RSI... do you or have you ever suffered with it?

Richdog

Richdog

Richdog

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A year ago I was diagnosed with tendonitis and carpal tunnel after years of bad posture and typing/mousing a lot for my job. I was off work for 3 weeks while I recovered and it was pure agony... I lost 70% of my grip strength, couldn't go to the gym or do martial arts. I was essentially near-crippled.

However after much physio and not touching a computer it abated and went back to normal, and I made real efforts with my posture and work habits.

Now after a year and a half since I had it, it has started to creep back. My job as email tech support for an AV company has brought it back and it is progressively getting worse. I can feel my tendons getting very sore again, and my grip strength has gone down by 10% or so.

To help combat it I bought an Evoluent Verticalmouse 2 (which puts your hand in the handshake position) cheap from the USA, and a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 Pro which has made typing a bit comfier but it's still far from ideal and only delaying the inevitable. I have ordered a Goldtouch split keyboard with seperate number pad from the USA that was going cheap (£55 as opposed to £160 over here lol) in the hopes that it may be more comfortable than the Microsoft but my mouse situation still really needs to be sorted out, as while it IS better, it is still painful.

I was thinking of one of the touchpads called Glidepoint Smartcat so that I could just very lightly brush it with my hands in a more natural position so i'll give it a try and see how it works out.

It is a worrying and depressing ting though, I have finally found a job I like and excel at and this is threatening to make me switch fields completely... i'm only 25 years old and don't want to be reduced to a fumbling wreck at my age.

Has anyone else suffered from this or know anyone who has, and if so what advice or tips can you give me?

It's really getting me down at the moment... :(
 
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I suffer with RSI'sall the time, mostlyin my shoulder, but thats just because my wrists dont flex like they should so I cant use wrist rests.

I have latelly got it in my thumb aswell from using my mouse two much.


I find a nice warm shower/bath does wonders, or even a massarge
 
I had it when i worked on a production line killing chickens.
Just carried on, was quite painfull for a while.
 
I dont suffer from RSI yet, but my mouse hand has developed actual bone where the edge of my palm rubs on the desk, its so much more pronounced than the other hand :|

Occasionally I get pains in my fingers but that is because I have snapped two at the knuckles...
 
The_Blue_Dragon said:
I suffer with RSI'sall the time, mostlyin my shoulder, but thats just because my wrists dont flex like they should so I cant use wrist rests.

I have latelly got it in my thumb aswell from using my mouse two much.
Click to expand...

So what precautions do you take, or do you just carry on regardless? :eek:

I find a nice warm shower/bath does wonders, or even a massarge
Click to expand...

Yeah, i'm blessed to have an angel of a girlfriend that massages me, and is even willing to learn it "properly" so that she can tend to me better. *sniff*.

I agree that baths are great though, having one tonight. :)
 
When you say you do email tech support do you mean typing emails all day? Why not look at doing a similar thing but phone-based, so you answer the same kind of queries but don't have to type much. If you enjoy it and are good at it then it's worth looking into.
 
Have you tried using a powerball?
Sounds odd I know, but my Dad's got Carpal Tunnel Syndrome due to his arthritis and found using a powerball regularly did help his wrists for a bit.
I can't 100% say it helped in the long term because he got it while waiting for an operation on his wrist for the Carpal Tunnel but he said he felt that it did improve things at least in the short term.
For the price and the potential help, it's got to be worth a try :)

You've got my pity, it's a very nasty crippling ailment :/


Edit: Eeeek I think like kreeeee :eek: :p
 
^ What he said.

I went from having crappy grip and pain in my wrists when cycling to and from work (then typing all day) to being able to crush a housebrick with one hand.

They really are that good.
 
If you get the powerball with the RPM counter you keep trying to beat your old score, which means you use the ball a lot and makes the benefits of using one more obvious.
 
Serafijn said:
When you say you do email tech support do you mean typing emails all day? Why not look at doing a similar thing but phone-based, so you answer the same kind of queries but don't have to type much. If you enjoy it and are good at it then it's worth looking into.
Click to expand...

Problem is the company I just got a job with are really good... decent pay and also benefits. The guys there are also top blokes, we all started together.

