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Email: info@rsiaction.org Website last updated May 15,
2007 Carpal
Tunnel Laser Acupuncture Study Computer User’s Bill of Rights (web links, email lists, books, organizations) |
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MONTHLY DROP-IN INFORMATION
AND SUPPORT MEETING
Held the first Wednesday of each
month 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. No registration is necessary – just drop in.
RSI Action volunteers answer questions and provide resources and support,
including the opportunity to view our provider evaluation book.
Parking in
The remaining dates for the Drop-in Meeting in 2007 are:
April 4, May 2, June 6, (July 4 canceled), August 1, September 5, October 3,
November 7, December 5.
RSI ACTION SUPPORT GROUP
PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU ARE INTERESTED
Our most recent Support Group
completed in June 2005. We usually hold these annually, but sometimes more
often if there is high demand. Please let us know if you are interested.
These groups consist of a number
of weekly structured and facilitated sessions in which participants exchange
information about dealing with their repetitive strain injuries and offer
mutual support. Included are expert speakers on topics such as medical
treatment, legal issues and speech recognition. Attendees find these groups very
helpful, and usually choose to continue meeting among themselves periodically.
Meetings are held at convenient locations close to the MBTA and with parking.
PROVIDER EVALUATION BOOK
RSI Action’s book of user evaluations of health-care
and other providers may be viewed by appointment at the MassCOSH office in
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
We are an all-volunteer
organization and welcome those who would like to contribute time and energy.
Please contact us if you are interested.
FINANCIAL DONATIONS
We appreciate financial support
for our work. Please make checks payable to MassCOSH with a notation that the
funds are for RSI Action, and mail to the address below. Donations are
tax-deductible.
The fastest way is to send e-mail
to info@rsiaction.org. Our volunteers
also periodically pick up and respond to voice messages left at 617-247-6827; voicemail
is checked weekly, so you can expect a return call within roughly a week.
Please let us know if you would
like to be on our low-volume announcement-only e-mail list for events and
special announcements. Also let us know if you would like to be on our postal
mailing list to receive the periodic MassCOSH newsletter that has a section on
RSI Action, and other mailings from RSI Action.
Our mailing address is the
MassCOSH office: (note new address as of 8/1/05):
RSI Action
617-247-6827
To spread the
word about RSI Action, you can download a flyer describing all of our programs
by right clicking here.
If you have a repetitive strain injury, we invite you to contribute your evaluations of providers you have used to RSI Action’s book of provider evaluations.
Use the medical provider form for anyone who provides a healing or related service such as a doctor, physical therapist, acupuncturist, massage therapist, Tai Chi teacher, etc. Please indicate on the form if a doctor you saw was for a so-called “independent medical examination” (IME) or workers compensation “impartial” examination, or was a company doctor. Use the lawyer form for providers of legal services on such matters as workers compensation, Social Security disability insurance and long-term disability insurance.
If your physical condition permits you to write, it is easiest to print the blank forms and fill them in by pen. Filling them in electronically with a speech-recognition program is possible, but formatting spaces and tabs to preserve a clear layout can be cumbersome.
Use as much space as you need; feel free to continue on additional sheets.
The forms are in rich text format (RTF), compatible with word processors and speech-recognition programs and should print as a single page.
You can download the forms by right clicking here: medical provider lawyer
Please send the completed forms to our mailing address above.
Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) are a category of injuries to the soft tissue of the body caused by overuse or misuse. Soft tissue includes: tendons, ligaments, muscles, fascia, nerves and blood vessels. The parts of the body most often affected during office work and computer use are the neck, shoulders, arms, elbows, wrists, hands and fingers.
There is a long list of specific injuries that are RSIs, including tendinitis, thoracic outlet syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome. Often people have more than one RSI, and it can be difficult to accurately diagnose which specific RSI a person has. Symptoms of RSI include: tingling, numbness, pain, aching, swelling, and loss of strength and/or dexterity. Not everyone will have every symptom, nor is there a definite order in which people experience symptoms. Symptoms may not occur until several hours or even days after the activity which causes them. (Have you ever hiked a long way and not been really sore until the next day or two?) Pain is not always present in the beginning of an RSI, so do not wait until you are in pain to get treatment if you have other symptoms.
