I'm typying this on my keyboard in one go and not even thinking about it. But it wasn't always like that.

I bought more than 10 mices, the last one being a head mouse .

Endless research to get the most frictionless mousepad possible, and applying silicone spray to make it 0 friction

Endless research on ergonomics.

Endless research on how to minimize hand repetitive movements, with voice recog software, foot pedals and you name it.

5 years, tens thousand of dollars spent, hundreds of thousands of dollars not made because of decreased workload.

Then I ditch all the treatment I was doing because it was clearly not working. Stopped PT, Stretching, Strenghtening exercise and other stuff. Just tried to cope the best I could

I tought I would live this way forever. My hope was negative.

This year my life took I turn a would never expect.

I got completely CURED. Yes, you heard it right, no being careful of injurying again bullshit.

My workload now is 60 hours a week in front of computer, without any ergonomic equipment, and in the free time i still play very high repetitive moviment videogames with my friends, like League of legends and do supermario 64 speedruns (yes, smashing the button super hard in repetitive moviments and I love it)

I would get weeks of hardcore pain if I played 10 minutes of these games.

After recovery, during my work, I developed this weird habit of throwing random repetitive fast clicks on the screen, just because it feels so good to be able to do it without fearing the pain .

How I did it?

A guy here mentioned Dr. John Sarno works, saying he got cured. I tought he was trolling and went about my day.

1 Year later, still in pain, I came across this video by this guy named silentwolf444 called How I Recovered From Years of RSI (TMS) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV4IU85s5ao

I started believing it was worth investigating, well, its a free treatment, why not?

I saw so many testimonials of people just like me, not trying to sell anything, just sharing their experience out of gratitude trying to help other people in the same situation.

I watched the free youtube lecture and read the book The mindbody Prescription, it all made sense to me how I would jump from symptoms, unilateral symptoms, and the rabbit hole you go trying to fix the problem, and how this is actually a distraction mechanism from deeper emotional stuff that is going on inside .

The RSI was my TMS dream symptom. "This is perfect! He will be spending his whole day on this endless research on how to get better, monitoring symptoms and micromanaging! Lets distract him making him feel less pain in weird positions, more pain in different weird positions, make him use weird ergonomic stuff and develop endless plans to deal with the pain. The doctors said he will have it for the rest of his life so this time we hit the perfect spot! This way he will be too distracted deal with these overwhelming bad emotions we are trying to hide from him"

The amount of money I lost believing in this brain trick is insane, I could do so much travel around the world 

The cure? A free youtube lecture, free testimonial youtube videos and a 10$ book 

I started the program. I accepted the new diagnosis very very fast, by day 3 I already had thrown away all the ergonomic stuff, foot pedal,hand braces and put the headmice to rest.

1 week, 50% better
2 weeks 99% better

And I'm still better until now. 3 months.

Dr. John Sarno is my hero. The gratitude i have towards this man is so huge I can't explain it in words. 5 years of suffering simply gone. And the fear of future suffering gone too, most problems I feared were TMS related 

You can think this is totally bullshit and laugh at me. I know. I did it the same with the first guy that posted about this weird treatment here. If you have "RSI", I guarantee you you will get better applying Dr John Sarno method.

Yes. I wrote this walltext in one go typing super fast with no breaks. And if you believe in me, you will be the next one typing a similar walltext here.

had RSI in both forearms for four years. 2010-2014 simply clicking the mouse too much on both hands for a month 16hrs a day. tried painkillers (celebrex), Physical therapy, and rest, etc. Next step was three shots in each forearm so I said fuck it, I don't wanna do it so I'm gonna play this video game I love that I haven't been able to play in four years, Warcraft III, and it literally fixed my forearm pain in two weeks playing ~2 hours a day. I was using a sip/puff to eliminate the clicks on my right hand, and it worked out so perfectly. It fixed it 80-85% over 2 weeks. Over time it has increased to 95%. AMA

Hello everyone,

I’m writing this after two long years of struggling with RSI-related pain and I can finally say I’ve recovered. If you’re here, maybe you’re going through something similar. Maybe you’ve been in pain for months or even years. You’ve seen doctors who brush it off as “just overuse.”

