Info-Mac 3/Info_Mac_1994-01.iso/Periodical/General/Plain Text 14/rsi-network-news-14.txt

Internet Message Format | 1993-12-30 | 33KB

Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1993 21:20:38 -0500 (EST)
From: "Craig O'Donnell" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Plain Text, #14

RSI Network Newsletter #14/October 93
=====================================

The RSI Network Electronic Newsletter
For People Concerned About Tendinitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome,
and Other Repetitive Strain Injuries


Produced by:
  Caroline Rose, 970 Paradise Way, Palo Alto CA 94306
  <[e-mail]>

Setext formatting, electronic version editing, distribution by:
  Craig O'Donnell, Assistant Sysop, MacWEEK Forum on ZiffNet
  <[e-mail]> or <72511,240> on CIS.

To subscribe, see "Electronic Subscriptions", below. To get old
issues, see "Online Distribution".


Looking For A Doctor?
---------------------
  Many of you have called to ask me if I can recommend a doctor who
  has the proper knowledge about and respect for RSI problems. I
  usually answer all personal calls with "Everything I know is in
  the newsletter!"

  I haven't received many specific doctor recommendations from
  readers, but I can give some general advice: I've been seeing a
  physiatrist who I'm happy with, and I think in general they tend
  to be knowledgeable about RSIs. I don't know how to describe what
  a physiatrist is except as a non-surgeon who falls under the
  category of "rehabilitation medicine" and tries to prescribe
  physical therapy and other noninvasive treatments. To find one in
  your area, try consulting the Directory of Medical Specialists, a
  nationwide directory of board-certified physicians. You can
  probably find it in the library. Whatever you do, don't waste your
  time with a doctor who doesn't take you seriously; keep looking!


L. L. Bean's Convertible Field Bag
----------------------------------
  Since my shoulder surgery, I've discovered L. L. Bean's
  Convertible Field Bag, a fanny pack that carries quite a bit and
  is durable yet doesn't look stupid for city wear (other
  fanny/waist packs I've seen have been quite small or have looked
  like they'd be out of place except on a mountain trek). It
  converts to a shoulder bag and can also be carried by its small
  handles. It has various neat compartments and quick-release straps
  on the bottom that I've found handy for carrying a sweater or
  jacket. It has a wide waist belt, a padded back panel, and side
  compression straps to minimize bouncing. I find it to be very
  comfortable and durable. It's item #HH13638, $35.
    Phone [phone] for a catalog or to place an order.


Products For Computer Users
---------------------------
Voice Recognition
  Finally, "dictation-taking" voice input is coming to the
  Macintosh. Articulate Systems will ship Dictation Manager late
  this year or early 1994. This is part of their PowerSecretary
  product; other components such as Telephone Manager will follow.
  The price is expected to be $2400 for a 7,000-word active
  vocabulary and $5000 for a 30,000-word active vocabulary. There's
  also a backup vocabulary list of 100,000 words.

  Its voice recognition is adaptive; you can begin dictating
  immediately, and it improves through use. (I take with a huge
  grain of salt those complaints about voice recognition accuracy
  from people who don't have an RSI; they're comparing to
  keyboarding at full speed with their hands, unlike those people
  for whom every keystroke brings pain. I hope to find out for
  myself before too long just how good or bad the recognition
  accuracy is.)

  The software requires a high-end Macintosh, like a Macintosh
  Quadra 840AV, but you can do with a less fancy model if you buy a
  sound card sold by Media Vision for less than $350.

  Dictation Manager will be compatible with most popular word
  processing applications, including Microsoft Word and WordPerfect.
  When you go back and edit, you can get around with voice-activated
  QuicKeys command macros (QuicKeys 3.0, now shipping, includes this
  feature).

  For information about PowerSecretary and Dictation Manager, call
  [phone] (Massachusetts). If in the meantime you want to try
  out QuicKeys 3.0, call [phone] (CE Software, Des Moines, IA)
  for information or look for a QuicKeys demo on a BBS or electronic
  service.

Word Completion
  There's a fully functional shareware word completion program for
  Windows called Finish Line that completes phrases. Keep an eye out
  for it!


