Reviews (36)

Career saving
When I was managing a software development group, a programmer on the team showed up at work one day with wrist braces. Turns out typing had become agony for him. He read this book, then diligently and conscientiously followed some of the recommended practices (strength training, yoga, serious workplace ergonomic changes). The wrist braces are gone, and his career has been saved.
Excellent Resource
I bought this book after all the glowing reports and am happy to say it lived up to my expectations. Just improving my posture (one of the suggestions) has helped with my RSI.

Don't Want To Know Where I'd Be Without This Book
I have been putting off writing my review because I have so much to say and in the meantime my hands are not yet a hundred percent. BUT it is thanks to this book (inconjunction with THE TRIGGERPOINT THERAPY WORKBOOK, which I found later) that I am not disabled today.The doctors I went to were not only shockingly unkind but dangerously misinformed...so I feel it is my duty to pass the info. on ASAP and I will revise this review later.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Therapies    2. Business Life - Health/Stress    3. Consumer Health    4. Diet / Health / Fitness    5. Health & Fitness    6. Health aspects    7. Health/Fitness    8. Human-computer interaction    9. Microcomputers    10. Overuse injuries    11. Popular works    12. Work-Related Health    13. Carpal tunnel syndrome    14. Computers    15. Hand    16. Health    17. Occupational / industrial health & safety    18. Popular medicine   

Reviews (1)

A little bit of everything
This book can be used by pianists and piano teachers (often isolated in small towns) to find up-to-date answers to recurring injury problems, inspiration for playing "from the mind and heart" as well as the hands, and, in general, just talking about piano (although a lot of the information works well for other instrumentalists as well--especially the exercises for flexibility and strength). It's like a "class in a book." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arm    2. General    3. Health & Fitness    4. Health & Fitness / General    5. Instruction & Study    6. Music    7. Music / Musical Instruments / Piano & Keyboard    8. Musical Instruments - Piano & Keyboard    9. Overuse injuries    10. Piano    11. Prevention    12. Wounds and injuries   

Editorial Review

Sharon Butler was working as a massage therapist and Hellerwork practitioner when shedeveloped carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis. Unable to sleep through the night because of the pain andconcerned about her livelihood, she built upon her knowledge of connective tissue anddeveloped a series of stretching exercises to gently relieve the tension in her body. After daily stretching inthis way, her pain soon subsided. To prove that these exercises weren't just a fluke, Butler intentionallyoverworked her body to bring back her symptoms. While this may not have been the smartest move, herstretching program again relieved her pain.Read more

Reviews (32)

ESSENTIAL for me, but maybe not just this book...
I have been experimenting with many strategies to get rid of carpal tunnel in my right hand, including learning how to write and do housework with my left hand.I do the exercises for both hands at the same time so that my left hand doesn't develop the same problem.With these exercises pain at night went away. If I forget to do the exercises on one day, I pay for it the next day through pain and decreased range of motion so I know they are essential. The carpal tunnel has not all gone away after several months of doing the exercises, however, just improved. Perhaps I need to do them more often.Be careful when you do them - she is not kidding when she says go GENTLY.More force is worse.The other thing I found very helpful, for trigger points, was getting a Reach Easy Massager.I could see a definite improvement within very few days in terms of range of motion and decreased pain in motion. Go easy with the massager, too!If you don't know what trigger points are - they are little clumps of muscle tissue that don't flow normally as they should.This causes them to send pain down in other places in the body.The massage can help to break up those bundles and get them straight again, instead of shooting out pain.

A helpful book for anyone with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
I ordered this book for my wife, who has had Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) in her right wrist for some time. It recently got worse after she fell off her bike and broke a couple of bones in the same wrist. The bones have healed, but the accident somehow increased the CTS symptoms: tingling sensations, numbness and a general increase in CTS aggravation. She has found this book, Conquering CTS, informative and helpful. After reading it and doing the excercises, for about a month now, she has found that not all the exercises suit her particular condition. So, she has, through trial and error, found which excercises in the book are helpful. They work, and help relieve the sypmtoms. So, I would recommend this book to anyone who has CTS. It is not a cure-all, in my wife's case, but it has made a difference. I would buy it, read it, try the exercises and find which ones work best for you.