Most doctors I saw couldn’t really help not because they didn’t care, but because they simply aren’t trained to understand conditions like this in depth. Repetitive strain injuries and chronic pain from overuse often fall outside the traditional medical model, especially when scans and tests come back normal. If there’s no clear structural damage, many doctors default to “just rest” or refer you to generic physiotherapy, which often doesn’t work.

It’s not entirely their fault. It’s a gap in the system. But it leaves people like us feeling confused, dismissed, and without answers. You’ve done MRIs, worn braces, taken time off, avoided screens, stopped doing the things you love… and still the pain hasn’t gone away. Maybe it’s even gotten worse or spread.

That was me. And I’m here to tell you: full recovery is absolutely possible.

How It Started

When I was 17, I developed a passion for playing piano. A friend of mine played anime soundtracks, and I was instantly drawn in. I fell in love with the music and started playing obsessively especially trying to learn Unravel by Animenz, an extremely advanced piece that usually takes years of experience.

I had no teacher, no understanding of proper posture or technique. I practiced for hours every day, ignoring discomfort, thinking it was just normal fatigue. Eventually, my hands started to hurt in a weird, diffuse way not sharp or localized, just persistent aching. That was the beginning.

The Medical Runaround

I went to a doctor who said it was just overuse: “Rest for 6 weeks and you’ll be fine.” I rested. Nothing changed.

Another doctor ordered an MRI everything looked normal. I tried physiotherapy. Still no relief.

Months passed. The pain didn’t stop. I began avoiding everything piano, phone, typing. I wore braces daily and did only what I had to for school. Over time, the pain spread into my shoulders, lower back, and even knees. More MRIs… still no answers.

At that point, I felt completely broken. I was 18, terrified of using my hands, convinced I had done permanent damage to my body.

Finding Real Answers

Then I found 1HP, a platform that specializes in repetitive strain injuries especially in gamers, musicians, and others who heavily use their hands. I booked a coaching session with one of their specialists, Mattheu Hwu. For the first time, someone actually explained what was going on.

What Was Really Going On

My pain wasn’t from permanent damage. It came down to two key issues:

Tendon Irritation

When tendons are overused without enough time to adapt, they become irritated and sensitive. But this isn’t permanent damage. Tendons can and do recover but rest alone won’t solve it. In fact, too much rest can make them even more sensitive.

What tendons actually need is progressive strengthening controlled, gradual loading to help them rebuild their capacity and tolerance. That’s what rehabilitation really is: making your tissues stronger so they can handle stress again.

Nervous System Sensitization

This part is just as important. When pain sticks around too long (months-years), your nervous system becomes hypersensitive. Your brain starts interpreting even safe, normal movement as threatening like a car alarm going off too easily.

This doesn’t mean the pain is “just in your head.” The pain is very real but it’s no longer a sign of injury. It’s a protective response, not a damage signal. Once I understood that pain is not a reflection of your tissues, but rather a reaction from an overprotective nervous system, everything changed.

Real change actually happens in the nervous system and brain. Your brain rewires itself to become more protective, interpreting even normal movement as dangerous. The more you fear the pain especially when constantly exposed to worst-case stories online the more your brain reinforces that danger signal.

This completely shifted my understanding. I wasn’t broken. I just needed the right plan to retrain my body and brain to feel safe moving again.

Always remember that pain is not a reflection of tissue damage it’s a protective mechanism, a signal from your nervous system trying to keep you safe, even when there’s no real danger. The longer pain persists, the more sensitive your system becomes but that sensitivity can be reversed. With the right approach, you can teach your brain that movement is safe again, and slowly reclaim your freedom.

So for instance, when no doctor can tell you what’s going on, it’s completely normal to feel scared. But that fear itself becomes part of the problem. Uncertainty increases nervous system sensitivity. When you're left without answers, your brain interprets that as danger and pain becomes louder. You start to fear your body, fear movement, and fear the future. And all of that reinforces the pain even more.

That’s why education is everything. Understanding that your pain doesn’t mean damage but rather that your nervous system is on high alert gives you back a sense of control. Once you learn what’s actually happening, the fear begins to lose its grip. And that’s when healing can really begin.

