The Essential Keys to Solving RSI Naturally,
for Everyone

by internationally renowned concert pianist Alan Kogosowski

A 'Hand-Book' for everyone. 'How to prevent RSI' explains the reasons we develop RSI – Repetitive Hand Injury – as well as Tendinitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and all the related problems stemming from constant daily use of our hands.

RSI has affected musicians, surgeons, dentists, carpenters, gardeners, and many others who use their hands constantly in the daily course of their work. But today it is affecting more and more people because of the exponentially increasing use of computers and mouses. This problem will inevitably grow, because of the nature of the design of computers, which keep our hands in a constricted sphere of activity for many hours a day.

In America, as well as many other countries, RSI is the subject of workplace regulations (OSHA) requiring businesses to maintain a supply of materials – books, videos, courses – dealing with this nagging and pervasive problem. All businesses with full-time typists – law offices, accountants, government agencies, schools, universities, etc, can add How to Prevent RSI to their Human Resources shelves with confidence that it will help to alleviate this problem in their workplace.

'How to Prevent RSI' provides the tools of knowledge by which we can understand how our hands actually work – and thereby do something about it. This information applies to everyone – people typing at computers as well as those playing the piano or performing brain surgery. Along the way, we will be lent a hand in our growing awareness of this subject by one of history's great observers of the human body.

Alan Kogosowski's combination of classical pianist with workplace adviser on repetitive strain came about because one of the essential factors in a concert pianist's career is learning to master RSI. Many famous pianists have been virtually crippled by CTS – carpal tunnel syndrome, an affliction much feared in the classical music world, now also increasingly with computer and mouse users. Its effects are so devastating that pianists are often afraid to speak about it, and teachers think of it fatalistically as some kind of mystery illness. The simple truth is, RSI is a direct result of incorrect posture and modes of hand usage, which are examined clearly and simply in How to Prevent RSI.

Unlike 'Genius of the Piano', which examines the ever-present danger of RSI for those most at risk – pianists – as well as giving an in-depth picture of the history and culture of the piano, How to Prevent RSI addresses the problem simply and directly in terms of everyone's hand usage, especially those using computers on a sustained basis. The basic points covered are the essence of this ubiquitous problem, and they apply to all human beings.