Practical Self-Help Guide
When I complained to my doctor about numbness in my fingers while sleeping and after hard handyman work he slapped a wrist strap on me. He said it sounded like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome so try to ware the strap as much as possible. The strap worked but what a pain in its own right.
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Subjects:  1. Carpal tunnel syndrome    2. Consumer Health    3. Diet / Health / Fitness    4. Diseases - General    5. Health/Fitness    6. Medical    7. Overuse injuries    8. Popular works    9. Rheumatology    10. Popular medicine   

Subjects:  1. Diagnosis    2. Health and hygiene    3. Health aspects    4. Instrumentalists    5. Medical    6. Medical / Nursing    7. Mental Health    8. Music    9. Orthopedics    10. Overuse injuries    11. Pathophysiology    12. Performance    13. Prevention    14. Clinical & Internal Medicine    15. Medical / Laboratory Medicine    16. Occupational medicine    17. Orthopaedics & fractures   

Reviews (15)

This program works.
I do a lot of knitting and fibercrafts and had to take long breaks from it to recuperate, sometimes days. With these exercises my hands feel fine even after many hours of knitting.

A great resource for repetitive strain injuries
I am an Occupational Therapist who specializes in Hand Therapy.Kate` Montgomery's book is a very helpful resource for anyone suffering from repetitive strain injuries.This wholistic approach is a good blend of techniques from various health traditions.It is written in layman's terms with excellent illustrations that help you understand the cause of the pain and why you should follow the suggested program of stretches and massage.The self-massage techniques and exercises are especially helpful for those who need visual reminders of how to perform the various massage techniques and stretches.This book is a good supplement to treatment for those who are currently under the care of a health professional as well as those who are not in treatment.It is self-empowering for those willing to take responsibility for their health and follow the suggested 12 step corrective program on a daily basis.The sports balm is a helpful addition that promotes healing and relief of pain.

This book is a must if you have wrist problems
I've been playing drums for 10 years and using a computer intensively for the last 4 years for both study and work. About 12 months ago i decided i hadn't been practising drums enough and started to play again like i had before i started using computers - BOOM!!! Within 2 weeks i realised the occaissional pain i felt in my right wrist and hand after a long day on the computer wasn't the same as sore legs after going jogging. I've had semi-permanent pain in my right wrist and hand ever since and i've been extremely depressed and freaked out about it. Read more

Subjects:  1. Carpal tunnel syndrome    2. Consumer Health    3. Diet / Health / Fitness    4. Diseases - Musculoskeletal    5. Exercise therapy    6. General    7. Hand    8. Handbooks, manuals, etc    9. Health & Fitness    10. Health/Fitness    11. Prevention    12. Wounds and injuries    13. Coping with illness   

Reviews (1)

An author with knowledge, a helpful but confusing book
In a publishing climate and a culture where behind every commercial publication, you just know lurks some author and editor with $$$ in her or his eyes--particularly in such how to books like become rich in real estate, write a best selling novel, how homeopathy cured my pet anaconda, I found this book extremely informative, passionate about its subject, sincere, clearly written but, the major defect is its structure; Dr. Pacarelli has taken a lifetime of experience (he says he's treated 6,000 cases of RSI) and provided a clear explanation of the many causes and types of the disorder. You will learn that "carpal tunnel" syndrome, which is the media's and layperson's term for disorders arising many from keyboarding (in the past typical sufferers were more likely to be musicians, sewers, sign language interpreters, etc.) is the diagnosis in only EIGHT percent of the cases of hand and arm damage.Dr Pascarelli explains it all: there are anatomical charts of the muscle system, the nerve system, photographs of hand & arm anomolies among sufferers, diagrams & photos of the wrong way and the right way to sit at a computer station, exercises, treatments, ergonomics, etc.You will learn why your average doctor, even orthopedists don't make proper diagnoses, even treatment plans, and often lack the knowledge of the big picture of RSI that affects not just nerves, but soft tissue, musculature, mood, and a lot more.You will be given a chapter of illustrated exercise routines.You will learn (and understand through experience)that splints are basically worthless and often harmful (except perhaps for sleeping).You will learn a host of treatment modalities--some described in detail, lesser mainstream ones like Alexander Technique, Feldenkreis, and Rolfing--which he is not adverse to trying.He also is up to date enough to discuss devices like voice activated software and the like. The problem arises in that after a discussion of the many types of RSI, the treatment plans he advocates are not specified as to which particular RSI syndrome you have.They are all lumped together. Nevertheless, this book is written in a compassionate, authoritive, supportive tone, although the fact that he suggests some people might just not ever get better from RSI is pretty sobering and pessimistic. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Carpal tunnel syndrome    2. Consumer Health    3. Diseases - Musculoskeletal    4. Diseases - Nervous System (incl. Brain)    5. Diseases Of Peripheral Nerves    6. General    7. Health & Fitness    8. Health/Fitness    9. Overuse injuries    10. Physical Impairments    11. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation    12. Popular works    13. Treatment Of Wounds And Injuries    14. Health & Fitness / Physical Impairments   

