Exercises to help Repetitive Strain Injury

This handout briefly describes some exercises that can help you if you have RSI and wish to do remedial exercises to help regain your flexibility and strength whilst minimizing/reducing pain. I have been using these exercises since 1994 (combined with a regular swimming regime) - they enabled me to continue my career and to continue playing musical instruments, although I have replaced the guitar with bagpipe (less stretching).

Please read the disclaimer before performing any exercises. If you wish to discuss RSI or any of these exercises, please come and talk to me. (Quite a few people know who I am - Jon Swayne, Ruth and Robert Bramley... ask them if you don't know who to talk to)

You can find this text on http://www.objmedia.demon.co.uk/rsi.html

Stephen Kellett

Treatment

The exercises given here are based on the exercises given to me by my physiotherapist. The basis for these exercises is a treatment known as Adverse Mechnical Tension.

All stretches must be held for a minimum of seven real seconds, preferrably/ ten seconds. The reason I state real is because I mean 7 seconds on a clock, not severn seconds the way people count out loud (too fast). The reason the stretches must be held for this length is that the stretches are stretching nerve tissue. Nerve tissue is elastic and doesn't actually stretch (without springing back into its original size) until it has been stretched for 7 seconds. So if you do these exercises and don't stretch for at least 7 seconds, you are wasting your time and doing yourself no good. Please re-read the previous sentence.

Disclaimer

These exercises are the exercises that I used to help recover from RSI as part of a treatment regime. I am not a trained physician or medical practioner, so any advice here is my description of the exercises given to me by my physiotherapist. You use these exercises at your own risk. If in any doubt about the validity of these exercises with respect to your physical health, consult a trained physician, physiotherapist or other appropriate medical authority.

If any exercise causes you pain, stop doing the exercise immediately. Try a different exercise.

Exercises

The exercises given here are intended to help you regain your range of movement and improve your posture. The exercises should not cause you any more pain than you are presenting experiencing with your RSI. If any exercise does cause you pain, stop doing that exercise and move on to a different exercise. As your health improves you can revisit any exercises that you had to skip.

The exercises can be done in any order, although you may find that you have a preferred order to do the exercises in. I tend to do all standing exercises, followed by all sitting exercises, followed by all floor exercises.

Good times to exercise are in the morning before you start work, in the evening after work, and before you go to sleep. Additionally you may find doing these exercises at work in your lunch break helpful. Work colleagues may find it unusual to see someone doing these exercises. Dont let that put you off. If you can find somewhere private to exercise that is usually better.

Whilst doing the standing exercises, emphasis is to be put on standing correctly, shoulders back (where they should be) and no slouching. However, don't lock your knees, don't stand on tip toes, or with flat feet (ankle collapsed inward). Your feet should be flat on ground, at shoulder width.

You will notice that most of these exercises do not work directly on your hands or arms. That is correct and intended. Your body is a complex machine, with levers (bones) and pulleys (tendons). These exercises are designed to increase range of movement and to also increase muscle strength. The lying down exercises increase the strength of your stomach muscles.

In an ideal world I'd have images and video clips to demonstrate how to do these exercises. I was persuaded to put this article together after chatting with Christian Graus (WDJ Author) about my experience with RSI. I haven't had time to get any photos scanned or videos made. I will produce these in due course and put them here with the appropriate exercise.

Touch the ceiling

Stand up straight, with your arms at your side. Do not slouch. If in doubt look in a mirror and make sure you are not slouching. Whilst breathing in, raise your hands from your sides to above your head as if trying to touch the ceiling. When your are doing this, your aims should raise to your sides, not in front of you. When your arms are above you pointing at the ceiling, you should stretch your arms to the ceiling. Do not stretch you hands. The stretch should end at your wrists. Wait for 7 seconds, and lower your arms (reverse of previous raise, your arms should not go in front of you) whilst breathing out.

Its important to breath in and hold your breath whilst stretching as this improves the stretch. Make sure you can stretch and have your arms straight. If the ceiling is too low and you can't do this, find a different room or go outside.

Repeat this exercise 10 times with a short break between each stretch.

Touch your toes

Whilst doing this exercise, be sure to use your stomach muscles to support yourself as you bend, otherwise too much strain will be placed on your back and you may hurt yourself.

Stand up straight, with your arms at your side. Do not slouch. If in doubt look in a mirror and make sure you are not slouching. Lift your hands above your head, arms pointing straight up. Now start to bend over until you can bend as far as you can, attempting to touch your toes. Do not force it. Wait for 7 seconds and straighten up.

Repeat this exercise 10 times. Each time you do this you should be able to stretch further. Do not bend your legs.

Windmill

Stand up straight, with your arms at your side. Do not slouch. If in doubt look in a mirror and make sure you are not slouching. With your arms straight, swing one arm forwards clockwise, and the other arm backwards. After a few rotations, reverse direction. Your arms should be 180' out of phase.