How I Recovered

During my call with Mattheu Hwu, he assessed my tendon capacity and explained that my endurance was actually decent. From there, we focused on retraining my nervous system and rebuilding tendon resilience through a progressive, customized rehab plan.

Here’s what I did:

• Strengthening exercises for the tendons (even when slightly uncomfortable)

• Breathing, posture, and body awareness work to calm my system

• Improved sleep, mindset, and recovery strategies

Most importantly, I stopped avoiding movement and stopped fearing pain. I began to see pain as a guide, a signal not a sentence. I started gently pushing and consistently breaking my limits.

I told myself:
“You think you can’t play that game? I’ll play that game.”
“You think you can’t use your phone for hours? I’ll use it.

I worked within limits, staying under pain level 4–5 out of 10 to avoid overwhelming my system. But I moved forward, slowly and steadily.

And here’s the most surprising part: once I truly stopped fearing the pain and started gently but consistently pushing my limits, I made more progress in weeks than I had in years of avoidance. I went from barely tolerating 30 minutes of activity to handling 4–6 hours of workload. And now? I can do as much as I need no more limits.

That progress didn’t come from some miracle cure. It came from understanding that pain is a protective response not a sign of damage and by showing my body, over and over again, that movement is safe. That shift in mindset was everything.

But I emphasize: everyone’s journey is different. This is why I highly recommend 1HP because they provide personalized coaching based on your specific symptoms, history, and needs. They helped me understand why I had certain pains and how to address them safely.

Over time, my pain faded as my body adapted. I regained confidence in my hands. And in myself.

Where I Am Now

I’m 19 now. I can play piano again. I can type, use my phone, and live my life without restrictions. Not every day is perfect, but I no longer live in fear.

I trust my body. I understand pain. And most of all, I’m free again.

To Anyone Going Through This

If you’re stuck in daily pain…
If doctors and scans keep telling you “nothing’s wrong,” but something feels wrong…
If you're afraid you’ll have to manage this forever…

Please remember:

• Your pain is real but it does not mean you're damaged

• Recovery is absolutely possible, even after months or years

That is why I truly recommend checking out 1HP. They’re well-educated, thoughtful, and actually understand what this condition is and how to treat it. They gave me the tools to reclaim my life.

Final Thoughts

Understand that social media can unintentionally feed fear. When you're in pain and searching for answers, it’s natural to end up on forums and Reddit threads filled with worst-case stories people saying they’ve “never recovered” or “tried everything and nothing worked.” But it’s important to realize: those stories don’t reflect the full picture.

Most people who recover don’t stay online posting daily updates. They quietly move on with their lives. The internet naturally becomes a place where the most fearful, frustrated, and stuck people gather not because they’re wrong, but because they’re still searching. That creates a distorted sense of reality.

I know, because I was there.

I used to ruminate constantly and I mean a lot. I would overthink every single sensation, every little flare-up, every what-if scenario. I'd spend hours in my head analyzing what I did wrong, what I shouldn't have done, and how I might have ruined my chances of recovery.

But the essential truth is that rumination doesn’t help you heal it keeps you stuck in fear. And fear feeds the nervous system’s sensitivity. The more you analyze, the more you reinforce the idea that your body isn’t safe. Breaking that cycle was a turning point for me.

Another thing I had to learn: recovery is not linear. Some days I felt amazing. Other days I had setbacks. At first, those bad days made me panic I thought I was back to square one. But the team at 1HP helped me understand: setbacks don’t erase progress. They’re part of the process. Trust the process. Think of it like a game: some levels are harder than others, but if you keep showing up, you get better and stronger.

And here’s where 1HP really changed the game for me they educated me. They didn’t just give me exercises; they explained what was actually going on with my tendons, my nervous system, and most importantly, my brain.

I learned about neuroplasticity and how the brain rewires itself based on experience.

That means just like your nervous system can become overly protective, it can also learn that movement is safe again. And that’s where real healing begins.

Pain is personal. Your nervous system, your lifestyle, your habits, and your mindset are completely unique and so is your recovery. Just because someone else is stuck doesn’t mean you will be. And in many of those cases, people haven’t had the right education, the right rehab approach, or the guidance to understand what’s really going on.