Subjects:  1. Health and hygiene    2. Musicians    3. Overuse injuries    4. Prevention    5. Reference    6. Wounds and injuries   

Editorial Review

This book has become a bible for those suffering from RSI. It explains what to ask your doctor(and why) when you go in for a diagnosis; it also lists more than two dozen types of RSI and relatedconditions, from cervical radiculopathy to reflex sympathetic dysfunction to fibromyalgia. If these termssound intimidating, then the book succeeds in bringing them down to clear, manageable definitions.Read more

Reviews (19)

Do not buy into this book
Most books on RSI are poison for your mind.You'll read about: RSI horror stories, how the body is fragile and easily injured, and how you should curtail your work and daily activities.All of this will only make the pain worse, and will increase the number and the severity of your symptoms.You'll start to become afraid to do anything--the fear will make the pain worse, and the pain will make the fear worse, creating a downward spiral.
good
I found this to be the best book as far as having pictures to show how to do stretches and on good typing technique. Good comprehensive introduction to RSI.
"Repetitive Strain Injury: A Computer User's Guide" by Pascarelli is a good introduction for those who know nothing about RSI. Even a cursory search of the Internet will turn up several references to this book as the classic on the subject. It describes what RSI is, what the risk factors are, how to evaluate your physician in terms of his or her RSI awareness, how to treat RSI symptoms, and it offers tips on workstation configuration, typing and mouse technique, monitor settings, and daily living. If you think you have RSI and your first instinct is to go out and buy yourself a wrist wrest and a splint, stop and read this book first, it explains why these amateurish attempts at self treatment are a bad idea. I was disappointed that the book didn't offer more specific advice for actually treating RSI, though I understand that would have been difficult given the large number of causes and manifestations of the disorder. The book claims on the front cover to contain a "seven point program for treatment", but most of the advice for treatment itself consists of "go see a doctor". This is frustrating given the book's repeated claim that most doctors know nothing about RSI or don't even believe in it in the first place. Another thing that really annoyed me was the book's assertion that employers are largely responsible for RSI. The basic message was: "RSI isn't your fault. It's just another example of how `the Man' exploits you in a thankless and mindless job." In my case, my RSI was caused by my own obsessive work habits. The book does list "Driven Behavior" as a risk factor for RSI, but it gets only a perfunctory mention. Another negative is that the book focuses on tendonitis-type RSI, whereas my problem was clearly nerve-related (numbness, weakness, and lack of coordination in hands, forearms, and upper arms). The book that really nailed my problem on the head, and that I recommend as a supplement to this one if your RSI is caused by obsessive computer use, was "It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome!", by Damany, who worked under Pascarelli treating patients for many years. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer terminals    2. Computer users    3. Diet / Health / Fitness    4. Diseases - Musculoskeletal    5. Health and hygiene    6. Health aspects    7. Health/Fitness    8. Overuse injuries    9. Physical Impairments    10. Work-Related Health    11. Health & Fitness / Physical Impairments    12. Occupational / industrial health & safety   

Subjects:  1. Cumulative Trauma Disorders    2. Medical    3. Medical / Nursing    4. Overuse injuries    5. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation    6. Surgery - General    7. Treatment Of Wounds And Injuries    8. Clinical & Internal Medicine    9. Trauma & shock   

Subjects:  1. Allied Health Services - Physical Therapy    2. Diseases    3. Histopathology    4. Medical    5. Medical / Nursing    6. Musculoskeletal Diseases    7. Musculoskeletal system    8. Myalgia    9. Overuse injuries    10. Pain    11. Physiology    12. Reference    13. Wounds and injuries    14. Orthopaedics & fractures    15. Physiotherapy   

Editorial Review

Tammy Crouch, a former sign-language interpreter, had carpal-tunnel release surgery twice.Both surgeries were unsuccessful. She then learned about "alternative" therapies for her pain,including massage, osteopathy, acupuncture, and chiropractic, and she passes along her wisdom in thisbook. Read more

Reviews (2)

Great resource
I found this book through Tammy Crouch Fletcher's RSI FAQ and the many suggestions helped me to improve my symptoms without surgery. Full of common sense, written by a patient (Ms. Crouch Fletcher had two surgeries and researched virtually every treatment available), full of good interviews and tips, and designed to help you help yourself. Excellent read before visiting the surgeon!

