As Software Developers, we spend much our time glued to a computer developing the software to run this world. Often we neglect ourselves and some of us suffer in constant chronic pain (hand/back/wrist/hips etc.) ultimately leading to reduced productivity. some of us may fear it might permanently ruin happiness and probably livelihood as well.
We blame everything on PC mouse/keyboard and frequent use of a computer as a primary cause. We do all the necessary corrections to relieve ourselves from pain
- Buying a new ergonomic mouse, keyboard, adjustable table
- Take frequent breaks (including stretching wrist and fingers).
- Even take plenty of supplements (magnesium, B-complex, Bromelain).
- Programming/Installing the software that minimizes typing or mouse clicks
- Stop playing video games after work
- Sit in chair with ice on hands and watch TV for hours
- Visit chiropractor
- Surgery
After spending lot of money doing all these changes to your lifestyle, the pain just lowers a bit. Never gets cured permanently Then our pain gets back within a short span of using the computer.
\\Finally we realize our brain has a global constants in memory
const Typing = "PAIN"
const LeftClick = "PAIN"
const RightClick = "PAIN"
\\These associations will not change even if we switch hands...
Note: I'm not a doctor/research fellow, just a software developer like you, doing 8 hour shifts sitting in front of a dual monitor setup on a comfy chair, sometimes standing at a adjustable desk. Take the content of this article with caution.
Does this have a permanent cure ?
What's that?
I'm not kidding. Understanding the real reason(not the physical reason) for our pains definitely cures it.
Stop for a second and think,
- Does pain increases if you are in lot of stress either at work/home ?
- Do you feel pain within a short span after you start typing ?
- Do you start thinking about pain even before you start your work ?
- Do you have a moment in the day where you thought, this pain might permanently ruin happiness and probably livelihood.
In fact, There is nothing to worry about this pain though (I know what you’re thinking!!!!!!! ). Pain is very real and so your problems. This pain keeps increasing exponentially when you start thinking about it every moment of your life.
If you are in Mid-20 or 30's without having any significant health issues except this pain when working on a computer, I think you are in the right spot!
This pain is just caused by a slight reduction of blood flow to your hands, which can be easily cured by gaining some information & change your thinking about pain.
Have your heard about TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome) ?, Don't get scared with this Big Word. Once we understand what TMS is and find out the real reason for our pains, we can definitely get rid of the pain. We can in turn use pain to find the disturbing problems that our conscious brain is trying to hide.
TMS is a condition that causes real physical symptoms that are not due to pathological or structural abnormalities and are not explained by diagnostic tests. In TMS, symptoms are caused by psychological stress. https://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/An_Introduction_to_Tension_Myositis_Syndrome_(TMS)
Sarno tells people that they're causing their own pain unconsciously. of course he says it's the brains reaction to stress or anger or fear rather than face the anger the brain redirects you're at by reducing the blood flow to certain parts of the body that causes pain and that pain in your back or neck or ankle or wrist wherever distracts your mind from the rage or unacceptable feeling. your brain actually thinks it's doing you a favor by doing this by distracting you from what you really don't want to think about
After learning the background about TMS, figuring out that most of us suffer from TMS is neither Rocket 🚀 Science nor complicated as understanding this Partial Differential Equation
No two people are exactly alike, and likewise, no two TMS recoveries are exactly the same. Different pain-healing techniques work for different people, and one of the keys to TMS treatment is identifying what techniques work best for you. People have reported using a variety of approaches to get better. Regardless of the specific technique, TMS treatment is based on two principles, which Dr. Sarno stated in Healing Back Pain:
- The acquisition of knowledge, of insight into the nature of the disorder.
- The ability to act on that knowledge and thereby change the brain's behavior.
There are lot of techniques to treat TMS, everyone who understand this will eventually find their way out of this. Do these to cure it yourself. Most of the following content is taken from TMS Wiki website.
Read the information, books & success stories about people recovering from TMS. TMS Wiki is one of the best websites.
- https://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Repetitive_Strain_Injuries_-_RSI
- https://www.amazon.com/Mindbody-Prescription-Healing-Body-Pain/dp/0446675156/
- https://www.amazon.com/Great-Pain-Deception-Faulty-Medical/dp/0615462219/
There are lot of videos on YouTube, where people explain their TMS diagnosis, techniques that helped them to recover completely.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCv3as7bdrM&list=PL77ngVgNbYLGMvqvpQNOCl1bsprSp4z4Z
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkIwgxm7YFI&t=80s
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEBI7bwrRO8&t=177s
TMS serves as a distraction mechanism to prevent unwanted emotions to surface to our consciousness. The idea being that you will focus on your symptoms instead of your emotions. Think of how much time you spend thinking about your symptoms, worrying about when they will come next, or if they will ever go away. Thinking psychologically involves turning your focus from your symptoms to your emotions. Instead of thinking "When is my back/wrist going to stop hurting?," ask yourself "What am I stressing about now?," or "How do I feel emotionally right now?" Thinking psychologically is a process of using your symptoms as a signal to check in on your emotional state, as well as a method of changing how you view your symptoms.
In Healing Back Pain, Dr. Sarno writes: Perhaps the most important (but most difficult) thing that patients must do is to resume all physical activity, including the most vigorous. It may seem odd to become active when you are still in pain, but it can be extremely beneficial in TMS treatment. By being active you are sending messages to your unconscious that you do not have a physical problem, and will no longer think physical. The more active you are, the more confidence you will gain. People are encouraged to start slowly and build their activity level up as their recovery progresses. Resuming physical activity for some may not necessarily mean going to a gym for a work-out. It may just mean continuing to do your daily house cleaning, shopping, cooking, and walking the dog so you both get fresh air, some exercise of the legs, and hopefully sunshine. If pain is there, remind yourself it is psychologically, not physically, caused.
Hearing how other people recovered from TMS can be very helpful in your own recovery. This can be anything from posting in our forum to attending a lecture by a TMS doctor. Our organization hosts a number of events for peers including: a weekly TMS discussion group and drop-in chat, in-person support groups, and TMS webinars. Learning from people who have been there will help you gain a better understanding of this syndrome.
Identifying and understanding what factors are fueling your symptoms is key. Many people have reported that writing about past and present events, as well as their emotions, has been particularly helpful in reducing their symptoms. Simply making a list of events and circumstances that may be creating repressed anger and rage has been enough for some people to recover. Dr. Sarno says you don't even need to solve a problem you have repressed. It is enough to identify it and tell your unconscious mind that it is what you have repressed and that is causing your pain.
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