Once you have realised that you need to take your symptoms seriously and that it could take them a long time to subside you naturally have a lot of questions. Sometimes the amount of information and advice you find can be overwhelming and you don't know where to begin. The information below is designed to give you a sound starting point. It tells you what watch out for and what you can do and is aimed at sufferers with both mild and severe RSI. You can decide what is the most suitable for your own situation.

1. Make sure you are well-informed
You will find plenty of information on this website. If you join the Dutch RSI Association you will receive an extensive information kit, a quarterly newsletter, and access to the telephone helpline, local group meetings and conferences. Although the quarterly newsletter is in Dutch, we do have an English version of the information kit available and there are local group meetings in English in Amsterdam. The staff of our telephone helpline (0900 7745456) will also be pleased to help you in English and if you let us know well in advance we can usually arrange some informal translation for you at conferences.

2. Learn to pace yourself
Overuse injuries require rest of the body part or parts concerned and this should reduce the pain. However, if you rest the injured part of your body for too long you will suffer a loss in physical capacity. Too much rest can be a problem. If you don't do a particular activity for a long time then you gradually lose the capacity to do it. It is very important that you get enough body movement without exhausting yourself. For example you could make sure you go for a half-hour walk every day. Physical exercise stimulates the circulation and keeps your muscles in shape.

3. Take pain seriously
Don't do anything that makes your pain symptoms worse. Don't force yourself to work through the pain, and learn to stop before the pain gets too bad. In other words learn to quit while you're ahead. Once the pain has subsided you can continue to be active in a relaxed way. If the pain gets too bad you will find it difficult to rest, relax or even sleep. Once this happens, the pain becomes an obstacle to your healing process. It may be helpful to use painkillers in consultation with your doctor. If you do so, however, make sure you use them to reduce the pain and not to be able to continue the activity for longer. A good night's sleep is very important to enable your body to heal. If you are unable to sleep because of the pain or other factors it might be worth consulting your doctor about temporary use of sleeping pills.

4. Stay within your limits
To prevent your symptoms getting worse it is vital that you limit your number of everyday activities in order to reduce the total strain on yourself. Learn to set priorities, do only what you absolutely have to and decide what can be done to a lower standard. Postpone everything that can easily wait. Be clear about what has to be put on hold. Setting yourself limits in this way is not easy. Responsibilities that you would normally be able to fulfil with no trouble at all can become a problem. Sometimes you may have to give fun things a miss. But remember that the better your learn to pace yourself and stay within your limits the better for your recovery.

5. Take good care of yourself
More or less anything that makes you feel good is contributing to your recovery. A good example is taking good care of your body. Relaxing in a hot shower or bath every day can help ease the pain in your muscles. Eating nourishing food gives you energy which almost certainly contributes towards any recovery process. A feeling of well-being and relaxation also contributes. Do not be afraid to ask for help doing those activities that have now become difficult. Other people often can't see what is difficult for you and struggling on alone isn't going to help. Try to summon up the discipline to leave such activities be. You will make life much easier for yourself.

6. Channel your energy into recovering
With an overuse injury there is no longer a balance between physical demand and physical capacity. In other words you are asking too much of your body. The longer you persist with the activities that cause this (which you probably consider normal everyday activities), the more you are physically asking too much of yourself. You may not notice at the time, but in the long-term you're using up your reserves. This can result in symptoms such as extreme tiredness and lack of energy. Remember that healing requires energy.

If your RSI is severe, you may be confronted with the symptoms, pain and limitations almost 24 hours a day. You will have to learn to deal with this and that will also require energy. So make sure you channel what little energy you do have into giving your body is much opportunity as possible to heal. Don't waste your energy by constantly focusing on your RSI. Seek things that take your mind off it, try to relax and/or do inspiring things that give you energy. Try to find a balance between activity and rest. Pace yourself. And support this process by eating properly.

7. Avoid stress and try to relax
Having RSI can be a source of stress in itself due to factors such as:

• pain and limitations
• uncertainty about recovery and how long it will take
• a lack of understanding from those around you
• learning to cope with your new situation

Although the process outlined above cannot be totally avoided or easily solved it is nevertheless important to avoid extra stress. Creating a restful environment is a prerequisite for relaxation. For example, by leaving ten minutes earlier for an appointment you can avoid the stress of having to rush. This makes it easier to remain relaxed. Seek distracting activities and aim to do something you enjoy every day. Here are a few suggestions: go for a pleasant walk, watch a good film or pop round to friends for a cosy evening. Or do something more active like yoga or swimming. Although your tense muscles and fibre may be sensitive to massage this can ultimately have a relaxing effect.

8. Consider your physical capacity for work
Mild symptoms don't usually affect your work much. By following a few practical hints you can prevent your physical capacity from deteriorating further. Whether you can adjust your work and/or way of working in order to be able to continue depends entirely on the severity of your symptoms and your work situation. If you are no longer able to carry out even the lightest of activities without symptoms then continuing to work is going to be difficult and cutting down or stopping for a while is almost inevitable.

This is especially necessary if, despite your best efforts, a healthy working environment fails to materialise. However sometimes it is possible to remain involved in your work if others can support you by typing or printing your e-mails, or if you are still able to participate in meetings. In consultation with the company doctor and your manager you will need to agree extra favourable conditions such as shorter attendance, being able to determine whether, when and how long you can work, being able to rely on good support and having a suitable workstation. Continuing to work under these circumstances requires tremendous dedication and self-discipline. It is imperative that you avoid repetitive movements and static posture, and that you take frequent short breaks and regular long breaks. Avoid putting your health at risk by remaining at work longer than is good for you and resist the temptation to carry out high-risk activities if the person supporting you is pressed for time.

Bear in mind that the symptoms do not always subside immediately you stop work. Sometimes the opposite happens. Be aware that this apparently illogical phenomenon is common and no reason to rush back to work. You need to take time to learn to cope with your new situation and to prepare the necessary adjustments to your work. On the other hand you should bear in mind that the longer you stay away from work the more difficult it will be to reintegrate in a healthy way.

9. Take control
At first you will have an awful lot of questions. Many sufferers expect the responsibility for decisions affecting their recovery to lie with somebody else. Of course your family doctor, therapist or company doctor can help you by referring, treating or advising you, but at the end of the day you are the only one who has the overview of how you feel, what you can do and what your limitations are. This means that you can decide what you think is good for you. Our advice is to do anything that has a positive influence on you and to avoid doing as many things as possible that don't!

10. Learn to cope with RSI
Suddenly being confronted with pain, limitations and many questions can put you under considerable emotional strain. Your recovery depends on you learning to cope with this. Meeting other sufferers can help, as can reading books on the subject. If RSI is leading to depression do not try to struggle on alone, get help from your doctor or specialist. Make an effort to attend a local group meeting (contact Dit e-mail adres is beschermd door spambots, u heeft Javascript nodig om dit onderdeel te kunnen bekijken ) or call the helpline of the Dutch RSI Association, 0900 7745456); not only is it a great relief to find there are others in the same boat as you, who know what you are going through, you can also pick up invaluable tips and advice on any subject from opening doors more easily to dealing with your work situation.