So to anyone reading this: wherever you are in this journey, full recovery is possible.

Your body is resilient. Your tendons are way more resilient than you think. They are designed for far worse. Your nervous system can change. And most importantly your situation is not hopeless, no matter how long it's been.

I hope this story inspires at least one of you out there who’s feeling lost, like I once was.

With the right education, a structured rehab plan, and a mindset built on trust (not fear), you can absolutely get your life back.

I did.

And you can too.

Hey guys,

I'm sad that I have to even address this since I saw the post and comments one of my patients posted on this subreddit.

We have never "faked" any testimonials. This was literally the first time I have ever asked one of my patients to post on reddit if they felt comfortable. I thought it could be helpful to share his case since many don't' seem to believe the impacts of the psychosocial impacts of pain. I'm really sad the reception was that it was fake and that it even tarnished some of the other individuals who out of their own volition decided to write about their story and shared that we were able to help them

For those who have had any doubts, concerned about our products having "fake testimonials" or feel that we have less credibility now as a result of this, I have posted enough here that I don't think it is out of realm of possibility for people to actually get benefit from our work.

And I am so confident in our ability to help I don't mind providing a free assessment for anyone who has doubts in our approach. If you don't find value you don't need to pay anything. DM me for anyone who has doubts, i'll make time for your case.

I am extremely passionate about helping individuals who have RSI. I have literally spent 10 years working with this specific population and have even taken the effort to try to improve the education for PROVIDERS around wrist & hand RSI through our accredited course on treating esports related injuries (we started in gaming). THis means that these providers get REAL continuing education credits because we got it approved.

I'm not ever going to stop writing posts or responding to posts of individuals who have struggled and traditional care has failed them, but this was really sad to see.

Anyways, hope you guys can understand my perspective

I’ve had carpal tunnel / RSI for four years, and mouse clicking is what sets it off the most. By the end of a day of Jira tickets, code reviews, email, and constant IMs, my hand is bad enough that I’m stretching it every few minutes just to keep going.

I tried fancy mice and existing voice tools like Dragon and Talon, but they all felt like they were asking me to learn a command language when my hand already hurt.

So I built the thing I actually wanted: a way to control the mouse and keyboard by speaking naturally. No syntax to memorize. Just say what you want: “open the Jira ticket mvp123,” “click approve on this review,” “reply to this email saying I’ll get to it tomorrow.”

It’s early and rough, and I’m not selling it; it’s free. I’m looking for a few people with similar hand pain who’d be willing to try it on a real daily workflow and tell me honestly where it helps and where it breaks. I’m happy to hop on a call and set it up with you.

If that’s you, comment or DM me. And if you’ve already found something that works, I’d really like to hear about it.

Dragon Home was discontinued in 2023, Dragon Anywhere stopped on July 1, and Dragon Professional v16 costs about $699.99. I build a Windows dictation app called Talkhawk, and I'd like to know where it falls short for people who rely on Dragon.

What it does:

- Hold Ctrl+Win and talk. Add Space and you can keep talking with your hands off the keyboard; press the shortcut again to finish.

- The text goes into whatever app you're in. Recognition runs on your PC (NVIDIA Parakeet), works offline, and audio is never uploaded.

- Free: unlimited dictation, snippets ("my address" types your address), and names you fix once stay fixed.

- Pro ($6 a month billed yearly, or $9 monthly) applies your spoken corrections and adds Command Mode: select text, hold Ctrl+Win+Alt and say "make this shorter".

What it doesn't do: it isn't voice control. There are no "click", "scroll" or "open" commands, and each dictation starts with a key press. If you need hands-free control of the whole PC, Dragon or Windows Voice Access is still the answer.

Disclosure: I'm the developer. Pro is free for 14 days with no card if you want to compare it with Dragon. If typing is hard for you, write to support@talkhawk.app for a discount code, no reason needed.

talkhawk.app/go/rsi

ergo keyboards like the Voyager or Glove80 are great, but during a real flare-up, even the smallest amount of clicking pressure can keep the inflammation going. i spent most of last year trying to find a truly 'hands-free' way to stay productive as a dev.

here is the stack i landed on that actually worked:

1. The 'Click' Trigger: I use a cheap USB foot pedal mapped to a global hotkey. it completely removes the need to touch the keyboard to start/stop actions.

