Two and a half years ago, I was considering dropping out of graduate school as my body began to fail—I was in constant pain, could not sleep at night, lost the ability to perform tasks of daily living like dry my hair, carry a cell phone or any light object more than a few minutes, do dishes, etc., and was losing the ability to do my work—using the computer for more than a few minutes sent shooting pains up my arms. My neck pain had become so severe that it felt as if someone was trying to pull my head off. Despite improved ergonomics, rest, and visits to dozens of doctors, physical therapists, neurologists, surgeons, chiropractors, and osteopaths—including some of the top physicians in the Boston area— I continued to get progressively worse. Everything changed when I found Suparna Damany and got on the path to a full recovery.
First, Suparna was able to give me an accurate diagnosis for my problems—even though many “RSI-expert” physicians could not figure out what was wrong with me. In addition to finally getting a proper diagnosis, Suparna developed a customized treatment plan that has restored my health and allowed me to go back to work full-time doing what I love. Suparna has over 20 years of experience treating severe chronic pain and RSI patients—those the rest of the medical community has given up on. She understands where your body is at, based on your specific symptoms and the way your body has compensated for the pain, and tailors her treatment plan to you—knowing when and how much exercise/weights to recommend, when and how frequently to do certain stretches or nerve glides, and how to build up the tolerance to go back to doing your work in a systematic manner.
She has also developed innovative techniques that do not exist anywhere else. For example, one component of my treatment focused on retraining my sympathetic nervous system—since chronic pain can wreak havoc on a normally functioning nervous system and make it difficult to get back to pain-free. Through my time with her, I have befriended other patients and have watched with awe at how people even worse off than me have gone on to live pain-free lives, working full-time and doing what they love.
Through Suparna’s treatment, I went from not being able to use the computer to working full-time, from getting fatigued from doing exercises with no weights to regularly lifting weights at the gym (60lb lat. pull down, push-ups, etc.), and from losing hope about my ability to live a normal life to getting back to pursuing my life and career goals. In sum, I cannot recommend Suparna enough and owe her my life, career and future.
–Julia D, Massachusetts
When I first started having pain in my hands, I panicked. I consulted doctors, physical therapists, and alternative medicine practitioners, all of whom gave me contradictory advice. Some of them said I should avoid all activities that cause me pain, others said that the pain was in my head and I should ignore it. Some said I would be fully recovered in a month, others said my case was
hopeless and I should go ahead and apply for SSI. I didn’t know who to believe, and worried that there wasn’t a remedy for my problem.
As time passed, my condition worsened. I was in pain even when I was not on the computer – I couldn’t drive or chop vegetables. The pain, which had started in my hands, spread to my upper back, shoulders, and forearms. The RSI pain strained my relationships, limited my ability to take care of myself, and I was mourning all of the things I would never be able to do again.
Around this time, I attended a RSI support group and someone mentioned that people had moved to Allentown to be treated by Suparna Damany until they were healed. At that point, I would have done just about anything to get better, so I called Suparna to see if she would take me on as a patient. I was surprised when Suparna said that she would be able to treat me over Skype. I wondered if she could really have success treating me long distance, but I figured that it was worth a try before making the more dramatic step of moving to Allentown.
During our first Skype session, Suparna assessed my symptoms and gave me a timeline for recovery. She said that she would be able to treat me in about six sessions. She gave me a robust set of exercises to do throughout the day – exercises that would not increase my pain, but would increase the flexibility, strength and endurance of my upper body.
As soon as I started working with Suparna, I experienced a great reduction in anxiety about my pain. I knew that I could trust her experience and expertise – her program had healed so many people. I was finally able to take action to improve my condition.
With each Skype session, Suparna carefully progressed my exercises and added new ones based on the strength targets I was reaching. She let me know how my pain would change as I hit certain strength targets. This gave me concrete goals and something to look forward to. She even told me when I could expect to have setbacks.
Throughout the process I emailed Suparna whenever I had a questions about my symptoms or exercises. Her prompt replies set me at ease and assured me that I was no different than the thousands of patients she has successfully treated.
These days, my hands are not perfect, but I can do all of my daily activities with little or no pain.
I’m grateful for Suparna’s help during a time when I felt hopeless and alone. That’s why I am so glad that she’s launching an online pain program to reach more patients. To all of you reading this, stay hopeful – you can get better by following Suparna’s program!
–Santhi H, California
I started a corporate job right out of University and almost immediately experienced ergonomic discomfort. I let the pain go on so long I was eventually unable to do very basic things. Even holding a coffee cup was painful. During three years of pain, I met various physical therapists and doctors, all who told me “You’re just one of those people who will always have pain” or “Try to stop typing at work” (as if I only use my hands for typing!) I felt doomed and helpless.
