Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!comp.vuw.ac.nz!actrix!icousins
From: icousins@actrix.gen.nz (Ian Cousins)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Arm and shoulder pain
Message-ID: <1991Jun16.040543.9152@actrix.gen.nz>
Date: 16 Jun 91 04:05:43 GMT
References: <10069111: 09:40LAL5@lehigh.bitnet>
Organization: Actrix Information Exchange, Wellington, New Zealand
Lines: 49
Comment-To: LAL5@NS.CC.LEHIGH.EDU

In article <10069111:09:40LAL5@lehigh.bitnet> LAL5@NS.CC.LEHIGH.EDU (Leslie A. Lucas) writes:
> I am having problems with my arms and shoulders from drawing with
> mouse and light pen.  The repetitiveness of the job damaged my
> "artistic arm" and is now hurting the other arm.  Do any of you have a
> similar problem?  What are you doing about it?  I have been going from
> doctor to doctor, and have found no solution.

I have the same problem which has been getting increasing more difficult
to deal with as time passes. I have had physiotherapy for the shoulder
pain which worked. Tha cause is poor posture which causes the neck to
curve forward and the chin to drop. Exercise to straighten the neck
relieves the pain and improves the posture. The arms are much harder to
cure... my problem has been diagnosed as sever RSI (repetitive strain
injury). It started as a twing in the arm near the elbow ... it then
spread to the wrists and knuckles then fingers. I am having a course of
injections into the wrist (carpal tunnel) to relieve the swelling/
inflammation and I now have to wear wrist splints for support and to
restrict the movement of the wrists.

My specialist says quit the typing and mouse use or risk loss of use of
hands at some later time. I have responded by reducing keyboard/mouse
time to a minimum (sufficient to keep my job and no more than an hour a
day for leisure). I am also investigating the use of alternativemethods
of input.  To date i have found two systems that might be of use: one is
a voice input system (of limited capability) by COVOX (somewhere in US)
 - the other is a pen input system which works with a digitiser tablet
to enable handwritten input, pen sketching, etc. It is called The
Handwritten Data Entry System by Communications Intelligence Corp. which
preofesses to operate with most applications on most operating systems.
It has special templates for use with Autocad, Lotus 123 and
wordPerfect. Check out a piece in "Fortune" Feb 11, 1991 (pg113) on this
technology - also reviews of HDES in "PC WEEK/Business" oct 15 1990,
"Cadence" Jan 1990 page 80 and "ARchitectural & Engineering systems"
august 1988 pg 42.

 also have a refrence somewhere to an organisation in the Us who are up
with the play interms of aids for the disable who might have further
info.

If you get furhter info yourself I can be contacted as follows:

icousins@lyncus.actrix.gen.nz
Ian.Cousins@actrix.gen.nz
Email preferred  :)
-- 
Ian Cousins               \\    //    Email  Ian.Cousins@actrix.gen.nz
PO Box 12057                \\//     
Thorndon PO                 //\\      Phone  +64 4 835262 (Voice GMT +12)
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