An Exercise Reminder from Sweden
--------------------------------
  This product runs on the Macintosh as well as PCs running Windows.
  A multimedia program, it uses music and animation to periodically
  show exercises that help people working with computers avoid RSI
  and shoulder, neck, and back disorders. It's completely user-
  configurable; you get to choose which exercises, how often, how
  many repetitions, and so on. Exerciser costs $49.95. If you'd like
  a "review copy," you can contact Hypermedia Technology at Oestra
  Vallgatan 1, S-223 61 Lund, Sweden, phone [phone]. Last I
  heard from them (in July), they were looking for a U.S.
  distributor.


PC Users: ErgoLogic Adjustable Keyboard
---------------------------------------
  The ErgoLogic adjustable keyboard is expected to ship late this
  year for $399.00. It has a split keyboard and a knob that raises
  the keyboard like a volcano erupting from its middle. You control
  the angle of elevation with this knob. There are two "palmrests"
  that guide your hands into the right position for the home keys
  (you don't rest on them while typing). The space bar is split in
  half so you can press it from either side of the keyboard. In
  addition, you can press each half of the space bar sideways to get
  a Return in one case or backspace in the other.

  A Macintosh version isn't expected for about a year. A veteran
  Macintosh user, I briefly tried it on a "borrowed" PC. As you
  would expect, it's very comfortable being able to type with your
  hands in the ergonomically "perfect" position. But since I'm not a
  touch typist, I wasn't able to set the keyboard angle very high. A
  touch-typist friend said it took getting used to, but he
  eventually found the higher angles comfortable. For information,
  call 1-800-ONLY-WAY (1-800-665-9929).


Handeze Gloves: from TidBITs
----------------------------
  Craig and several of the ZiffNet sysops have been trying out these
  gloves. More in Newsletter 16. Craig reports that they help with
  tendon pain across the back of his hands.


>From Adam and Tonya Engst, in the Macintosh newsletter TidBITs:
  As many of you know, I suffer from a mild case of carpal tunnel
  syndrome, one of the many conditions collectively called
  repetitive stress injuries, or RSI. I can say that my pain level
  has declined since I started using the Handeze gloves.

  These $20 finger-less gloves are made from "Med-A-Likra" stretch
  Lycra, a special process  that expands the individual fibers in a
  thread, thus working better to hold body heat. The cuffs are
  double-layer Lycra and help keep the hand in a neutral position
  while allowing flexibility, unlike wrist braces. The strangest
  part of the gloves is that they only have four holes for the
  fingers - the middle finger and ring finger share one.

  I saw them at Macworld Boston, and asked the guys at the booth for
  more information. They handed me a pair and a stack of photocopied
  letters of recommendation from satisfied users and doctors and
  reprints of magazine articles. "Just try them," they urged. After
  a day or so of break-in time (the seams irritated my skin), I
  couldn't believe how little pain I had given how much I was
  typing, although I couldn't say why my hands felt better.

  The New England Therapeutic Research Group designed the gloves to
  help relieve pain in three specific ways - by providing warmth,
  support, and massage. I have poor circulation in my hands and feet
  so they're frequently cold. The gloves help warm my hands,
  although my fingers still get somewhat cold. The support makes
  sense - the gloves are form-fitting down to the Lycra cuffs, so
  you have to order the right size for your hands. Support too is
  nice, especially the way the gloves encourage your hands to remain
  in a neutral position.

  The fact that I can't adequately explain the gloves is
  frustrating, because they're a stunning success. I don't care how
  they work, as long as they do. Within three days, sitting down at
  the Mac without the gloves felt wrong, much like driving a car
  without wearing a seatbelt feels wrong to me.

  The next test was to see how well they worked for Tonya, who has
  tendonitis, another RSI with a different origin. She ordered a
  pair in the right size (3) and ordered me another pair as well (a
  size 4), and after avoiding them for a week or two because they
  felt too tight, started wearing them. Every night she came home
  with a glowing report of how much better her hands felt, and then
  one day she realized that she'd been wearing the pair she got for
  me, even though they were too large. We decided not to worry about
  it, but after another few days, the larger gloves stopped helping
  as much, so she moved down to the correct size, and they have made
  a tremendous difference for her.

  The company that sells the gloves notes that they have been used
  successfully by musicians, farmers, carpenters, seamstresses, and
  dentists, along with people in many other occupations susceptible
  to RSI.

