Anyone ever get Carpal Tunnel from working to much? Need advice
 

Jesus Christ, ive never had any problems until a few days ago. Probably because I have been spending more and more time on the PC lately working.

The pain is fucking killing me.

Anyone on here ever get Carpal Tunnel? I have googled some techniques but nothing seems to help so far. Anyone have any tips? I know most of you guys spend a shitload of time working.

Get Dragon to help cut down on your typing: http://www.nuance.com/dragon/index.htm

Do you actually use that Sly? Any tips on how to avoid saying uhm, uhhh, like, uhhh, etc?

...I guess just write everything down before you say it? :winkwink:

I'm using it right now, yep. It's not totally perfect... but it allowed me to be more than a worthless invalid. ;-)

thats pretty sweet. My fear is after spending 12 hours a day using it I would start permanently talking like that :winkwink:

If it's not too advanced, you can probably recover by squeezing something regularly while you work. I started with an old tennis ball until I started with those the CE/Booble stress-boobs.

Alternate even while you're at the keyboard, type with one hand...

And stop leaning on the heels of your hands - that's where the carpal nerve passes. I've gotten into the habit of not leaning, just "floating" hands above the keyboard.

Made all the difference.

:D

Always use an ergonomic keyboard such as this one:

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...109-148-01.jpg

Advanced carpa tunnel usually requires surgery but you can correct at least some of it with proper therapy:

http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/...TSexercise.htm

I talk with normal speech for the most part. So not much of a difference.

I'm not sure if I have carpal tunnel or just tennis elbow or both, I don't have "pain" per se, but I can always feel my arm. Here's what helps me.

When I feel it flaring up a bit, I move my mouse to the left side of my keyboard. This means I can't do certain things (gaming for example, playing chess, etc) but I can get my work done pretty well with this.

Keyboard shortcuts, especially shift-tab to move back a field, big help. Pgdn instead of scrolling.

Marijuana.

Even better than MJ is icing your arm. When it flares up, I have a shallow plastic tub that I can fit my forearm into flat. I fill it with cold water, empty a few ice cube trays and plastic ice packs into it, and dip my arm for 10-15 seconds, 6-10 times in an hour. That really helps. Keep a towel beside it to easily dry your arm off. It's really soothing.

I developed CTS/RSI when I was 17 years old. They gave me the nerve test (and it fucking HURT) and ultimately the surgery a year or so later (about 16/17 years ago now) but I still have troubles with it.

I find a good wrist brace/splint helps to support my wrist and, though it's uncomfortable (particularly in the summertime) it does help reduce the pain and the 'pins and needles' that make it so hard to actually USE the hand when it's going on.

I'm lucky though, I only have it in the one hand.

get an ergonomic keyboard. make sure that your desktop and chair height work out. get a better mouse, a little larger is better than one that is too small. make sure your distance to your screens is good with no straining, make sure you can sit corrent in your chair while working.

I got it last year. Im 25.

I started waking up and my hand would asleep, almost every morning. (or arm, i can't remember now)

i slept with a brace/wrap thing I made until it got better. Helped a bit.

Then I started doing exercises for my wrists daily (stretching them out). I hardly notice too much pain anymore.

Arm out to the side, palm on the wall (with a little pressure) with fingers pointing up, then begin to twist your arm without moving your hand (you end up kind of leaning your shoulder forward).

Hope thats a decent enough description

Then theres the more common ones such as bending your fingers back (to the top of your wrist)

I have Carpal Tunnel and Cubital Tunnel Syndrome both and it hurts like hell. I got mine from a factory job I did for 8+ years. What I do is take ibuprofen and it seems to help me... and I have a brace I sometimes wear on my elbow or just my write, as it is hard to work with one on your hand when trying to work this job... this is caused from repetition, so when I am not working and working it in the same position all day, I work them in the opposite direction when not working.

It hurts, and most Drs want to do surgery on it to fix it, but not one person I have ever seen that has had surgery has been helped by this. At the factory I worked in, an average of 1:25 had to have this surgery and not one even had any better results and in fact was quite worse. So I'd definitely do some serious research before going that route.

It hurts like hell, but working it with the exercise balls and some ibuprofen should relieve a great deal of it.

Most of the cases of carpal tunnel can be prevented with proper typing form, regular stretch exercises and breaks during the day. Typing form is the most important. The best class I have ever taken in my life in college and high school was typing class in my senior year. That stupid little extra credit class is what has allowed me to work efficiently and never have problems with my hands :) and type fast as hell :)

Yes. I had to have both arms amputated from the wrist up...

Look out for a thread soon, right here on GFY, where I pretend to post a photo, and then argue with anyone who disbelieves me...

.

need to be using a natural keyboard, unless you are 85 lbs and have no shoulders a regular keyboard is going to cause you pain.. also you need a wrist rest in front of your mouse, this has done wonders for me for years so this works. Chair arm rest should be level with your desk.

If the problem is only on your mouse hand/arm look into getting a track ball mouse. That's sometimes a dirty word with some of us computer folk but trust me, having your thumb do all the work is a lot less effort than using your wrist to move around. Also turn your mouse speed way up... If you have to move your mouse all around your desk to get from one end of your screen to the next that is part of the problem in itself.

Dragon ROCKS! I would be a 20-something crippled old lady without it.

I have had it done 3x already.. The 1st one sucks... But if you don't do what the DR says when you go back to have them done they aren't so bad.

As others have suggested try a ergonomic keyboard. I was having a lot of pain in my left wrist and got the MS keyboard posted above and the pain is gone. Just that slight change in angle made all the difference in the world.

http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q...rsion=20070822

Buy it at amazon for $7.20

thanks for all the suggestions. Currently arm is in ice and that is helping. also took some advil and trying to massage it.

Gonna go to best buy tonight and pick up a new keyboard. I type on my laptop so there is no support.

oh and getting old sucks.

I will tell u what will work guaranteed. Bikram yoga. Its 90 minutes of stretching in a 105 degree room and u stretch ur arms and chest and back shitloads. It alleviated my chronic pain in my biceps, neck,back and wrists from working behind a pc. It frakin works but it requires work. U have to work for it. I guarantee u will feel different after 3 sessions. Go on yelp and look for a place tonight. You might find immediate release and ur muscles will feel loose and less tight. I read about people healing car accident injuries with bikram. Go tonight.

if the op has never done yoga, shouldn't they try something less.. pukey?

U know how u can feel the pain when u stretch ur arms? The heat in bikram really helps and it helps circulation. My carpal tunnel dissappeares by 80 percent from bikram. All the pain just went away. I used to get massages and bikram is waaaaay more effective at getting rid of pain. Drink lots of water before. Massage helped like a 4. Bikram a 10.

hmm thanks

I never did yoga and dove in head first with bikram. My arms felt better that same night. The heat is extremely healing for carpal tunnel. Chances are if you have carpal you also have pain in your biceps, neck and back. Even under or inside ur armpits!
Its all connected. Bikram gets rid of all of that and realigns ur body. U won't puke if u don't eat 2 hrs before and drink lots of water. I didn't.

You don't have anything to lose. Most places have a cheap two week trial where u go unlimited

Also download a program called rsi guard. It has a free trial. It clicks for u when u mouse so u don't have to click. Helped me shitloads.

"I'm using it right now comma yep period It's not totally perfect period period period butt it allowed me to be more than a worthless invalid period semicoln dash end parenthesis"

they call me BACKWARDS DRAGON! watch out, ill eat your face off