Success Stories

My experiences with RSI

By Sairam V

I'm a 26 year old working as a technical writer in the software industry. It was October 2003 and just a week to go for Diwali when I noticed some sharp pain shooting down both my arms. A major project release had only then got over at my office and so I attributed the pain to the extra hours that I had put in to complete the project on time. However, a week passed by and the pain started creeping to my neck and shoulders. It was then that I consulted my family physician for the first time since the onset of my pain. He prescribed some tablets that I guess were painkillers and told me to rest adequately. One week later, and with no improvement, he referred me to a physiotherapist. The therapist was quite sure that the pain had been caused by poor sitting posture at the workplace and treatment methods such as traction, IFT, and short-wave diathermy would solve the issue. I did find some relief when I was undergoing them but it was very short-lived.

A month later, seeing me still complaining of pain symptoms, my family doctor referred me to an orthopedic surgeon. He took some blood tests and X-rays, and put me on laser therapy. Again, they were not of much use. By now, the pain had started spreading to my back, armpits, and chest. It was a frustrating experience as I visited two more orthopedicians with no success. More anti-inflammatory medicines and more of conventional physiotherapy did no good to improve my condition. I then met a neurologist, who wanted an MRI scan of the cervical spine done. Alas! The scan came out normal and I was told the oft-repeated line, "It's all in your mind." This was followed by a trip to the rheumatologist, who again prescribed some exercises for mobility and told there was nothing to be alarmed about.

Meanwhile, I had been attending to office, with brief periods of absence from work. I was looking through the Internet and trying to find out what exactly was causing the pain. I hit upon a website where folks in the USA were sharing information on symptoms that seemed to match mine. It was the 'Braintalk communities' online patient support group site. It was then, for the first time, that I heard of a disorder called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS). When I read through mails on that support group, I was only getting more nervous and distressed as almost all the patients were talking of how complicated this syndrome was. And the worst part of it all, they were complaining about lack of proper medical attention to this problem. Believe me, even then I didn't know that there was a terminology called RSI, which was an umbrella for such pain patterns. I did more search on the Internet for the term, TOS, and learnt about its causes, symptoms, and the available treatment techniques. It was a little scary too as the sites prescribed a delicate surgery, which could further deteriorate an already complex condition, if performed incorrectly. I guess I forgot to mention that my earlier X-rays showed rudimentary cervical ribs on both sides of my neck, and I found that cervical ribs also caused TOS. I became almost sure, at that time, that mine was a case of TOS. So I did a search for 'TOS India' and thankfully, found some matches. The only match that impressed me and was most relevant was the one that pointed to Dr. Deepak Sharan's web page. I wasted no time in writing an email to Dr. Sharan explaining my history of pain and received an immediate reply. I am based in Chennai and Dr. Sharan wanted me to make a trip down to Bangalore to visit him so that an assessment of my case could be made.

So I traveled to Bangalore in Feb 2004 after fixing an appointment with Dr. Sharan. The doctor examined me and concluded that I was suffering from Stage-3 RSI and TOS. He said that my cervical ribs had nothing to do with my RSI condition and the symptoms were caused because of adoption of poor posture. He also said that some predisposing factors since childhood could have also precipitated my RSI. I was playing fiddle during my school days and also had been working for hours at the computer (with improper workstation setup) at home; so all these added to the keying that I did at office, eventually causing myofascial damage. He also said that there was neurovascular compression near the collar bone region that triggered the pain to my arms and fingers. Dr. Sharan introduced a new word to me - trigger points - and how it caused RSI. I was advised to undergo trigger point therapy and stretches by the myotherapists trained by Dr. Sharan at Bangalore.

I informed my superior at office, who was very cooperative through this period of rough, of Dr. Sharan's findings and that I needed to take treatment at Bangalore for at least 10 days. I had 2 sessions of trigger point therapy each day for a period of 10 days. I could feel the pain radiating to my arms and fingers when pressed upon a trigger point in the latissmus muscle, for example, and so I could relate to what Dr. Sharan explained about trigger points. Dr. Sharan assured me that though mine was a case of Stage-3 RSI, I could still be back to complete normalcy by following his treatment protocol. Dr. Sharan also asked me to get hold of a copy of Clair Davies' "Trigger Point Therapy Workbook", which I did. Reading through the book, I found the numerous muscles that could develop trigger points and it served me as a very good reference to locate trigger points. I returned to my abode in Chennai after the doctor advised me to continue massaging and stretching from home. It was here that I would like to draw your attention to the enormous support that I received from my parents in doing massages. I was undergoing massages for about 2 hours each day by dealing with each spot I was told to cater to. I could see my pain reducing very gradually and it gave some ray of light at the end of a long tunnel.

Dr. Sharan had also advised me to keep visiting him every 2 months, at least, for consultation and I was also getting clarifications on my queries over email. The myotherapists were also very supportive and they taught my mother on how to do the massages, so that I could be administered treatment from home. I had also subscribed to the RSI-India patient support group and was closely following the mail threads on the list for any tips that would be of help. I had also changed the workstation set up at my office by removing the armrests of the chair, having a good lumbar rest, and getting the mouse on the keyboard tray to maintain the 90 -120 degree elbow angle. Well, it has now been almost 14 months since I started treatment under Dr. Sharan and I see some respite from pain, though not completely. Anyways, I know that I'm in safe hands, thanks to God, under a doctor who has immense knowledge on this crippling disorder, RSI, and practices the right treatment for this problem. In the initial stages itself, Dr. Sharan had told me that my case was quite complicated as it now started involving both my upper and lower limbs, both of them full of trigger points. And so I was always prepared for any recovery, however small it may be. I now have the confidence that I'll be able to come out of this problem, and hope and pray to God that I would be fully free from RSI in the near future.

While I conclude, I would like to state that whenever one sees a person complaining of difficulties such as those of RSI, one should immediately apprise the person of the debilitating consequences of RSI and ask the person to seek immediate medical attention. Also, one should try to apprise about RSI to officials at the workplace and the need to have an ergonomic setup so that we could reduce the number of RSI-afflicted persons.

Thanks,

Sairam (sairamv@hotmail.com)