Recommended Reading

Should you wish to buy any of these books, linked titles connect directly to review pages on Amazon.com and can be purchased on-line. LA RSI earns a small percentage of the purchase price of each book you buy from Amazon when you enter their site from one of our links. Funds earned through this Amazon.com Associates Program are earmarked for our copier and mailing costs.

	Repetitive Strain Injury, A Computer User's Guide, Emil Pascarelli, M.D. and Deborah Quilter, John Wiley & Sons, 1994, ISBN 0-471-59533-0. Considered by many of us to be the RSI "bible." If you only want to read one book about RSI, we strongly recommend that it be this one.
	It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! RSI Theory and Therapy for Computer Professionals, Suparna Damany, MSPT, and Jack Bellis, Simax, 2000, ISBN 0-9655109-9-9. Incorporates many of the conclusions we've come to about RSI: that it's treatable, though very, very, VERY slow to heal; that actual hands-on bodywork is necessary; that at least a couple of treatment protocols at one time are the best way to go; that posture is pivotal to these injuries; that surgery is counterindicated, etc. "Ultimately, you must manage your RSI recovery yourself." A "must read" - particularly for newbies. The authors also have a website.
	Ms. Quilter also wrote The Repetitive Strain Injury Recovery Book, Walker and Compay, 1998, ISBN 0-8027-7514-4. This book has a lot of solid information and includes a glossary and a list of RSI resources. Some of the chapter headings are The Emotional Aspects of RSI, Protecting Your Hands During Daily Activities, RSI and Your Sex Life, Beyond Ergonomics: Solving Common Work-Related Problems, Proper Techniques at Work, and Creating Your New Career.
	The Repetitive Strain Injury Sourcebook, Sandra Peddie, Craig Rosenberg, MD (contributor), Lowell House, 1998, ISBN 0-7373-0022-1, 384pp, paperback (also available in hard cover).
	Conquering Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and other Repetitive Strain Injuries, A Self-Care Program, Sharon J. Butler, New Harbinger Publications, 1996, ISBN 1-57224-039-3. We've found this book to be extremely helpful though it is probably best used in conjunction with actual hands-on Hellerwork.
	End Your Carpal Tunnel Pain Without Surgery, Kate Montgomery, Rutledge Hill Press, 1998, ISBN 1-55853-591-8. Includes self-help chapters on muscle therapy and on pain relief through acupressure.
	Repetitive Strain Injuries: The Complete Guide to Alternative Treatments and Prevention, Dr. Timothy J. Jameson, D.C., Keats Publishing, 1998, ISBN 0-87983-802-7. "My book explains in detail 15 different forms of RSIs, offers nutritional and first aid support, explains 15 different alternative healing disciplines and their benefit for RSIs and provides three chapters on rehabilitation techniques. There are 25 illustrations and 55 photos. This is an excellent book for the RSI sufferer or for the doctor who treats RSI conditions."
	Stretching at Your Computer or Desk, Bob Anderson, Shelter Publications, 1997, ISBN 0-679-77084-4. Anderson's techniques will go a long way toward preventing repetitive strain injury. Give this book to an (as yet) uninjured friend who spends a lot of time on the computer.
	Jobs Body: A Handbook for Bodywork, Deane Juhan & Ken Dychtwald, Barrytown Ltd, 1998, ISBN 1581770227. This book addresses human anatomy more from a functional standpoint than a structural standpoint; that is, it does not simply present diagrams of how the foot bone is connected to the ankle bone, etc. It provides a detailed overview of the highly dynamic and interconnected processes involved in the human body and explains how bodywork can play a postive role in health and healing. It also contains a lot of information that you might want to be armed with before going to a doctor. Not a "light read" but accessible to the lay person nonetheless.
	Bodywork: What Type of Massage to Get - And How to Make the Most of It , Thomas Claire, reprint ed., Quill, 1996, ISBN 0688149529. Discusses the various disciplines, i.e. Rolfing, Hellerwork, Feldenkrais, etc.
	The Relaxation Response by Herbert, M. D. Benson, Miriam Z. Klipper (Contributor), Avon, 1990, ISBN 0380006766. Long before there were books by Weil and Kabat-Zinn, there was this pioneering book, originally published in 1975 and every bit as helpful now as it was then. It's only $5.59 at Amazon and they also have a $10 edition. A portion of a blurb from the Amazon site: "This revitalizing, therapeutic approach, discovered by Dr. Benson and his colleagues in the laboratories of Harvard Medical School and its teaching hospitals, is now routinely recommended to treat patients suffering from heart conditions, high blood pressure, chronic pain, insomnia, and many other physical ailments."
	Spontaneous Healing: How to Discover and Enhance Your Body's Natural Ability to Maintain and Heal Itself, Andrew Weil, M.D. The title says it all. This isn't a book specifically about RSI but you will need to be an active participant in your recovery from RSI and this book can help to show you how to do so.
	Full Catastrophe Living : Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness , Jon Kabat-Zinn, paperback reprint ed., Delta, 1990, ISBN: 0385303122. Again, this isn't a book about RSI but many people have found it helpful in learning how to deal with chronic pain.
	Take Charge of Your Workers' Compensation Claim: An A to Z Guide for Injured Employees, 2nd ed., Christopher A. Ball, Ralph E. Warner, Nolo Press, 1998, ISBN 0873373936. If you have questions about your workers' comp case, this is THE book about CA workers' comp.

