2012 New Edition – END YOUR CARPAL TUNNEL PAIN WITHOUT SURGERY
COMING SOON!
END YOUR CARPAL TUNNEL PAIN WITHOUT SURGERY
By
Kate Montgomery, CSMT, HHP, ND, PKP
Foreword
More than 2000 studies on musculoskeletal disorders have been conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
In addition to making environmental changes (at home and on the job), the findings indicate that exercising, stretching, and physical balance are critical components to minimizing the potential for musculoskeletal disorders.
In addition, NIOSH found other factors such as, gender, cigarette smoking, physical activity and strength contribute to these types of disorders. It would seem then, and based on the research, that any effort to minimize these disorders must incorporate a holistic approach.
Beginning in 1994, I became affiliated with the Montgomery Method™. I have utilized the techniques in hundreds of ergonomic and work injury cases. I have found the Montgomery Method™ to be effective in improving the outcome of repetitive strain disorders, as well as a viable, preventable injury program. I highly support and recommend.
Kate has been in the forefront of finding what works to help people with musculoskeletal disorders. She is a leader in her field of work and she has helped thousands of people. I am honored to be associated with her.
Steve Thompson
President, SEO, Aspen Risk Management Group
Author, Workplace Safety: A Guide for Small and Midsize Companies
Founder, Workers’ Compensation Training Consortium
Founder, ERGOhealthy
RSI/Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Is The #1 Crippler Of Our Workforce!
I’ve met, spoken to, and worked-on hundreds of people who have had a repetitive strain injury of the arm, wrist and hand. I am happy to say that many who tried my program, and worked the team approach recommended found relief and returned to a functional and productive life.
Nineteen years have passed since the printing of my first edition of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Prevention and Treatment. Later it was retitled End Your Carpal Tunnel Pain Without Surgery. So many names have been given to the description of a repetitive strain injury of the upper body. The most famous in the ‘90’s was Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or CTS. It was front-page news and in 1996, Garry Trudeau, creator of Doonsbury, did two cartoons on situations involving carpal tunnel and how it affected first, the individual and then work downsizing, the ultimate excuse. CTS has also popped up in TV soap operas and TV shows as an ailment as it is so recognizable for arm and wrist pain injury.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome was the Epidemic of the ‘90’s and an employer and worker compensation worst nightmare. Today, it is considered the Pandemic of the 21st Century. There are many names for this pandemic of the upper body, all work related. In the 90’s it was referred to as work related muscular-skeletal disorder (WRMSD), repetitive strain disorder (RSD), cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) and repetitive strain injury (RSI). The American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons announced at their annual convention (2007 San Diego, CA), that carpal tunnel syndrome was a genetic disorder. I guess if you can’t figure out how to prevent it, or fix it, then it must be genetic! There is no scientific basis for that statement. Correcting this disorder is based on the health of the body and how you take care of it.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome the most widely known name for describing a repetitive strain injury of the wrist but in fact, most people had a severe case of tendonitis. This was due to the constant overuse and strain. The symptoms are real but it can be reversed without surgery. Two decades later the PANDEMIC of the 21st century still exists and will continue to add to worker disability. It is still the #1 reported upper body repetitive strain disorder in the USA. Canada, Norway and many industrial countries also have experienced this epidemic of Carpal Tunnel. With technologies increasing encroachment in every aspect of our lives, these disorders are here to stay. Every age and gender is affected. In the United States, employers spend more than $7.4 billion in worker compensation costs, untold medical treatment, litigation costs, hidden costs and lost productivity according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. The government would like us to believe that carpal tunnel has declined in the workplace but research over the past five years indicates that there is a renaming or categorization of this disorder. Instead of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, it is listed under ‘sprains and strains’ and ‘lost work days’, and ‘light duty restriction.’ This disorder is not going away and the rising costs to the taxpayer, patients, employers, insurance and government organizations such as Medicare and Medicaid. One our to every four people are affected by a musculoskeletal injury (MSI) according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, 2000. (Balance Systems, Inc)
Even though more ergonomically designed equipment has been developed to help eliminate some of the stress on the body, the injuries still persist. Why? Because we still use the body to do the physical work. That will never change. Short of stopping the activity that aggravates the condition, opting for a program of daily prevention and maintenance is the ONLY Key to a functional and productive, free of pain, living the lifestyle you want…and most important, putting the control factor of your health care back into your hands.
Healing a Repetitive Strain Injury is not just a one-time visit – it is a Lifetime of Maintenance!
Future Generations…
Children are taught to use a computer as early as two years old. They play games on mom’s cell phone, Wii’s Super Mario Brothers game and others. The terms from the ‘90’s, “Nintendo Thumb, Space Invaders Wrist, Gameboy Wrist, Trackball Thumb,” are as prevalent today. The New “Cyber Athlete” is emerging due to the increase in computer video games and competitions. The equipment – joy sticks, track balls, keypads, all demand a child to move fast, and to reach awkwardly, to look up, look down for long periods of time, not straight ahead, and to sit on the edge of a chair that does not support or fit their body. Computer classrooms are the norm now. Children are taught how to use a computer but not how to set-up a safe computer workstation or to prepare the Body to use the computer. There is very little ergonomic and body maintenance support in the schools to protect your child’s body when not on the court or playground. The potential for repetitive strain injury during the developmental years is real. Further education on body mechanics and workstation safety is necessary so our children will not suffer the pain of repetitive strain disorder. As I write this, Childhood RSD’s are realities. The possibilities of the fullness of life require good health, and technology may rob our children of their future, both in and out of the workplace.
Knowledge of prevention and maintenance techniques, combined with the understanding of what a safe workstation entails, can decrease the risk of repetitive strain injury. The combination of these two effective programs can help stop the carpal tunnel syndrome epidemic from spreading to future generations.
I sincerely hope that the information contained in this book will inspire you to begin a preventive program with continual maintenance for you and your children, before the pain of carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive strain disorders robs you and your family of a functional and productive life.
I wish you good luck in your search for the truth. We all deserve the right to a pain-free, healthy body and a life full of possibilities!
PS. We are 21 years of recognition of these disorders. How many more generations will suffer, unable to work, be left disabled and unable to provide for themselves or their family? Responsibility lies with you to teach and prevent these disorders. Drugs and surgery are just temporary bandaids. They do not deal with the true cause.
Kate´
Every Musician that has ever experienced a repetitive problem and felt its devastating effects on their love of playing should read this book!
With the current health trend of visiting local gymnasiums and being invaded by commercial television to get some other device to improve your abs, it’s extraordinary that the one part of your body that you rely on to work and communicate with is taken so much for granted until something goes wrong!
Regardless in what capacity you use your hands, whether it be punching stuff into a laptop or being a concert pianist, you’d do well to put Kate¢ Montgomery’s program at the top of your health regimen.
Thanks Kate for steering me in the right way.
___Keith Emerson
Keyboardist, Emerson, Lake and Palmer