Hello there,
I am a 33 year old male from Northern Ireland. For over 2 years I have been suffering from what I've been led to believe is RSI (repetitive strain injury, carpal tunnel/ cubital tunnel syndrome) from working at a computer for too long, bad ergonomics etc. I have had constant burning, tingling and numbness type symptoms in both arms/hands aswell as pain in my upper back and shoulders, I also have an intermittent clicking and grinding sensation in my left shoulder /elbow which is quite loud and unsettling. Too add to this I was also diagnosed with crohns disease around 10 years ago however that's another story. Within the last 2 years I have tried physio, acupuncture, swimming, massage, self-massage, different types of vitamin/mineral supplements and even changing my diet all with little to no success; I’m really at my wits end to say the least and currently considering extended sick leave or looking for another job.
By nature I am a very sceptical person, I would consider myself a realist and have always believed that everything must have some kind of logical explanation. I have also been completely negligent of religious beliefs and ideas mainly due to the sensitivity of the topic where I was born.
I recently read Dr. Sarno's audio book “Healing back pain” and like many others saw myself in many of the pages at the beginning of the book, I continued to finish the book and found it fascinating to say the least. However, I’ve remained slightly sceptical and I still need a little more convincing that my symptoms are not the result of a physical "over-use" injury or abnormality. The physio therapist I'm seeing at the minute through the NHS has basically told me that my left scapula is too weak and needs to be strengthened to take the strain off my shoulders and elbows. In a way this makes sense, but I think I need to stop thinking about it physically.
When I look back at my early life now, I see a strange family where emotions and problems were simply swept under the carpet. I wouldn’t consider my childhood a very unhappy one, however it certainly had many problems. I always remember my mother and other relatives would sometimes call me “hate the world”. As a child I was angry and easily frustrated; however, I was never able to admit truthfully the real reason why I was always so angry for fear of my mother’s reaction. My mother has been married 3 times and has suffered from severe anxiety since she was physically abused by her first husband, my father was her second marriage and she divorced him when I was 7. A lot of anger, rage and confusion began at that moment in my life and I can remember being afraid all of the time as my father disappeared and I didn't see him until 4 years later. I feel as if this repressed anger and rage has been carried with me since then. I've been stressed out over a lot of personal and family things over the past few years. In fact the more I think about it, I started to have these RSI type symptoms just after my grandfather passed away.
I would really appreciate if any one with a similar scenario to mine could shed some light on this for me, as I'm struggling to believe there isn't something seriously wrong with my arms/shoulders.
Many thanks
I am a 33 year old male from Northern Ireland. For over 2 years I have been suffering from what I've been led to believe is RSI (repetitive strain injury, carpal tunnel/ cubital tunnel syndrome) from working at a computer for too long, bad ergonomics etc. I have had constant burning, tingling and numbness type symptoms in both arms/hands aswell as pain in my upper back and shoulders, I also have an intermittent clicking and grinding sensation in my left shoulder /elbow which is quite loud and unsettling. Too add to this I was also diagnosed with crohns disease around 10 years ago however that's another story. Within the last 2 years I have tried physio, acupuncture, swimming, massage, self-massage, different types of vitamin/mineral supplements and even changing my diet all with little to no success; I’m really at my wits end to say the least and currently considering extended sick leave or looking for another job.
By nature I am a very sceptical person, I would consider myself a realist and have always believed that everything must have some kind of logical explanation. I have also been completely negligent of religious beliefs and ideas mainly due to the sensitivity of the topic where I was born.
I recently read Dr. Sarno's audio book “Healing back pain” and like many others saw myself in many of the pages at the beginning of the book, I continued to finish the book and found it fascinating to say the least. However, I’ve remained slightly sceptical and I still need a little more convincing that my symptoms are not the result of a physical "over-use" injury or abnormality. The physio therapist I'm seeing at the minute through the NHS has basically told me that my left scapula is too weak and needs to be strengthened to take the strain off my shoulders and elbows. In a way this makes sense, but I think I need to stop thinking about it physically.
When I look back at my early life now, I see a strange family where emotions and problems were simply swept under the carpet. I wouldn’t consider my childhood a very unhappy one, however it certainly had many problems. I always remember my mother and other relatives would sometimes call me “hate the world”. As a child I was angry and easily frustrated; however, I was never able to admit truthfully the real reason why I was always so angry for fear of my mother’s reaction. My mother has been married 3 times and has suffered from severe anxiety since she was physically abused by her first husband, my father was her second marriage and she divorced him when I was 7. A lot of anger, rage and confusion began at that moment in my life and I can remember being afraid all of the time as my father disappeared and I didn't see him until 4 years later. I feel as if this repressed anger and rage has been carried with me since then. I've been stressed out over a lot of personal and family things over the past few years. In fact the more I think about it, I started to have these RSI type symptoms just after my grandfather passed away.
I would really appreciate if any one with a similar scenario to mine could shed some light on this for me, as I'm struggling to believe there isn't something seriously wrong with my arms/shoulders.
Many thanks
