STRATEGIES FOR RECOVERY

If you've been having pain for a long time, or your doctor is not interested or not well-informed, or the environment at work or at home is stressful and unsupportive -- then things are likely to be more difficult, both practically and emotionally. You may feel isolated and bewildered, you may feel angry that you are being treated unfairly at work, you may worry about losing your job and your income, you may fear becoming permanently disabled. All these anxieties make it harder to cope with the pain, and harder to deal with the practical problems. It's a bit of a vicious circle. However, vicious circles may be changed into virtuous circles, with luck and perseverance.

We each have to find our own strategies for recovery. What works for one person will not necessarily work for another. It does help, though, to know where other people have found it useful to start. Here are some suggestions:

1. Get treatment

   Start by seeing your GP. GPs vary widely in their understanding of (and attitude towards) work-related limb problems. Ask to be referred for physiotherapy, as a first step.

   Ask also about alternative therapies. Some GPs will refer you for alternative treatment on the NHS. The ones that have most often been mentioned as helpful, on the RSI-UK list, are the Alexander technique, massage, yoga, and Rolfing.

   Have a look at what Richard Donkin has written about RSI (see the index of articles). I learned more from Richard's writings than from any of the doctors I've seen. See also the RSI-UK FAQ and Jo's RSI Recovery Strategy

2. Don't cause any further injury.

   Depending how badly you've already been injured, you may need a period of complete rest from work. A long spell of total inactivity isn't a good idea, though; the sooner you can get back to work, the better, as long as that doesn't result in further injury.

   Try to identify the exact cause of the problem. This may take some time, but you need to start looking at it as soon as possible, because as long as you keep working in the same way you will be at risk of causing yourself further injury. You need to assess your workstation , and your working habits. Do you take regular breaks? Is your monitor directly in front of you, rather than off to one side? Do you perhaps need to get an ergonomic keyboard, or a better chair, or a trackball instead of a mouse? Might voice-recognition software help, by allowing you to avoid typing for most tasks?

   The Pocket Ergonomist can help you sort out these questions. The Pocket Ergonomist has been adopted as New Zealand's official ergonomic guide. This shareware version provides basic ergonomic information in Windows Helpfile format. Download the program, unzip it to a file, and then click on the filename in Windows Explorer. You can find out more about the Pocket Ergonomist by reading Grahame Budd's review, "Teaching an Old Dog New Clicks."

3. Get support.

   Having RSI can be -- usually is -- an isolating and depressing experience. Support from others is important. Join the RSI Association, subscribe to the RSI-UK Mailing List , join or start a local RSI Support Group . And try not to drop out of other activities -- you don't want to end up living a life that revolves entirely around RSI.

4. Take steps to safeguard your livelihood

   If you are in employment, be very careful how you inform your employers of your problem. If there is a union, join it, if you aren't already a member, and ask the shop steward for advice. Speak to the Disability Advisor at your local JobCentre about the PACT scheme -- if you can get help under PACT, it will benefit both you and your employer.

   If you're self-employed, you may still be eligible for help under the PACT scheme. If not, get in touch with Computability for advice about adaptive equipment, including voice recognition software. It may all seem horrendously expensive, but try to consider it as an investment in your future.

   If you are a student, seek advice from SKILL , and from the Disabled Students' Officer at your school or college.

   Find out whether you are entitled to any benefits. See the FAQ for information about which benefits might be applicable. Before you apply, read these notes on claiming from the Rugby and Coventry RSI Support Group.

5. Consider whether you need legal advice

   If you feel that you have a good case for claiming compensation for your injury, you may want to seek advice from a solicitor with experience in handling RSI claims. If you don't know of such a solicitor, you can get a referral from a lawyers' association . Graham Ross of ALeRT has written an extremely informative article on RSI litigation , which you might like to read before contacting a lawyer. Bear in mind that the rules may have changed since this article was written.

   Be warned: litigation is stressful, and additional stress at this point will not help your recovery. Whether it's worth it to you will depend on the strength of your case, and the size of the award you hope to win. A solicitor can advise you on both these points.