  You can supposedly machine wash the gloves if you're careful. Some
  of the seams have loosened slightly, and I had to mend one on the
  older pair. I can live with that if they continue to make my hands
  feel better - I'll do a great deal to avoid the carpal tunnel
  surgery, which has a low success rate. For the fashion conscious,
  the gloves come in two colors, a flesh tone which looks foolish to
  my eyes since they're obviously a different color than skin) and a
  bluish-grey with dark blue cuffs. Neither is exciting [I want
  black ones with black lace -Tonya].

  In the final evaluation, I can't say precisely why they work,
  although I can tell you that I seldom even touch the keyboard
  without them, and I like wearing them driving as well. They're
  cheap at about $20, and if you're experiencing hand and wrist
  pain, I think it's worth trying the Handeze gloves. As soon as you
  compare that $20 with the cost of disability, physical therapy, or
  even surgery, it shrinks rapidly. Do note that wearing the gloves
  doesn't allow you to otherwise abuse your body by not taking
  breaks or working in a destructive position, ergonomically
  speaking.

  I received some comments from a doctor about heat and cold in
  healing. The general guidelines are that cold is useful in the
  first 48 hours after an acute injury, since it decreases the
  amount of bleeding into the injured area. Heat, in contrast,
  increases circulation, which aids healing by providing the white
  blood cells needed to clean up the cellular debris and by
  providing the nutrients, oxygen, and raw materials needed to
  repair the damage.

  Several people noted the strange four-hole design of the gloves
  and that in playing certain instruments like piano and guitar,
  beginners are encouraged to increase the strength and independence
  of the third and fourth fingers (middle and ring fingers) which
  perhaps indicates that the design was created to provide extra
  support for a vulnerable tendon in that area.

  You must get the right size for your hand, and the sizing is best
  done on paper. So follow along, and if all else fails, call the
  Dome folks and ask them for help.

  Draw a two-inch vertical line on a piece of paper with a ruler and
  pencil. At the one-inch mark on that line, draw a five-inch
  perpendicular line to form a T on its side, making hash marks on
  it every half-inch.

  Place your right hand palm down with the pointer finger along the
  vertical line (so you can just see the line). Using your left
  hand, mark the right edge of your right hand on the horizontal
  line. Now measure the distance along the horizontal axis from the
  vertical line to that mark.

    > between 2" and 2.5", you're a size 2.
    > between 2.5" and 3", you're a size 3.
    > between 3" and 3.5", you're a size 4.
    > between 3.5" and 4", you're a size 5.
    > between 4" and 4.5", you're a size 6.

    For the last three, those measurements aren't quite accurate,
    so if you're just a bit over 3.5", you may still be in the
    4 size range, and the same goes for sizes 5 and 6.

  Dome: [phone]
  Edward P. McArthur (Northeastern US Distributor):
    [phone]; [phone] (fax)


Reading
-------
About Vitamin B6
  For those of you who have been asking about vitamin B6, you might
  want to look for Prevention magazine, January 1989, at your local
  library. It has an article on that says that while B6 may help
  some RSI sufferers, many won't respond, and too much B6 can hurt
  you.

Free Government Pamphlets
  The following pamphlets (among others, no doubt) are free from the
  US government and may have some useful information some of the
  causes, and consequences, of RSI. They are free, except for a
  $1.00 handling fee (check, money order, or VISA/Mastercard for up
  to 25 different pamphlets). Send to:
  S. James, Consumer Info Center 3C, Box 100, Pueblo CO 81002.

  509Z     Health Benefits Under COBRA
  510Z     How to File (COBRA) Claims
  603Z     Arthritis: Modern Treatments
  550Z     Getting a Second Opinion
  555Z     When the Spine Curves (Scoliosis)
  557Z     Depression
  621Z     Bipolar (Manic Depressive) Disorder
  563Z     Stress
  578Z     Access Travel: Airports
  583Z     Americans with Disabilities Act: Questions and Answers


Letters From Members
--------------------
  Please send in your letters or questions; other readers can reply
  to you via this newsletter or directly (don't forget to indicate
  which you prefer). Your name will be used unless you indicate
  otherwise. Please take the time to reply, either directly or to
  the editor, if you can help someone out.

Massage and Yoga: Antidotes to Stress and Bad Posture
>From Ryan Waite <[e-mail]>
  For me, CTS is both stress related and posture related. I started
  seeing a massage therapist who specializes in something called
  structural bodywork. He was able to show how my posture while
  standing was affecting my posture when typing.

