Hello everyone. In this blog post, I will review the book Repetitive Strain Injury by Emil Pascarelli, MD, and Deborah Quilter.
The cover tells us what the authors’ goals are: it’s a computer user’s guide, a 7-point program for treating and preventing RSI, learning proper keyboard techniques, managing pain, setting up the workstation, choosing a physician, protecting your vision.
The back cover tells us about the authors. At the time of the writing of this book, Pascarelli was Director of Ambulatory Care at a hospital in New York City, also Professor of Clinical Medicine at Columbia University, and Associate Professor of Clinical Public Health at New York Hospital Cornel Medical Center. Deborah Quilter is a health writer and an RSI sufferer. She has a YouTube channel, that discusses RSI recovery and lifestyle topics.
The book was copyrighted in 1994. The first time I read it was in late 2020. 26 years later and this is still one of the only RSI recovery guidebooks that I can find!
Overall Impressions
This book is a must-read for anyone on a recovery journey from RSI. Despite being a nearly 30-year-old book, the recovery and career advice are solid. The rest of the book is entertaining, relatable, and informative, but I did not find those sections as practical as the career and recovery advice.
It took me about 2 days to read the entire book – it’s a quick read, fortunately.
The authors deliver their arguments and detailed technical and medical information with an entertaining voice. The writing is concise and conveys information quickly by supplementing the prose with RSI patient interviews, illustrations, checklists, quizzes, and charts. The chapters and headers allow the reader to skip to the parts that are most relevant to their situation.
Pascarelli’s medical experience lends credibility to the diagnosis, treatment, and recovery info, while Quilter’s experience as an RSI patient really shines, making the book extraordinarily relatable and compelling. I remember tearing up within the first few chapters, suddenly realizing that there were other people experiencing the same thing and reading Quilter’s descriptions of my situation. I was overwhelmed with a powerful sense that everything might just turn out okay.
This was the first RSI book that I read after getting injured. I followed several of the book’s recovery suggestions like taking rest periods, getting physical therapy treatment, massage, stretching/yoga, preventative exercise (the illustrations in this section were helpful), and hot and cold treatment (ice, hot showers, sauna) routinely for about three months, which actually led to some amazing short term results in my recovery. For those looking for a how-to guide on RSI recovery or coping emotionally, just read chapter 8 and chapters 10-13. This was the most useful section of the book for me.
Book Summary
The book is split into 18 chapters, organized into 5 parts. Notably, the first page of the book recommends that the reader see a doctor when treating RSI.
Part 1 defines the causes and symptoms of RSI, going into detail about lifestyle causes, the seriousness of the condition, and the role of modern workplace trends and stress. This section introduces “The Seven Points” of RSI prevention and recovery: Physician, Pain management, Posture, Preventive exercise, Positioning, Pacing, Patience.
Part 2 takes the medical perspective. This section describes how to choose a doctor and how to deal with them. Chapter 6 lists many of the common RSI classifications and diagnoses. This section also elaborates on physical and lifestyle tests to assess your risk of RSI and introduces treatment options.
Part 3 is all about recovering from RSI. As I mentioned earlier, these chapters were the most useful to me. They provide instructional illustrations of stretches and exercises, advice on how to manage pain and your emotions, and manage activities of daily living (ADLs).
Part 4 discusses prevention and maintenance of RSI with respect to computers and the workstation. The authors give advice on proper workstation ergonomics, typing technique, alternative computer input tools, and long-term prevention strategies. The book concludes with advice and descriptions of workers’ compensation, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and suggestions for finding resources for vocational rehabilitation. This section is tailored to a US-based audience and may be out of date from a legal perspective.
Conclusion
This book motivated me and instructed me on how to turn my life around after my debilitating injury. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is newly injured from RSI or has been suffering from RSI for a long time.
Purchase the book from Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3v9ozQE