Surgery is not always the answer.
Tammy is honest about herself and in her book shares the importance of knowledge verses the quick-fix.The resources given in the book alone, are worth the price of the book.A must read! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Allied Health Services - General    2. Carpal tunnel syndrome    3. Consumer Health    4. Diseases - General    5. Health/Fitness    6. Neurology - General    7. Overuse injuries    8. Specific disorders & therapies   

Reviews (13)

Marketing Rhetoric
This book is nothing more than a lengthy brochure written by chiropractors to promote the sale of continuing education seminars to other chiropractors. As one of the prior reviewers stated, there is NO INSTRUCTION on how to provide or perform an "ART" technique. The bulk of the book is simply a review of common repetitive strain injuries and treatment options which are common physical therapy techniques.
Release your pain
I never recieved the right order so I can't tell you wether I liked the book or not. You all keep sending me the wrong books and now I have three of the same ones............

A book for the patient
I found this book very useful in understanding Active Release.Because of it I found a solution for my Carpal Tunnel that actually worked.I nearly had to end my carrier. The first surgery did not work.This book lead me in the right direction. The exercises were also very helpful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Medicine    2. Alternative Therapies    3. Backache    4. Carpal tunnel syndrome    5. Chronic pain    6. Exercise therapy    7. Health & Fitness    8. Health & Fitness / Alternative Therapies    9. Health & Fitness / Pain Management    10. Health Risk Assessment    11. Manipulation (Therapeutics)    12. Medical    13. Overuse injuries    14. Pain Management    15. Repetition Strain Injury   

Reviews (2)

Right On
Hi, wanted to let others know of my experience with this book. I've been playing a couple of years and developed carpal tunnel syndrome in my wrist. Was about to give up because of the pain. I was searching amazon and saw this book. The book gives you a step by step procedure to develop a stress free right hand technique which involves moving the forearm rather than the wrist. It also contains many pages of exercises to play to develop rhythmic fluidity in your foream. You will have to be able to read music to use the fluidity studies. I think the best part of this purchase was my interaction via email with the author. He really spent a lot of time with me back and forth. This really helped me realize the root of some of my problems. He also gave me encouragement and helped me see that re-cooperation takes time. My process of rehabilitation took about 7 months but I'm now playing and improving with no pain. I've continued with Mr. arnold's series of books and find them very organized and directed toward the serious student. He gives concise descriptions of each process. He realizes that not all poeple understand or learn the same so he provides free email access so you can bounce your problems off from him. I really don't know what more a student would want other than a well organized course of study with a teacher that is willing to work with you. I highly recommend this book and others by Mr. Arnold.

Right On
Hi, wanted to let others know of my experience with this book. I've been playing a couple of years and developed carpal tunnel syndrome in my wrist. Was about to give up because of the pain. I was searching amazon and saw this book. The book gives you a step by step procedure to develop a stress free right hand technique which involves moving the forearm rather than the wrist. It also contains many pages of exercises to play to develop rhythmic fluidity in your foream. You will have to be able to read music to use the fluidity studies. I think the best part of this purchase was my interaction via email with the author. He really spent a lot of time with me back and forth. This really helped me realize the root of some of my problems. He also gave me encouragement and helped me see that re-cooperation takes time. My process of rehabilitation took about 7 months but I'm now playing and improving with no pain. I've continued with Mr. arnold's series of books and find them very organized and directed toward the serious student. He gives concise descriptions of each process. He realizes that not all poeple understand or learn the same so he provides free email access so you can bounce your problems off from him. I really don't know what more a student would want other than a well organized course of study with a teacher that is willing to work with you. I highly recommend this book and others by Mr. Arnold. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Instruction & Study - Techniques    2. Music    3. Music / Techniques    4. Musical Instruments - Guitar    5. Guitars    6. Overuse injuries    7. String instruments    8. Techniques    9. Techniques of music    10. Tendinitis   

Reviews (11)

It was difficult to do and did not help me
I am sorry, some people say this book helped them but I found the exercises to be very tedious and ineffective. It was actually a pretty upsetting experience, because it was all so uncomfortable to do, and I really needed to find a solution to my Repetitive Strain Injuries but could not.
Great Book!These exercises helped me immensely!
As a musician, I play the piano about 30 hours per week.This became difficult with the onset of tendonitis and carpal tunnel symptoms. I did these exercises daily for about 6 mos. with a personal trainer and physical therapist. I now live symptom free!Thank goodness I said no to the cortisone injections!I highly recommend it to anyone with similiar problems.You can be healed with this system of exercises.

