Carpal Tunnel Syndrome When Pregnant or Caring for a Child

The folks at the RSI & Overuse Injury Association of the ACT, Inc. in Australia have just released a new free book Pregnancy & Parenting With RSI.  I wish I had read this book when I first became injured, even though I don’t have children, it's full of a lot of helpful tips that can be applied to all sorts of everyday living problems.

With easy to read subheadings, this 30-page book delves into the problems of labor, when many of the recommended positions aggravate repetitive strain injuries, ways to settle your child when you can’t pick them up all the time, and the thorny problem of neck and shoulder strain while breastfeeding.

But for me, the best part of the book was the stories from members. Each of the three women had their RSI before becoming pregnant, so they knew what they would be in for and planned, planned, planned. I imagine it would be more difficult if you developed an RSI while pregnant, as many women do. These stories are a testament to the courage and the benefits you can gain from having a challenging medical condition. Lisa was young when she got her RSI and didn’t want it to mean a life without children, so she dove in anyway. Proof that an RSI doesn’t have to mean the end of the things you love.

Even if you don’t have children, there is a lot to recommend in the book. It talks about looking at everyday activities in a new way and I found I had to do the same during my acute stage. The book recommends learning to move in new ways with less effort, a practice I still employ regularly. But I’m not surprised these guys came up with such a practical little guide. The RSI & Overuse Injury Association has a list of publications with lots of practical tips, along with quarterly newsletters. You don’t have to live in Australia to become a member, and with annual fees of only $15, supporting them is affordable.

@JillGambaro is the author of The Truth About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome . She advocates for patient engagement and employee engagement to resolve carpal tunnel syndrome and keep everyone working healthy. Follow her on LinkedIn, Blogger, Facebook and Twitter.