From cube-lovers-errors@mc.lcs.mit.edu Tue Mar 30 15:11:03 1999 Return-Path: Received: from sun28.aic.nrl.navy.mil (sun28.aic.nrl.navy.mil [132.250.84.38]) by mc.lcs.mit.edu (8.9.1a/8.9.1-mod) with SMTP id PAA24788 for ; Tue, 30 Mar 1999 15:11:03 -0500 (EST) Precedence: bulk Errors-To: cube-lovers-errors@mc.lcs.mit.edu Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 12:53:02 +0100 From: David Singmaster To: WaVeReBeL@webtv.net Cc: cube-lovers@ai.mit.edu Message-Id: <009D5E34.B59FB7EA.32@ice.sbu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: Wrist pains Beryl Fletcher, who organized my first cube at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Helsinki in 1978, also developed Cubist's Thumb. The early cubes were stiff and one held them with a corner pressing on the tendon of the left thumbb, in the fleshy part of the thumb. With olde people, the tendon sheath, or rather the inner lubricant, has become a bit aged and the constant pressure leads to a chronic inflammation. This is readily treated by a small operation which cuts open the tendon sheath. Both Dame Kathleen Ollerneshaw and Beryl Fletcher had this. When I was working on my Notes, I did a lot of checking of move sequences and typing and got definite pains in the wrist. Since then, word processing has also occasionally produced RSI problems. Fortunately, rest lets it go away, but I have had physiotherapy several times. There were several periods when I had to stop typing for several weeks! The most unusual diagnosis was stiff neck due to tension while typing. Physiotherapy helped that. All the warnings/instructions about RSI are worth heeding. Take breaks. Stretch regularly. Make sure your work station is comfortable. Etc. RSI is real and I've known several people semi-permanently disabled by it. DAVID SINGMASTER, Professor of Mathematics and Metagrobologist School of Computing, Information Systems and Mathematics Southbank University, London, SE1 0AA, UK. Tel: 0171-815 7411; fax: 0171-815 7499; email: zingmast or David.Singmaster @sbu.ac.uk