My company brought in Suparna as a guest speaker on RSI issues for one of our quarterly meetings. She walked around and met with a few of us who had experienced ergonomic/RSI discomfort. In as little as 5 minutes she was able to give me a quick stretching plan and assured me that no, I would not be “one of those people who are always in pain”. Those five minutes of stretching lessons were the only thing in three years that had done anything for the pain. I continued with routine Skype sessions with Suparna for the next few months- best decision I could have made. She really understands people. 6 months later, I not only am I without the daily pain, but I’ve been more active than ever before. I wish I reached out sooner and could have avoided the three years of unnecessary pain. Thanks Suparna!
–Aly M, Texas
By the time I encountered Suparna’s book, I had spent nine months suffering chronic pain in my forearms, unable to type or drive, and severely limited in my everyday household activities. I had seen more than ten medical professionals – doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors – none of whom had been able to identify what was causing my pain. I had taken to typing and mousing using my feet, but as my ankles started to develop the telltale signs of tendonitis, I realize that my coping mechanisms were failing; I needed to understand my condition and confront it head on.
Reading Suparna’s book helped me come to terms with my condition: I recognized that I was going through something that other people had also faced, and fixed. Instead of saying that I was suffering some obscure kind of pain in my forearm, I was able to say that I have a repetitive stress injury, and explain its etiology.
But I needed more personalized guidance through the recovery process, and so contacted Suparna directly. Through a series of 4 appointments conducted via Skype, spaced at intervals of approximately a month, she walked me through the recovery process. We began with simple stretching and nerve flossing exercises to mobilize the tissue.
Suparna told me she would far rather treat overuse than underuse. This statement freed me from a substantial portion of my fear that I was hurting myself by merely going about the activities that were required to live in the modern world. We also talked specifically about measures that I could use when working at the computer: switching hands, ergonomics.
But what surprised me the most was the active approach that she took to the problem. What I had been unable to resolve by rest, I could resolve by gaining strength. We began work to strengthen the back muscles that support posture, to prevent recurrence of the injury. And I began to take breaks from sitting in my office chair to run around, climb up and down the stairs, do push ups, or anything to get my heart rate up. The activity helped more than the rest ever had.
I found myself able to go about my everyday activities with less pain, and I’ve been able to return to the computer in a measured progression, working up from 10 minutes of typing to 20 to 30 until I was able to even get back to my normal obsessive style: periods of a complete concentration that left me exhilarated – followed by the requisite activity and stretching, of course.
–Madeleine U, California
Before working with Suparna, my attempts to improve my worsening symptoms involved restricting my activities, wearing a braces, and taking NSAIDs as suggested by others. I did not like not being able to give my full effort to work or being restricted on what I could do at home. I significantly decreased my work, but my symptoms only worsened.
One of my friends and coworker told me about her results with Suparna through Skype sessions. I trusted my friend’s judgment, so I set an appointment. Suparna changed my perspective when she told me that I could do things that would increase the activities I could safely handle, contrary to my belief that the only way to get better was to rest and avoid aggravating movements. I followed her advice and prescribed exercise/stretch routine, and I noticed the early improvement in just a few days. I am currently three months and three sessions in, I am feeling much, much better than when I first came to Suparna and rarely have pain.
–Austin B, Texas
I’ve been dealing with computer-related upper body pain for years, and have seen over two dozen medical professionals. Most other consultations made me worse, or at best did not aggravate my condition. Working with Suparna has been the single biggest win throughout my journey.
-Kevin M, Georgia
I first developed RSI as a graphic design student during my final year of University. Years of bad posture, no exercise and late nights spent glued to the computer had caught up to me at only 22, resulting in chronic pain in both forearms. I could only use the computer for a couple of minutes at a time, and was facing the possibility of my career being over before it had even begun. I spent the next four years being unsuccessfully treated by various physiotherapists and specialists, and was even encouraged to see a psychologist under the belief that the pain was all “in my head”.
It wasn’t until I discovered Suparna that I felt that I had found someone who truly understood the ins and outs of chronic pain. After following her program, I began to feel improvements after only eight weeks. It’s now been nearly eight months and I’m using the computer for five hours, and drawing for two hours a day, and still continuing to improve. Suparna has helped me get my life back on track and has taught me to take a balanced approach when working with computers and other static activities.
I would recommend her to anyone who has suffered with chronic pain and I can’t thank Suparna enough for helping me get to where I am today.
–Jessica B, Australia
It is difficult to talk about Suparna Damany without getting emotional, but I feel that she saved my career and returned me to normal day-to-day functions.
Over a few months in 2004/05 when work became very intense, I went from having no symptoms of RSI to having such severe symptoms that I couldn’t grasp or hold anything without severe pain. I could no longer perform my work duties. My arms would ache and then go numb each evening, and I had great difficulty sleeping. I saw over a dozen local practitioners in years to follow with variable results, but no one was able to get me strong and functioning better than 50% of my original work capabilities, and I became highly dependent on help in my personal life.
Then, through a work program, Suparna came in and did an assessment and spoke of “curing” me. Which she subsequently went on to do. She is the only practitioner I met over the years who seemed to fully understand how bodies respond to repetitive strain, and she is the only one who said that a complete recovery was possible. With her guidance and exercise program, the right ergonomic tools, and with an awareness of how my body responds to repetitive motions, I am able to remain symptom free.