Other names for Repetitive Strain Injuries include: repetitive motion injury (RMI), cumulative trauma disorder (CTD), upper extremity musculo-skeletal disorder (MSD), and occupational overuse syndrome (OOS).
We invite the public to talks by
experts given conjunction with our Support Groups. In spring 2005:
Erika Waly Bourne, RN, CMTPT, Massage Therapist spoke about medical treatments
for RSIs.
William Troupe, Attorney-at-Law spoke about the Workers Compensation process
and reasonable accommodation.
An expert user of Dragon NaturallySpeaking gave a talk and speech-recognition
demo.
Talks by other experts were given
in previous years.
On June 2, 2004 Neuromuscular
Therapist Christina Abbott gave a talk on “Treatment and Self-Help for
Repetitive Strain Injuries.”
On March 24, 2004 attorney Mala
Rafik spoke on “Practical Considerations for Obtaining Long-Term
Disability for People With RSI.”
On November 3, 2003 leading occupational medicine physician and researcher Martin Cherniack, MD, MPH, gave a talk entitled “Soft Tissues and Soft Diagnoses: Why pain or dysfunction doesn't always correspond with objective tests.” Dr. Cherniack is Director of the University of Connecticut Ergonomic Technology Center, a Professor of Medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center, and a Lecturer at the Yale University School of Medicine. This event was co-sponsored by the Boston Albert Schweitzer Fellows Program.
On September 14, 2003, RSI Action
co-sponsored with EarthSave Boston a talk by Eva Selhub, M.D. on Stress
Reduction and Wellness.
On June 26, 2002 we sponsored an
evening program at
Acupuncturist Elaine Walsh, who gave a talk about laser acupuncture for RSI Action, conducted a study on the efficacy of cold low level laser light therapy in treating mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome. Elaine's website is http://www.newlightacupuncture.com/.
Every computer user has the right to:
· Work without pain
· Reasonable workload
· Workers’ compensation system that works
· Adequate breaks from computer use (at least 15 minutes every 2 hours, or 10 minutes per hour of intensive typing)
· Job design with a variety of tasks
· Ergonomic workstation
· Ongoing ergonomic training
· Access to adaptive-technologies & information
· Recovery from injury before returning to work at the same task
Copyright Ó RSI Action
Long Term Disability Insurance, www.rosenfeld.com
Attorney Mala Rafik has posted materials on long-term disability insurance
on the web site of her law firm Rosenfeld and Rafik.
Self Care for RSI, http://www.selfcare4rsi.com
Sharon Butler’s web site
Typing Injury FAQ, http://www.tifaq.com
A wide variety of information, links to resources, a broad description of
assistive products to reduce injury risk and symptoms, and a state-by-state
list of support groups for injured workers.
Paul Marxhausen’s RSI Information, http://eeshop.unl.edu/rsi.html
Prevention information, with pictures, mpeg videos, books, and links to
bookstores for easy ordering.
Scriven’s RSI-Related Resources, http://www.scriven.com/RSI/RSIdata/rsidata.html
Excellent information about general, legal and medical issues, ergonomic
equipment, speech recognition (including NaturallySpeaking macros), books.
OSHA Ergonomics Information, http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/ergonomics/
General ergonomics information and information about the now-rescinded
Ergonomics Standard.
MIT’s RSI Information Page, http://web.mit.edu/atic/www/disabilities/rsi/index.html
Links to resources at MIT and elsewhere, plus some basic information.
RSI Action - updates on our Boston-area programs and related
RSI events.
Low-volume mailing list; emails are infrequent.
To subscribe, email info@rsiaction.org
with your name and e-mail address.