Children and Safe Computing: Keeping Your Child RSI-Free, Maureen Clancy, Upright Press, 1999. Recommended by Trina, this 24-page booklet is the only one we've heard of devoted exclusively to this subject.

Pain Prevention Exercises for Knitters, Frederikka T. Payne. Taking breaks while knitting and doing gentle exercises, like those in this book, can reduce the risk of injury when doing needlework. Payne's book can be ordered from Knitting Traditions for $14.95 plus shipping. Write hugs@knittingtraditions.com for more info.

Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction, The Trigger Point Manual, Volume 1: The Upper Extremities, Dr. Janet Travell, MD and Dr. David Simons, MD, Williams and Wilkins, 1983. Very technical but an important work.

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome by Dr. Richard J Sanders, which "describes the cause, diagnosis, and treatment of TOS" was recommended by a group member.

Vascular Disorders of the Upper Extremity, 3rd ed., Herbert I. Machelder, MD, editor, Futura Pub., NY, 1998 may be of interest to those suffering from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. One of the contributors is Dr. Emil Pascarelli.

The Computer User's Survival Guide, Joan Stigliani, O'Reilly and Associates, 1995, ISBN 1-56592-030-9. This book is out-of-print but might be found in libraries or through a search service.

Low-Stress Computing, Ralph Strauch, Ph.D., 1997. This title can be purchased from Mr. Strauch's Feldenkrais/Somatic Options website.

Social Security Disability Benefits : How to Get Them! How to Keep Them!,  James W. Ross, 1984. This book is out-of-print but might be found in libraries or through a search service. It was highly recommended by a correspondent.

Disability Workbook for Social Security Applicants, 4th ed., Doug Smith, 1997, ISBN 1-878140-09-4. $19.95 plus $4.50 shipping. Order from Physicians' Disability Services, Inc., P. O. Box 827, Arnold, MD 21012. (410) 974-1111 Telephone; (410) 431-5485 Facsimile; e-mail: dfacts@earthlink.net
    Trina writes, "This is in print. He also puts out a quarterly newsletter which is VERY good. Addresses all issues related to Social Security Disability, such as physician's reports, preparing for reevaluation (now done every three years), utilizing available back to work programs, etc. ISSN 1088-1190. $19.95/year (four issues)."

Disability Facts
Physicians' Disability Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 827
Arnold, MD 21012.
(410) 974-1111 Telephone; (410) 431-5485 Facsimile; e-mail: dfacts@earthlink.net

And a few more books of interest suggested by Trina:

Garson, Barbara. The Electronic Sweatshop: How Computers are Transforming the Office of the Future into the Factory of the Past. New York: Penguin Books, 1989.