just a heads up, sorry for my bad english its not my language, hope it makes sense =P I have developed pretty bad RSI in many years due to using my computer a lot in wrong posture, also working at the office for many many years in front of the computer. I have been suffering from intense pain in my wrists / legs / forearms and only about year ego or so i stared using better posture and avoiding my computer. Got gel mats and all of that stuff, been to the doctors but they couldn't rly help me and juts gave me special wrist things to wear. Anyhow... its much better now but its still there and my hands go numb ish sometimes and i still have little pain, but nothing to cry about, its much better now then before. I also been going to the gym and swimming, that may have helped me a lot I started doing thai boxing few weeks ago and didnt rly had a full kicking season with the bag, i am still waiting for it to arrive. I want to try and see if its going to cause me any pain when i am punching it with good power for as long as i can. I am just worried that my hands will get to weak and tired very fast, i have experienced this with hand writing, my hands get very tired when i am writing and also i cant seem to hold them up for a long time i start to feel weakness in my wrists and specially forearms I was just wondering if any one have same problem or maybe heard anything about it ? maybe martial arts will give me strength and heal my RSI problem :O ? i have done a lot of research and this type of injury dont heal with medicine it seems... its psychological.
I can't say the power ball has helped me with RSI at all. I'd imagine just the opposite if I was daft enough to use it for long. But what's right for one person isn't necessarily what's right for another. Zaad and I were discussing RSI just the other night. To recap a couple of points... There are 3 specific factors to bear in mind about the activity that causes the RSI in the first place: 1. The number of repetitions of the problem movement (or even a held static position) 2. The force that the joint experience 3. The degree of deviation from the joint's neutral position while the force is applied. Typing for instance is low force but high reps and a reasonable amount of (ulnar) deviation from the wrist's neutral position. Point 3 above is probably quite pertinent from MindTricks point of view. If you punch stuff (pads, people, etc) and keep your wrist correctly aligned then you keep the risk of aggravating the RSI low, because the force is applied at or close to the wrist's neutral position. But of course there is always a risk. Another thing to consider - Zaad, I neglected to mention this the other day - is that RSI makes adverse 'macro' events (sprains & strains) more likely. Conversely, sprains and strains will aggravate existing RSI and increase the likelihood of onset in the first instance. Its important to ensure sufficient rest between stressful activities. I think this is especially important if you already have RSI and then suffer a strain of some sort. Its also worth bearing in mind that some people are more susceptible to RSI than others, for congenital factors that are not clearly understood. In particular people with hypermobile joints (either due to injury or systemically 'elastic' ligaments) will be at greater risk. Mike
It works well for me as my RSI was from intensive grip work plus typing etc, the powerball helps recruit the larger forearm muscles to work and trains the smaller ones to relax.
Good going! My issue was partly in the wrist and thumbs but also at the shared origin of the forearm extensors. The power ball just aggravated that area for me, which is a shame 'cos I did rather enjoy it Mike