Delivers on all counts
I had a chronic clenched muscle on the left side of my mid back for about 7 years. Some days it would be no problem, some days the pain was almost totally debilitating--I couldn't sit still for more than 5 minutes, which was a huge problem since I spent most of my time on the computer or at a drawing table. I tried chiropractic, massage, rolfing, yoga. Nothing gave me long-term relief. Then I found this book through my rolfer. I was skeptical about the back exercises, because you work on the thighs, not the back at all. Well, after doing the back exercises twice, the pain was gone. Entirely. Doing them once every three months now is enough to keep me pain free.Read more

Subjects:  1. Consumer Health    2. General    3. Health & Fitness    4. Health/Fitness    5. Overuse injuries    6. Physical Impairments    7. Prevention    8. Work-Related Health    9. Wounds and injuries    10. Coping with disability    11. Coping with illness    12. Carpal tunnel syndrome   

Reviews (1)

The latest information on early symptoms
Dr. Scott M. Fried's The Carpal Tunnel Helpbook provides an effective, non-surgical program for the management of carpal tunnel syndrome and other types of related nerve problems, providing the latest information on early symptoms of problems and suggestions for modifying home and work situations. Pain management exercises and suggested medications are at the heart of this practical self-help guide. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Therapies    2. Carpal tunnel syndrome    3. Consumer Health    4. General    5. Health & Fitness    6. Health/Fitness    7. Overuse injuries    8. Popular works    9. Work-Related Health    10. Health   

Subjects:  1. Allied Health Services - General    2. Allied Health Services - Occupational Therapy    3. Alternative Medicine    4. Consumer Health    5. Diet / Health / Fitness    6. General    7. Health and hygiene    8. Massage & Reflexotherapy    9. Masseurs    10. Medical    11. Overuse injuries    12. Physical Fitness    13. Physical Therapy    14. Physical therapists    15. Prevention    16. Science/Mathematics    17. Family & Health    18. Health & Fitness / Alternative Therapies    19. Occupational therapy    20. Personal & public health    21. Physiotherapy   

Subjects:  1. Carpal tunnel syndrome    2. Consumer Health    3. Diseases - Musculoskeletal    4. Diseases Of Peripheral Nerves    5. Health/Fitness    6. Medical    7. Neurology - General    8. Popular works    9. Coping with illness    10. Health & Fitness / Diseases / Musculoskeletal    11. Popular medicine    12. Rheumatology   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business Life - Health/Stress    3. Computer Books: Operating Systems    4. Computers    5. Environmental Engineering & Technology    6. Ergonomics/Human Engineering    7. Health & Fitness    8. Health Care Issues    9. Health aspects    10. Industrial Health & Safety    11. Overuse injuries    12. Prevention    13. Reference - General    14. Video Display Terminals (Health Aspects)    15. Coping with stress    16. Occupational / industrial health & safety    17. Popular medicine   

Reviews (1)

How do you spell relief?
I found this book very informative.While everyone I know has either had carpel tunnel syndrome or knows someone who had it most people are not really informed concerning the alternative treatments and possible causes of the condition.Read more

Subjects:  1. Consumer Health    2. Diseases - General    3. Health & Fitness    4. Health/Fitness    5. Neurology - General    6. Carpal tunnel syndrome    7. Health & Fitness / Diseases / General    8. Overuse injuries    9. Popular medicine   

Editorial Review

They go by many names--tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, forearm tendinitis--but these injuries all have a common origin: our work and play. Whether it's computer programming, carpentry, food service, or bookkeeping, many jobs today require people to hunch over into unnatural positions and then perform the same tiny movements over and over again throughout a workday. And the sports we pursue often aren't much better--tennis, golf, and racquetball all involve repeated elbow- and back-straining movements. Read more

Reviews (4)

No good
Since I got RSI myself, I've read a number of books on the subject, and of all I've read, this book was at the bottom of the barrel. I'm not saying it is completely without merits, but most of the good advice are available inall other books I've read. I do, however, fail to see advice aboutmeditation and guided imagery as relevant to RSI.

Very good book
It's a great adjunct to my treatment with my chiropractor.My chiropractor told me that a lot of patients do better when they eat more protein.It wasn't until I happened to open to the page that discussedprotein, carbohydrates and insulin (around p.122)that I understood why thatis true.The book is helping me to learn more about taking better care ofmyself during my recovery. It gives ideas on how to deal with this disability
You actually learn!It gives ideas on how to deal with the disability -- and the psychological part, too.It's a wonderful book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Therapies    2. Alternative treatment    3. Consumer Health    4. Environmental Health    5. General    6. Health & Fitness    7. Health Care Issues    8. Health/Fitness    9. Overuse injuries    10. Popular works    11. Prevention    12. Work-Related Health    13. Wounds and injuries    14. Health & Fitness / Alternative Therapies    15. Popular medicine