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 (in conjunction 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.
It's Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome! is the very best book out there dealing exclusively with repetitive strain injuries. What is great about this book is that it alerts you to the potential severity of the problem without terrifying you - it puts the time frame for healing easily at 6 months and possibly longer. Until I read this book, I had NO idea what was going on.
It offers charts to help you determine if you are a 1st degree, 2nd degree, or 3rd degree sufferer. It divides injuries into two basic categories: muscular and nerve. I would like to add that in my case there was also ligament injury, which was not discussed in this book. It also profiles the personality type that can become more vulnerable to this kind of an injury: perfectionist, obsessive, passionate about work.
My advice is that when it comes to books about this topic, read ABOUT them all carefully and then get all of the ones you need -even if you have to put them on a credit card, your HANDS are at stake! That being said, if you could only get two books this should definitely be one of them. Thank you so much Suparna Damany and Jack Bellis for illuminating this mysterious problem and analyzing it from a new angle.
Other Books I used and that you must look into to get a clear picture:
THE TRIGGER POINT THERAPY WORKBOOK by Clair Davies. Okay, finding IT was basically a miracle, because it provided the missing piece that NONE of the other books on RSI really explore. It is the only book that helped me even more than It's not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I won't describe it here but the look inside this book feature on Amazon allows one to read the introduction. Basically, Suparna Damany and Jack Bellis got me through the first half of the healing process, and Clair Davies got me though the second half.
COMPLETE GUIDE TO REPETITIVE STRAIN INJURY by Emil Pascarelli: informative but terrifying, only read it AFTER you've read the others to better understand the dangers. But know this: braces can occasionally cause great damage, and a condition called RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Unlikely but horrific and important to be aware of so if the symptoms show up you can do something about it.
CONQUERING CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME by Sharon J. Butler: very nice exercises that seem to help a lot of people (though I was too injured by the time I found this book). Sharon Butler also has an online book dealing with DeQuervain's (a thumb injury) which was good and the only book out there specifically about this particular injury.
THE CARPAL TUNNEL HELPBOOK by Dr. Scott M. Fried: if you suspect nerve damage, this book is very encouraging about your prospects for recovery - and is the only book I found to deal exclusively with nerve issues. Also gave me the idea to just buy my own paraffin unit rather than pay for physical therapy every week.
FREE YOUR BREATH, FREE YOUR LIFE by Daniel Lewis.
LIGAMENT HEALING by William Weintraub.
FINALLY: PRISCILLA'S YOGA STRETCHES is an incredible TV program I discovered that comes on at 5:30am weekday mornings in my area on one of the PBS stations (apparently Priscilla Patrick has had exercise programs on PBS since 1980). Supposedly it is shown or can be requested all around the U.S., and it too played a critical role in helping me to heal and also maintain- better than any exercise class I've ever taken. Her videos can also be ordered (I plan to get the one called Stretch and De-Stress which targets neck, back, arms, shoulders) but I have not done so yet because with the TV show it's not really necessary.
Well, good luck and please, please, please get ALL the information you need to avert a potential disaster! Go sit in Barnes & Noble and look through these books if you're not ready to buy. But save yourself NOW. Also don't fall into despair! I was messed up for well over a year but once I had the right info I healed quite quickly! Without the work of all these amazing people I don't want to know where I'd be.
March 25, 2010: My comment below contains additional information I now feel is important, so please read if you're interested!
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Top reviews from other countries
Oh yes I'm the great reviewer
which is good. I find the book outdated and not that ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 18, 2018PM
Probably the best resrouce for RSI sufferers i have found
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 11, 2012caz
... my granddaughter who says she has found it very useful.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 2, 2014