She really was the critical tool that enabled me to recover, and I am very grateful that the company provided that opportunity for me. Having her available on Skype each quarter allowed for progression of the program as I was healing, and she was always readily available outside the Skype sessions for extra help when needed. I recommend her without hesitation to anyone that I meet who has RSI symptoms, and I would hope that she will remain as a resource for anyone within the company who develops an RSI.
–Jennifer U, Australia
I know you don’t know each other, so this may seem a little strange, but it just seemed appropriate.
Six months ago, I was diagnosed with ulnaritis, and I was one hurting pup. I now believe that the slow rate of my ulnar nerve at the elbow was just one of many symptoms of what Suparna calls repetitive stress or cumulative stress injury, a soft tissue injury involving muscle, some fairly serious fascial restrictions, nerves, tendons, etc. — probably owing to many years of computer overuse and/or putting too much pressure on my elbow as I worked.
I just received my 6 month retest and my nerves showed entirely normal, and a very market improvement in speed. My doctor asked about what treatment I had.
You never know if it is due to just time, or treatment, but I do believe that I had the best physical therapist (Suparna) and myofascial therapist(Liana) on the planet, and just wanted to express my deepest gratitude. Of course, I didn’t know what fascia (or ergonomics) was before reading Suparna’s book, so it directly led me to seek out Liana, who is a complete miracle worker.
Around the time my body felt like it had unraveled – I couldn’t write with a pen and the pain was such that I couldn’t imagine getting better without surgery – I would have been completely lost had I not found Suparna’s book. I was a little disappointed with the news (from the book) that healing could take months and even years, but I found the prognosis to be extremely accurate.
I don’t consider myself to have graduated, as I’m still doing Suparna’s program and will continue to seek myofascial treatment and administer self-treatment. My experience has also made me want to help and educate others about it.
I know that you provided a service for which there is monetary compensation, but I don’t think there is any dollar amount that can be equated to the important work that you both do!
–David S, Illinois
“I cannot say enough positive things regarding my consults with Suparna. She is the ONLY professional that identified the need to address my nerve issues prior to commencing strengthening exercises (I have seen at least a dozen people for various treatments). I think her stepwise approach was key to my initial recovery. So, following the session focusing on my nerve issues, she designed a strengthening program for me. This has been iterative and tweaked over the various consults that I have had with her. By working through a treatment in a logical stepwise manner I have almost reached 100% recovery.
I would like to emphasize that the repeated consults motivated me to constantly return to my exercises after initially dealing with re-injury problems. This recovery has not been a smooth road but her positive outlook and determination that a complete recovery is possible has been inspiring. As well, when I started having burning issues in my wrist again she was able to listen, evaluate and explain to me the physiology of my symptoms. I wish I could more succinctly express how valuable her consults have been. “
“The follow up sessions have been excellent for feedback on making sure I’m doing the exercises correctly, when to increase the intensity and when to change to new exercises to progress the recovery.”
“Suparna’s advice has been the only advice that has produced any relief. If I feel symptoms returning, I turn to her exercises first and all medical advice later. I feel that I’m even partially functional here because of the fantastic opportunity to work with her.”
“I really appreciated the consult with Suparna. She provided me with multiple modifications to my work area. I have notice a marked improvement in my posture and the lessening of arm and wrist pain. I have also been applying the stretches she gave me which are specific to my needs. Overall I found her visit the most successful to me so far in regards to my RSI condition.”
“Suparna is the first therapist who offered the option of full recovery, and I have had great success by following her recommendations and guidelines. She‘ is the only practitioner I’ve see who seems to fully understand how to treat, and rectify, the condition.”
“I found Suparna very helpful and found that she gave better information and background to the issue. I preferred the exercises and tips from Suparna over previously seen physiotherapists. She was better quality over all.”
“The follow up sessions have been excellent for feedback on making sure I’m doing the exercises correctly, when to increase the intensity and when to change to new exercises to progress the recovery.”
“She is the first practitioner that I have visited where the end goal is full recovery and the ability to return to work using hands/arms at a computer. Also first practitioner who understands that the problem is not localized (e.g. wrists=carpal tunnel) and begins to treat all aspects of the problem areas (neck-shoulders-arms-hands).”
“Suparna is very knowledgeable in the field of RSI’s. She has given me many exercises that are making my symptoms more manageable.”
“I found that Suparna is extremely helpful. Her program and advice is the #1 thing that has helped. It is both reassuring and a great opportunity to be able to follow-up with an expert. She offers alternatives in her approach and I value her honest. Her program works!”
“My one-on-one time with Suparna was incredibly helpful. I was especially encouraged by the knowledge that my symptoms are treatable and I could expect marked improvement through simple measures. I believe my overall productivity is up when I employ her suggestions, and I know I am able to participate more fully in activities outside of work (previously I was somewhat limited in what I could do).”