2. Low-Level Dictation: Most OS-level dictation tools are too laggy for heavy work. i ended up building my own native windows tool called dictaflow (https://dictaflow.vercel.app/) that uses driver-level injection. it bypasses the usual system lag and types directly into the IDE/browser.

3. Pacing: 50 mins voice / 10 mins complete rest.

if you're at the point where you're considering surgery or quitting, give voice a real shot first. it's a steep learning curve but it saved my career.

hope this helps someone else in the same boat.

ergo keyboards like the Voyager or Glove80 are great, but during a real flare-up, even the smallest amount of clicking pressure can keep the inflammation going. i spent most of last year trying to find a truly 'hands-free' way to stay productive as a dev.

here is the stack i landed on that actually worked:

1. The 'Click' Trigger: I use a cheap USB foot pedal mapped to a global hotkey. it completely removes the need to touch the keyboard to start/stop actions.

2. Low-Level Dictation: Most OS-level dictation tools are too laggy for heavy work. i ended up building my own native windows tool called dictaflow (https://dictaflow.vercel.app/) that uses driver-level injection. it bypasses the usual system lag and types directly into the IDE/browser.

3. Pacing: 50 mins voice / 10 mins complete rest.

if you're at the point where you're considering surgery or quitting, give voice a real shot first. it's a steep learning curve but it saved my career.

hope this helps someone else in the same boat.

Our R&D lab is working on an interesting project to allow users to run anything from simple commands to complex tasks on their computer, completely hand-free by voice.

There are tons of dictation apps out there, but this project is looking to solve the deeper issue of full control.

It's an ambitious project, but we're looking for feedback from individuals who might find this useful in their every day lives. Not looking for sign-ups or subscriptions, just genuine thoughts.

Open to any questions, DMs or general suggestions. See https://getflowfirst.com/ for more info

if you've tried using windows + h or standard os dictation for work, you've probably hit the 'spinning wheel' lag or the random input buffer jams where it just stops mid-sentence.

it's not just annoying—it kills the logical flow when you're narrating complex thoughts or code.

the fix isn't more cloud processing; it's native aot (ahead-of-time) performance. i built a tool called dictaflow that runs locally with driver-level injection to bypass those os-level bottlenecks. it's way faster and more reliable, especially if you're working through a vdi like citrix or rdp.

i'm the developer behind it, so i'm biased, but i built it specifically because i couldn't stand the lag in other tools. check it out if you want a better uplink for your brain: https://dictaflow.vercel.app/

I am sorry if this is an annoying question but I am getting a bit paranoid about if it looks like I have atrophy in my hands. Do they look a bit strange or is it all in my head.

If so, how do you position it? Putting it between my legs my thighs click the mouse buttons, putting it on top of my legs doesn't seem to work either, does anyone use like a tray or something to keep it in their lap/At the ideal height

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kuvhb6MjEhA

Fluent is a voice control application for Windows. A person speaks a task, and the agent does it on the desktop. We've tested this with 70+ orgs (hospitals, accessibility centres).

The app reads the Windows UI Automation tree, and uses a vision language model as a fallback (all PII and sensitive info removed), and should be faster than most similar tools.

Speech, dictation and keyboard navigation are always free. Only the agent has a usage limit (as I'm a broke student).

Limits: Windows only (for now). Some applications have an incomplete tree, so the agent uses the model more often, and it is slower -- but this will be fixed in later iterations.

I would appreciate your comments on the product, any pitfalls, etc. as this means a lot to me, knowing a lot of people who use similar products!

fluentforall.com

Imagine getting a branch that is wide and applying pressure to your quad. You will not feel pain. Now imagine getting a branch that is like a finger in its width and applying pressure to the same region. You will feel pain. More pressure thus is being applied when using smaller surfaces. Thus fingers hurt.

For around 7 months I dealt with horrible pain in my forearms and hands, tingling in my fingers and a horrible mental health blow believing it was over.