  I also started going to a yoga class, which seemed strange at
  first. The result of three weeks of classes (once a week with a
  little stretching homework every morning) is that my posture has
  improved dramatically. I stand straighter, my hips are rotated
  correctly, I play sports better, and I'm calmer and less stressed.

  I guess the best thing to keep in mind is that you can have
  control over this if you really work at it, but you have to work.
  Pills don't help, and splints don't really help either, because
  neither of them changes the actual problem, which is the
  repetitive motion that's causing the problem in the first place.

  Also, the massage therapist, who also treats musicians (they have
  CTS too), says it's very important to establish a natural cycle of
  action and inaction. That is, when you're typing, take a break
  every minute or two, if only for three seconds, and shake out and
  completely relax your hands, arms, shoulders, and neck.

Recommended: Ergonomic Sciences and the Timpany Center
>From Tara Snellstrom <jahangir![e-mail]>
  I would like to thank the newsletter for mentioning Ergonomic
  Sciences/Steve Marshall. I found him very helpful when I was
  trying to get my desk set up at Tandem, and since I have moved
  over to VLSI he has been terrific. He really knows his stuff, and
  would be a great resource for anyone who needs assistance in
  finding the best and latest ergonomic equipment.

  I would also suggest that you do an article on the Timpany Center.
  Since I have been going there I have made major progress. There is
  something about the warm water that makes the exercise more
  successful than any "land" physical therapy that I have tried.

  [ The Timpany Center is located in San Jose CA, [phone].
    They offer aquatic physical therapy in a pool with a 93-degree
    temperature. They also give swimming lessons but that temperature
    seems hot for swimming! - Ed. ]

Recommended: MicroSpeed MacTrac Trackball
>From Bud Smith <[e-mail]>
  I recently had a close call with RSI. By taking action quickly,
  I've been able to almost fully recover.

  Here's what happened: During a period of hard work on my computer,
  I started to get soreness in my wrists, especially my right
  (mousing) wrist. It was frustrating to have to worry about using a
  computer, and scary to think about being limited in my ability to
  work. I got a better chair and adjusted it, got a wrist rest for
  my keyboard, and got a mouse pad (I like the Forminco Mouse Arena,
  the round, tilted one). Each step helped a little, but the
  soreness would return and then get even worse. It seems to me that
  using the mouse was by far the major problem.

  Finally, I got a trackball. After trying several, I strongly
  recommend the MicroSpeed MacTrac or its PC equivalent. If you have
  soreness in your mousing wrist, learn to use a trackball with your
  other hand. The MacTrac is great for this; it's symmetrical, and a
  dialog choice allows you to easily reverse the buttons if you move
  it from one side to the other. The Logitech is specific to one
  hand or the other, and I really disliked the control software;
  other trackballs have other problems.

  I now use Microspeed trackballs at home and work with my left
  hand, constantly. As time goes by I'm also able to use a mouse
  with my right hand without getting a sore wrist, a little more
  each week. If you're starting to get soreness or numbness, act
  quickly, and don't be afraid to spend some time and money (your
  own or your employer's) on solving the problem; it's a lot better
  than being unable to work or have a normal life.

  [ Many computer superstores and mail-order companies give
    you a 30-day return period, so don't be afraid to try a series
    of trackballs or mice ---COD. ]


Newsletter News
---------------
Craig says:
  Internet ftp or gopher access to collections of The RSI Newsletter
  is now set up for both Macintosh and PC users. See Issue 15 for
  more.

>From Dave Roderick
  I was calling for catalogs and discovered that the number listed
  for ShadowTech [Issue 13 -- COD] was wrong. The actual number
  800-392-1402.


RSI Network Newsletter on CD-ROM
--------------------------------
>From Craig
  The RSI Network Newsletter is on the monthly NautilusCD "magazine"
  beginning in October 1993. The Newsletter folder (found in the
  Health section) contains EasyView and its index file plus a
  growing collection of back issues. I'll keep this as up-to-date as
  I can. Thanks to illustrator extraordinaire Chad Kubo, we have a
  color graphic for the section. I've seen the Nautilus Mac version; I
  haven't seen the PC/Windows version but the text files should also
  be on that one.

  Nautilus subscriptions cost about $130 per year for 12 CD-ROM
  "issues". Call:  1-614-766-3165.


Eric's Story
------------
  Please send in your own story or helpful tips for other RSI
  sufferers. If you don't send it in e-mail, please mail a diskette
  to Caroline if at all possible.

