped in a towel, and  apply it for twenty minutes, they say.  It’s meant to flush the inflammation and resulting stiffness away.
If you [...]