I was new to the world of "cumulative trauma disorder," an umbrella term for a condition where muscles and tendons in the upper body -- the neck, shoulders, chest, arms, wrists and hands -- can become strained, irritated or pinched. And like many keyboard junkies diagnosed with RSI, my doctor said my traumatized limbs also showed signs of early carpal tunnel, a constriction of the nerve as it passes through the wrist.

As an online news reporter, my title could just as easily have been "thinking typist." I was terrified that the excruciating pain in my shoulders and wrists would end my career, not to mention my life; sometimes I couldn't even use a fork without a jolt of agony ricocheting up my arm.

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