Help me please, Dr. ATOT!

[phisrow]

Greetings all,
Of late I've been feeling odd pain/numbness in my hands and wrists, particularly my right(which handles the mouse on most of my setups). This sounds, to me, all too much like the dreaded Carpal tunnell and/or repetitive strain injury. As I'm only 20, a student who needs to do a lot of writing, a decently active gamer, and a frequent command line user, this rather scares me, as I'd rather not be crippled horribly for most of my life.

Obviously real medical advice would be a good idea in this situation, and I'm going to get some as soon as I can make an appointment. In the meantime, though, I imagine that some of you must have experience with this sort of stuff. Any hints, precautions, stories?

 

[deejayshakur]

hopefully you're already using a split key keyboard and/or trackballs. i actually switch between an mx510 and trackman optical so i don't overstrain my wrists (from the mouse) or thumb (from the trackball). also, what i've found is that taking 10 min breaks in between 30 min computer sessions helps (yes, it means getting up away from atot). also, massage your foreamrs/wrists/fingers on a nightly basis. not sure if that's a scientifically approved treatment, but the stimulation helps me. remember to keep a good posture while at the keyboard. unfortunately, after 20 years as a programmer, carpel tunnel put my mom out of the job and now, she feels pain 24/7...some days are better than others. just don't overstress your wrists and fingers, and you should be ok.

 

[Whitecloak]

I have been havign the same problems for the last 5 years. Its been alleivated largely by wearing a wrist brace.

 

[PHiuR]

now that youve talked about it...i can almost feel it in my wrist.
crap

 

[deejayshakur]

Originally posted by: whitecloak
I have been havign the same problems for the last 5 years. Its been alleivated largely by wearing a wrist brace.

that'll alleviate the pain, but in order to slow or stop the degeneration, you'll really need to change your habits. surprise!

of course, if you're on the computer for 8 hours a day for work, you might not really have a choice. i'm sure if you bring it up to HR/employee health, they'll try to get you on modified duty.

 

[helpme]

I had the same problem a couple years ago, here's what I suggest to help relieve the pain and allow the injury to recover:

Step 0: See your doctor. If you don't want to or ignore his/her instructions...

(In order of increasing desperation)

Step 1: Give up your mousing hand. Use the other hand to mouse as much as possible, this will help a great deal.

Step 2: If you Can't/won't use your alternate hand to mouse, try one of these when mousing. It helped me quite a bit.

http://www.imakproducts.com/products/smart_glove.htm (arstechnica has a review if you are interested, but it worked for me quite well).

Step 3: Wear a splint or brace while sleeping or not using the computer. http://www.imakproducts.com/products/pil_o_splint.htm is one example, it's quite comfy.

Step 4: Use an alternate form of mousing/typing. I've been using a fingerworks touchstream LP (http://www.fingerworks.com) to help change the motions and remove the pressure on the wrist. Spendy, but it allowed me to type and mouse without putting any pressure on my wrist (not to mention being damn cool).

Step 5: Stop using the computer until the injury heals

Step 6: Have surgery to relieve the pressure on the nerve.

All the Imak products can be found at some drugstores, or ordered online.