>From Eric Humphreys <CompuServe 71601,3716>
  I'm 40 years old and have been a software engineer for over 13
  years. Keyboarding is essential to my chosen field; a software
  engineer who can't type is unlikely to find work. Disability
  payments in the state of Maryland are capped at about one-third of
  my current salary, so I refuse to be disabled.

  My current assignment, which has been running since July 1990, is
  a one-man prototyping effort on a Sun SPARCstation. I typically
  spent 6-7 hours per day, five days per week, doing intensive
  typing on the workstation. I use my Macintosh at home (not nearly
  as much as I would like; perhaps one-half hour per day at most). I
  used a Macintosh Plus for many years, and recently purchased an
  LC III.

  Problems with my right wrist began in the fall of 1990.
  I had security lock-up that week: I spun the dials of about two
  dozen safes (always with my right hand) to make sure they were
  properly secured. At one point my right wrist froze and didn't
  relax for about one hour. After that I used my left hand to spin
  the dials.

  In November 1990, I had a pain in my right wrist that was so
  severe I couldn't type, couldn't easily use a mouse, and could
  just barely write. I noted it in my daily log book and reported it
  to my supervisor, our one-person Personnel department, and our
  Facilities manager. Reporting this problem and writing down that I
  had reported it, and to whom, was probably crucial to my workmen's
  compensation claim later. My medical clinic diagnosed the problem
  as tendinitis. I was given a wrist splint to wear at bedtime. I
  insisted that I have a better ergonomic environment; at this time
  I was working off of a standard metal office table. I managed to
  locate a small typing table that was perhaps an inch and a half
  lower than the office table.

  For the next year and a half I had intermittent periods in which
  my wrist bothered me badly. My shoulders and forearms would
  usually ache at the end of the day. I finally persuaded my company
  to purchase an adjustable keyboard tray and wrist support for my
  use.

  In the spring of 1992 I finally became alarmed enough to discuss
  my problems with my doctor. He diagnosed the problem as carpal
  tunnel syndrome and in June 1992, and sent me to get nerve
  conduction studies to establish a baseline for later comparison.
  The studies showed that I had some loss of nerve function,
  especially in my right wrist. (Nerve conduction studies send
  electrical impulses of gradually increasing strength from an
  electrode on one part of your body to an electrode on another part
  - in my case, from the forearm near the elbow to the base of my
  hand. It isn't exactly painful but can seem quite alarming since
  the intervening muscles spasm, with greater and greater force, at
  each pulse.) My condition was submitted as a workmen's
  compensation claim and accepted.

  I expect that the problem stems primarily from long periods of bad
  mousing, exacerbated by longer periods of non-stop keyboarding. I
  had gotten in the habit of quickly flicking the SPARC's mouse
  pointer across the screen and then returning the physical mouse to
  the center of its optical pad. Unfortunately, I did this by
  bracing my wrist on the table to lift the mouse off the pad,
  putting pressure directly on the carpal tunnel.

  In the year since the nerve study my right wrist has become
  noticeably worse. My right hand goes numb when I ride a bicycle or
  drive a car for more than 20 minutes. I like to jog, work out with
  weights, and do calisthenics but cannot do pushups or some weight
  exercises any more. Exercises that pull my hands away from the
  arms, such as pull ups and rowing, actually make the wrist feel
  better. Rowing will frequently relieve the day's aches for several
  hours.

  I've found that keyboard touch is very important. I normally use a
  Switchboard keyboard at home (formerly from Datadesk, which was
  bought out by another company). I can work for several hours
  without any problems. Several months ago I was assigned to type
  something to a VAX using a VT-330 terminal. After one day my
  forearms felt like they had been beaten with a stick. I insisted
  that a lighter-touch keyboard be found. My company finally
  purchased a terminal emulator from White Pine Software and hooked
  up a Macintosh IIcx as a dumb terminal. The Apple extended
  keyboard was bearable.