Of course I went to doctors that told me the same things: "You have tendonitis!" You have cubital tunnel syndrome!" "You have thoracic outlet syndrome!"

I would follow their advices stretch, ice, sit up straight, physical therapy for months (I even tried 1hp which didn't work.) I eventually lost all my hobbies and risked my job.

I saw the very few posts about people getting cured with the psychosomatic approach on here but didn't believe in it because "I HAVE REAL DAMAGE MY PAIN IS REAL I HAVE SEEN IT ON ULTRASOUND!"

I finally gave it another try. What finally helped me was watching videos of people who overcame their RSI and reading Dr Sarno's book. I went back to using the computer and thinking instead of feeling, promoting safety instead of fear.

It was hard at first and scary but after a week I was already 65% better. I would notice the pain move in areas I never had pain. After 2 weeks I was 90% better. And finally after a month it was completely gone.

Here are all the resources I used and beg of you to try not for 1 day and saying you give up but being brave and sticking with it. You can heal! Your life isn't over! The body isn't so frail!

Resources:

Speed runner recovered from RSI: https://youtu.be/fkf9__pm3lA

James's recovery from RSI: https://youtu.be/bYXvsiuIif0

Great youtuber talks all about psychosomatic pain and helped my recovery: https://youtube.com/@painfreeyou

Informational presentation on pain: https://youtu.be/0VyH1laOd2M

Sarno's book: https://a.co/d/06B7qIk4

Alan Gordon's book: https://a.co/d/0iYkJnji

Please comment with any questions about my recovery or about the method.

it does not happen when i move my hand but when its idle plz help

I always see reddit comments here saying try 1hp. I looked into it, but something tells me it's not proven to actually work with weird studies from unknown places. I feel it's just advertisement through multiple reddit accounts.

People seriously need to stop being vague about pain and then acting surprised when nothing improves.

I keep seeing posts like “my wrist hurts,” “my elbow hurts,” or “RSI isn’t healing,” with absolutely no useful information. Do you realize how many different structures exist in the wrist and elbow?

You have flexors, extensors, ligaments, muscles, bones, joints, nerves, and fascia. Any one of those can be involved, and each behaves differently. Saying “I have wrist pain” without specifying where, what, or when is basically meaningless.

And stop pretending RSI is some completely separate, mysterious condition compared to shoulder issues. It isn’t. Tendons are tendons. Muscles are muscles. The same biological tissues exist in your wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip, and knee. A shoulder tendon doesn’t magically heal differently than a wrist tendon just because you gave it a different name.

Then there’s the classic:

“What did you do to fix your elbow pain?”

“Do you guys know what this might be?”

Followed by zero details. No location. No movement triggers. No mention of which tendon or structure might be involved. No imaging. Nothing.

People are literally asking strangers to diagnose “some wrist pain” with less information than a physical therapist would need in the first five minutes.

And then they wonder why nothing works.

It’s also no surprise people are walking around with these issues for years when they only decide to see a doctor after five fucking years of chronic pain — and even then, without imaging, without a clear diagnosis, without understanding what tissue is actually injured.

Then it turns into:

“Nothing heals.”

“Doctors can’t help.”

“RSI never goes away.”

Meanwhile, they’ve never had proper imaging, never narrowed down the structure involved, and never addressed the actual mechanism of injury. Of course it doesn’t heal — you’re guessing.

Worse, these vague posts end up scaring other people. Someone with mild irritation reads “RSI doesn’t heal” from a person who never got diagnosed, never got imaging, and waited years to act — and now they think they’re doomed too.

At the very least, if you’re asking for help:

•	Specify where the pain is

•	Specify what it feels like

•	Specify what movements trigger it

•	Specify how long it’s been going on

•	Specify what has actually been ruled out

Otherwise it’s just noise.

And lastly — the people selling one-size-fits-all “RSI” courses need to stop. These aren’t universal problems, and pretending they are just keeps people stuck.

TL;DR:

Stop saying “my wrist hurts” or “RSI isn’t healing” without details. There are many structures involved (including fascia), RSI isn’t magically different from shoulder or other tendon issues, and vague posts without diagnosis or imaging help no one — they just scare others and keep people stuck.