Sorehand - general list for sufferers of RSI. Website: http://www.ucsf.edu/sorehand
This is the main mailing list about RSI. It is high-volume; emails are
frequent. There is a searchable online archive of past messages. To avoid being
overwhelmed with e-mails, after you subscribe you can set options noted in the
listserv commands section of the web site: “nomail” if you prefer
not to receive e-mail but just want to read the archive and perhaps sometimes
send a message. “digest” if you want fewer e-mails. Some people get
all the e-mails but set their e-mail programs to automatically put Sorehand
messages into a separate folder.
To subscribe, change your options, or access the archives, follow the instructions on the web site. Note
that listserv commands are given in the message body.
Boston Voice Users meets the second Tuesday of each month, 7:30 –9:00 pm
at MIT.
To subscribe, go to: http://harvee.billerica.ma.us/mailman/listinfo/boston-voice-users
and follow instructions.
Website: http://www.bostonvoiceusers.org/
“Dr. Pascarelli's
Complete Guide to Repetitive Strain Injury : What You Need to Know About RSI
and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome”
A
2004 update to his best-selling 1994 book “Repetitive Strain Injury: A Computer User's Guide.”
Emil Pascarelli, M.D., is one of the world's leading experts on repetitive
strain injury. He is currently Emeritus Professor of Clinical Medicine at
“It’s
Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome,” by Suparna Damany and Jack Bellis
Jack Bellis writes, on his website http://www.rsiprogram.com/
‘When a physical therapist performed tests on me that my surgeon
didn’t — before or after the operation on my ulnar nerve —
and my symptoms returned in a few weeks, I decided that someone had to tell the
story. With my therapist, Suparna Damany, I’ve written a book on the
subject, entitled “It’s Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: RSI Theory
& Therapy for Computer Professionals.” In the book and on this web
site is what I learned about RSI, without embellishment or false promises, and
with hard details--not just accolades--from other patients.” $19.95 list
price. 234 pages. 2000. ISBN 0965510999.
“Workers’ Comp: A
Work Rights Press, 2002. $6 for employees, unions and nonprofits.
800-576-4552. ISBN 0-945902-12-3.
Downloadable
Publications from the Mass Department of Public Health web site
http://www.mass.gov/dph/bhsre/ohsp/ohsp.htm. Useful publications
include the following under “Materials/Information:”
·
“Workers' Compensation in
·
“Resource Guide - Occupational Health
Information and Services in
MassCOSH, http://www.masscosh.org,
617-825-7233
MassCOSH, the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health,
brings together workers, unions, community groups, and health, safety and environmental
activists to organize and advocate for safe, secure jobs and healthy
communities throughout eastern and central
Alliance for Injured Workers, http://www.afiw.org, 413-731-0760
A Western Massachusetts advocacy and support group for
workers hurt on the job, affiliated with
Job
Accommodation Network, http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/
Job accommodations and the employability of people with disabilities.
A service of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment
Policy.
Consulting
service on questions related to accommodation and to the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA).
Contact information (by telephone, e-mail, postal mail, and
fax) is at http://www.jan.wvu.edu/english/contact.htm
More than 250 links to help you find the information you need, http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/links/
Send an email our way, at info@rsiaction.org, with the suggestion, or to report broken links. We do not seek to put every RSI-related resource on this page; only the most comprehensive and helpful. Thank you!
We are an
all-volunteer organization, and a program of the Massachusetts Coalition for
Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH). We are the volunteer component of
the former Coalition on New Office Technology (CNOT).
Since 1984, we
have advocated for the health, safety and rights of office workers, focusing on
computer-related Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSIs). Our mission has encompassed
support and resources for injured and at-risk workers, organization of injured
workers, training of individuals and organizations on ergonomics and RSI
prevention, and advocacy for change in public policy and workplace practices.
We currently offer a variety of programs.
We are the continuation of the nonprofit corporation that operated CNOT and ceased operation in spring 2002 due to funding issues in a difficult economic climate. Over the years we have employed several names in addition to RSI Action and CNOT for our various functions, including Office Technology Education Project (OTEP) and Technology Education Clearinghouse (TEC).