Forward stretch

Stand up straight, with your arms at your side. Do not slouch. If in doubt look in a mirror and make sure you are not slouching. Clasp both hands together, interlocking your fingers. Place your hands in front of your chest and stretch your arms forward until you can stretch no further whilst your hands are clasped together. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds.

Repeat this exercise 10 times.

A variation is to turn your hands 'inside out' when at full stretch so that your wrists are one the outside of the stretch. Do not do this if it is painful.

Sit and twist

Find a typical table chair - i.e. one that is not on castors. Sitting upright on the chair (do not slouch), wrap your arms across your chest so that you havew your right hand on your left shoulder and your left hand on your right shoulder. This is to get your arms out of the way. You are sitting down so that the next exercise does not twist you hips, but does twist your spine for the full length of your back.

Now turn to the left, turning as far as you can with your body and your head. Your legs should remain facing forward. By turning left, you are trying to look right around yourself so that you can see objects on your right handside. Turn as far as you can. Hold this for 10 seconds. Now repeat this exercise by turning to the right as far as you can, trying to see around yourself so that you can see objects on your left hand side. Hold this for 10 seconds.

Repeat these two twists. Repeat these two twists, for a total of 3 twists each way.

Typically after doing this exercise you will find that the touch the ceiling and touch your toes exercises are easier to do.

Sit and stretch

Find a typical table chair - i.e. one that is not on castors. Sitting upright on the chair (do not slouch). Lean forwards over your knees and try to touch the floor in front of your feet. Stretch as far as you can. Hold this for 10 seconds. Return to the sitting position.

Whilst doing this exercise you may get an unusual sensation (but not pain) in the base of your back as the stretch starts to work. My experience of this is that it means the stretch is working.

Repeat this exercise 3 times.

Typically after doing this exercise you will find that the touch the ceiling and touch your toes exercises are easier to do.

Punches and shoulder rolls

Stand up straight, with your arms at your side. Do not slouch. If in doubt look in a mirror and make sure you are not slouching.

A shoulder roll is where you roll your shoulder up, back, down, and forward to its original position. Shoulder rolls can be done either one shoulder at a time or both shoulders together. I was taught to do shoulder rolls one shoulder at a time, but have found then to be more effective if I do both together.

The exercise is to do ten shoulders rolls, then ten rolling punches, one with each arm, alternately.

Repeat this exercise 10 times. Then finish with another 10 shoulder rolls.

It is important to always start with shoulder rolls and always finish with shoulder rolls. This is because rolling punches pull the shoulder forward, and shoulder rolls pull the shoulder back. We want the shoulder position to be back. People with poor posture often have shoulders that are very far forward of where they should be. This exercise is designed to help put your shoulders back where they should be.

Finally, shoulder rolls also open up your sternum, which on many people is very inflexible, but which should be more flexible.

Prayer and twist

Stand up straight, with your arms at your side. Do not slouch. If in doubt look in a mirror and make sure you are not slouching. Place the palms of each hand together, with your finger tips touching, fingers pointing upwards (thumbs towards your body, little fingers away from your body). Your hands should be in front of your face. This will look similar to a Christian prayer position. Slowly lower your hands (whilst keeping them pressed together and in the prayer position) so that they are half way down your body. At this point your lower arms should be horizontal (or as close as you can get) and your hands should still be pressed together. If there is any pain or tightness, stop at that point. Some people can do this with their arms horizontal, others cannot.

At this point there is another optional part of this exercise. When your reach the point where your lower arms are horizontal, you can turn your rotate away from you body whilst keeping them pressed together. Some people can only rotate their hands a small distance, whilst others can rotate their hands so that they are almost pointing down. Hold this position for 7 seconds, then rotate your hands back to the upright position.

Repeat the whole exercise 3 times.

Lie on floor, lift legs

Lie on the floor, lying on your back with your hands at your side and your legs straight. Slowly lift your left foot about 10 centimetres off the ground. Hold this position for tens seconds, then lower your foot to the ground. Repeat this exercise with your right leg.

Repeat the whole exercise 3 times.

Sit ups

Lie on the floor, lying on your back. Now raise you head and body and try to touch your feet. Repeat three times. Be careful not to strain yourself whilst doing this exercise.

Repeat three times.

Press up that isn't a press up

Lie on the floor, face down with your hands under your shoulders and your elbows by your sides, as if you were about to a press-up. Slowly raise your body until your arms are straight, whilst trying to keep your hips touching the floor. When your are unfit, your back will be stiff and you won't be able to do this (your hips will lift off the floor). As you get fitter you will be able to do this (my father, at age 62 can do this, so I'm sure you can too!). Hold this position for 10 seconds. Now lower yourself to the starting position.

Repeat this exercise 3 times.