  One thing that I have found invaluable is the Mouse Paw, from
  Precision Line (1-800-328-0077). This is a small slab of dense
  foam with a Teflon-like bottom that attaches to a mouse with
  hook-and-loop fabric fasteners (such as Velcro). The Paw has a
  straight and a V-shaped edge, both with hook-type fabric
  fasteners. This makes it suitable for straight-edged or curved-
  edge mice of all types -- just attach some adhesive-backed loop
  fastener to the end nearest to the base of your hand. I've used it
  on the Sun, on DEC's ungainly hockey puck, on my old Macintosh
  Plus mouse, and on the new Apple mouse. I carry extra loop strips
  around and attach a small strip to every mouse I ever need to use
  (about 1-1/2 inch by 1/4 inch).The Paw cost me $5 at the Boston
  MacWorld expo last year. I bought two so I could leave one at
  work.

  I've been using various software approaches to reduce the amount
  of time that I hold down the mouse button. On my Macintosh I use
  NOW Utilities' NowMenus, set to drop menus without a click. On the
  Sun UNIX system I can set a parameter so that menus remain
  displayed after depressing the appropriate button until I click a
  second time to select a specific item or move the mouse pointer
  off the menu to cancel. Both methods save me a lot of grief,
  especially with hierarchical menus. I've also become a proficient
  left-handed mouser.

  I now use adjustable chairs and keyboard trays. My company sent an
  "industrial hygienist" out to evaluate my working position and
  equipment in June, 1993. He pointed out that my chair was slightly
  high; the knees should be slightly higher than the hips and there
  should be a little space between the thighs and the front edge of
  the chair. Forearms should be parallel to the ground, and elbows
  close to the body. I had been using my wrist rest incorrectly,
  resting the palms of my hands on the rest while I should have been
  resting the wrists on it. The wrist rest may need to be moved back
  from the edge of the keyboard to achieve the proper position of
  the hands and keyboard.

  I've finally decided to have carpal tunnel release surgery
  performed on my right wrist. This involves cutting one end of the
  ligament that bridges the carpal tunnel to reduce pressure on the
  underlying nerves. Scar tissue will eventually grow to rejoin the
  ends of the ligament, leaving the carpal tunnel slightly larger.
  Recovery is supposed to take about three weeks. While I'm at home
  I'll be trying a left-handed BAT keyboard from Infogrip (Baton
  Rouge LA, [phone]). It has only seven keys, which must be
  depressed in various chord-like combinations and sometimes in
  multiple chords to obtain the full Macintosh keyboard set. I'll
  keep you posted.


Submissions
-----------
Caroline says:
  This newsletter relies on contributions from its readers: please
  contribute your questions, stories, and any information that may
  be of interest to people with RSI.

  Contributions to the newsletter's content are essential to keeping
  this effort going, so please send me anything that may benefit
  others. Where possible please submit contributions on diskette or
  via Email. Xeroxes of interesting articles from anywhere are
  always welcome.

  Mail disks or xeroxes to:
    Caroline Rose, 970 Paradise Way, Palo Alto CA 94306

  To submit material via Internet, send mail to:
   <[e-mail]>

  Caroline will not be able to Email personal responses for the
  indefinite future. Please do not let that inhibit any of you from
  sending her your material for the Newsletter  --COD.


No More Print Copies Available For Now!
---------------------------------------
  You can receive the newsletter electronically, and it's available
  on many public electronic sites; contact our "Electronic Editor"
  Craig O'Donnell at <[e-mail]> on the Internet or
  72511,240 on CompuServe.

  Donations to help cover expenses are always welcome; please send a
  check made out to Caroline Rose (not "RSI Network"!) and mail it
  to the address above.

  I can't provide printed back issues until further notice. Sorry.
  Please get the newsletter electronically and print it yourself.
  Feel free to pass this newsletter on to others.


RSI Support Groups
------------------
  San Francisco:
  Judy Doane, [phone], or Yari Leski, [phone].
  First and third Tuesdays, 7:30 PM, at the California Pacific
  Medical Center main entrance (3700 Calif. St.), rooms A & B.

  South San Francisco:
  Call Lynda or Sherry, [phone].
  Meets second Wednesday of every month, 7 PM. Caremark Peninsula
  Athlete's Center, 216 Mosswood Way, S. San Francisco.

  East Bay:
  Joan Lichterman, [phone].
  Meets monthly, 7 to 9 PM, usually on the second Wednesday, at
  CalARM 400 29th Street, #105 (at summit), Oakland.

  North Bay:
  Stephanie Barnes, [phone].
  Tuesday evenings, 6:30 to 9 PM, at Santa Rosa Plaza
  in the Community Room.

  San Anselmo/Marin:
  Liza, San Anselmo, [phone] evenings.
  Meets Wednesdays, twice a month.

