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Exercise is the perfect cure if the problem is lack of exercise. In this guy's case, he tried exercise. Various types. He biked to work. It still didn't fix th

Exercise is the perfect cure if the problem is lack of exercise. In this guy's case, he tried exercise. Various types. He biked to work. It still didn't fix things. His problem was cold. There's probably not much else that could fix that.

andrewvc 10y ago
FWIW I found biking terribly aggravating for RSI. It really is not an ergonomic position. I'd recommend nearly anything other than biking. Swimming, weight lifting, basketball, etc. Anything where you aren't still sitting.
- jazzyk 10y ago
  Yes, biking is actually not that good for RSI - try weight lifting, though - and swimming. Does wonders.
- paublyrne 10y ago
  I adore cycling but I've had to stop as I started to develop RSI, first in one wrist, and then in the other. I actually think it was cycling that was the proximate cause. General gym workouts help, so long as I use weights and machines with care. But I have gone back biking after forgetting about the wrist pain, only for it all to come back and become chronic again.
npunt 10y ago
You have to be more specific than 'exercise' for this type of injury. Biking (as sibling comment points out) does not put you in a very ergonomic position, and is primarily cardio. Biking is simply not going to improve things, and may make it worse. What I've learned in the past two years of intense PT is the most important thing is to focus on fixing muscle imbalance through strengthening (specifically, avoiding upper crossed and lower crossed syndromes). These put the body in a better position and reduce the load on neck muscles, which in turn reduce referred pain and muscle tightness into the arms and wrists. Most RSI-like symptoms are actually problems starting in the neck. Having a well-balanced body that is durable is an amazing protector against all sorts of poor physical environments. The article alludes to this by saying 'improve your posture', but that's not very specific - posture improves when you have better balance between muscle groups. Of course, improving ergonomics, body mindfulness, getting adequate rest, temperature, etc are important as well, but those alone don't do it, nor does cardio.

andrewvc 10y ago

FWIW I found biking terribly aggravating for RSI. It really is not an ergonomic position. I'd recommend nearly anything other than biking. Swimming, weight lifting, basketball, etc. Anything where you aren't still sitting.

jazzyk 10y ago
Yes, biking is actually not that good for RSI - try weight lifting, though - and swimming. Does wonders.
paublyrne 10y ago
I adore cycling but I've had to stop as I started to develop RSI, first in one wrist, and then in the other. I actually think it was cycling that was the proximate cause. General gym workouts help, so long as I use weights and machines with care. But I have gone back biking after forgetting about the wrist pain, only for it all to come back and become chronic again.

npunt 10y ago

You have to be more specific than 'exercise' for this type of injury. Biking (as sibling comment points out) does not put you in a very ergonomic position, and is primarily cardio. Biking is simply not going to improve things, and may make it worse. What I've learned in the past two years of intense PT is the most important thing is to focus on fixing muscle imbalance through strengthening (specifically, avoiding upper crossed and lower crossed syndromes). These put the body in a better position and reduce the load on neck muscles, which in turn reduce referred pain and muscle tightness into the arms and wrists. Most RSI-like symptoms are actually problems starting in the neck. Having a well-balanced body that is durable is an amazing protector against all sorts of poor physical environments. The article alludes to this by saying 'improve your posture', but that's not very specific - posture improves when you have better balance between muscle groups. Of course, improving ergonomics, body mindfulness, getting adequate rest, temperature, etc are important as well, but those alone don't do it, nor does cardio.