  South Bay:
  Pat Roggy, [phone], or
  Petzoldt Hand Center, [phone].

  San Mateo CA:
  Beth Weiss, [phone]. Meets second Thursday 7-9 PM.
  Mills Hospital, 100 So. San Mateo Drive.

  Los Angeles:
  Samantha Greenberg, [phone].
  A "computer injury network".

  New York NY:
  Susan Nobel, [phone]. Meets monthly.
  She is a social worker at Mount Sinai Hospital who
  offers free counseling to RSI sufferers.

  Boston:
  Call Rik Ahlberg at [phone].
  Message Rik on Internet: <[e-mail]>

  Connecticut:
  Connecticut Chronic Pain Outreach Network (CCPON);
  Jewel Shue (pronounced "shoe-ay"); [phone].

  Toronto:
  Alan Cantor, [e-mail], [phone].
  Meets second Thursday of every month, 7:00 PM. L.A.M.P.
  (Lakeshore Area Multi-service Project),185 5th Street,
  Etobicoke, Ontario M8V 2Z5.

  Anyone in Atlanta?
  Contact Ken Thomas, P.O. Box 901, Decatur GA 30031 if you're
  interested in meeting to discuss your experiences with RSI, or
  sharing help you've found or need to find help.

  Anyone in Texas?
  Lynne Johnson in Austin is interested in finding an RSI support
  group in Austin, Dallas, or Houston. She can be reached at home:
  [phone].


Electronic Subscriptions
------------------------
  Since Issues 14 and 15 are being released simultaneously I've
  omitted a lot of the "how to find it electronically" boilerplate.
  For specific information by service or site see Issue 15.

  Anyone who would like to subscribe to Issues 14 and later via
  Internet, please send Email to: <[e-mail]>.

  Put "RSI Subscription" (without quotes) in the SUBJECT: line and
  my mailer adds you to the distribution list. [I can not answer
  personally --- COD.]


Prior Contents
--------------
The RSI Network Newsletter has covered:

  Issue 1, 6/91:
    Hardware and software of interest; books of interest
  Issue 2, 8/91:
    The TONY! keyboard; Stanford Pain Clinic's psychologist;
    long-term disability

  Issue 3, 10/91:
    SF Bay Area doctors; Special Technology Center; ergonomic/
    employment resources
  Issue 4, 12/91:
    Software; ergonomic resources; publications; more on long-
    term disability

  Issue 5, 4/92:
    Voice-activated text input; practitioners; forearm supports;
    hints and tips
  Issue 6, 6/92:
    Statistics; voice recognition and word prediction;
    legislation; publications; organizations

  Issue 7, 8/92:
    CTS survey; iontophoresis; SF Bay Area ergonomics showroom;
    pain relief; reading hands-free; mouse relief; publications;
    legislation
  Issue 8, 10/92:
    TONY! keyboard update; other alternative input devices;
    ACTSA and other associations; CTDNEWS newsletter; advice
    for swimmers

  Issue 9, 12/92:
    Video of RSI TV special; input devices (esp. DataHand);
    software; practitioners; job accommodation
  Issue 10, 2/93:
    Rolling scissors; Apple adjustable keyboard; keystroke-saving
    software; reading

  Issue 11, 4/93:
    Comfort keyboard; Kurzweil voice input software;
    misc. products; tips for knitters; Voc Rehab
  Issue 12, 6/93:
    pointing devices; MOMA catalog; arthritis products;
    resources, magazines and journals.

  Issue 13, 8/93:
    Are exercises safe? Magazines and journal articles;
    products; fibromyositis; catalogs; resources.
  Issue 14, 10/93: current


About This Document
-------------------
Copyright 1993 Caroline Rose. All rights reserved.
Apple Computer is in no way affiliated with this newsletter.

This document is in setext (structure-enhanced text) format.
Mac users: to index, browse, and copy from collected setext
documents, use Easy View, written by M. Akif Eyler, Bilkent
University, 06533 Ankara, Turkey <[e-mail]>.

  "RSINET.SEA" and RSInn.SIT files are available on ZiffNet/Mac
  in the "Reference" file library at location ZMC:DOWNTECH.
  Easy View is in the "Applications" library under filename
  EASYVW.SEA.





..

 This text is wrapped as a setext. For more information about
 The RSI Network, contact <[e-mail]>.