Haly said:
Have you tried using a powerball?
Sounds odd I know, but my Dad's got Carpal Tunnel Syndrome due to his arthritis and found using a powerball regularly did help his wrists for a bit.
Click to expand...

lol way ahead of you there gents, had my orange Powerball Pro for well over a year, bought it when I first got a dose of RSI. Highest i've got it to a year ago was about 12'600 and after recently starting it again I can get to 11'700 so a bit mroe work needed till i'm back to my old standard. People at work already love it though. :D

I think I just need to find what works for me mouse and keyboard-wise, if I have to i'll wear one of those damn mouse-substitute headsets if it means I keep my job. Typing though, that's going to have to be worked on more, maybe the Goldtouch will help...
 
Morning tech folk, some of you must be at work now and were out yesterday evening, so any more RSI suffers in the house? :)
 
See sig :o

It started last August bank holiday after one game too many of Warcraft 3. My right hand became sore so in my infinite wisdom I decided to give the right hand a break and operate the mouse with my left hand.

Needless to say, that was a huge mistake. The left hand, not being used to mousing, deteriorated rapidly and now I had two bad hands.

The hands were fine during the day but throbbed at night when I went to sleep.

I had to give up gaming completely and minimize computer use which was tough and frustrating but the alternatives did not bear thinking about.

I ditched my mouse and got a trackball. Then I ditched the trackball and used Trackir but my neck got sore ( Carpal neck syndrome! :p ). I also tried a penmouse but that didn't help either. I read about that vertical mouse that is meant to immobilize the wrist but I was skeptical.

A brace, loads of painkillers and six months later and things are a bit better but the soreness is never far away.
 
Had a bout a few years back. Splint sorted me out, also I've placed foam mouse mats infront of my kb so no part of my arm is leaning on a hard surface. For me that made a huge difference.

No problems since.
 
DRZ said:
I dont suffer from RSI yet, but my mouse hand has developed actual bone where the edge of my palm rubs on the desk, its so much more pronounced than the other hand :|
Click to expand...

I have that but on my non mouse hand ( probably to much WASD)

to OP try a trackball my other half swears by it
 
Speak-type package worked really well for a friend of mine, I know it's a pain to set up but it should really reduce the need to type as much if it's mianly email responces and after useing it and tinkering it's realy very accurate.
 
Richdog said:
So what precautions do you take, or do you just carry on regardless? :eek:



Yeah, i'm blessed to have an angel of a girlfriend that massages me, and is even willing to learn it "properly" so that she can tend to me better. *sniff*.

I agree that baths are great though, having one tonight. :)
Click to expand...


To tell the truth I just carry on regardless. Luckly I dont work or anything so if I need to stop I can

I tried a powerball but unfrtunatlybecause my wrists dont move like they should I was unable to get it going.

When I was at college I sometimes just too a couple of days off untill the pain went away.

Them heat pads you can buy to throw in themicrowave are also good, just heat it upand put it where it hurts
 
eXor said:
See sig :o

It started last August bank holiday after one game too many of Warcraft 3. My right hand became sore so in my infinite wisdom I decided to give the right hand a break and operate the mouse with my left hand.

Needless to say, that was a huge mistake. The left hand, not being used to mousing, deteriorated rapidly and now I had two bad hands.

The hands were fine during the day but throbbed at night when I went to sleep.

I had to give up gaming completely and minimize computer use which was tough and frustrating but the alternatives did not bear thinking about.

I ditched my mouse and got a trackball. Then I ditched the trackball and used Trackir but my neck got sore ( Carpal neck syndrome! :p ). I also tried a penmouse but that didn't help either. I read about that vertical mouse that is meant to immobilize the wrist but I was skeptical.

A brace, loads of painkillers and six months later and things are a bit better but the soreness is never far away.
Click to expand...

Gave up gaming as in... forever? None at all?

Is that Trackir one of those mouse-substitutes that you move with your noggin?

Toekiller said:
Had a bout a few years back. Splint sorted me out, also I've placed foam mouse mats infront of my kb so no part of my arm is leaning on a hard surface. For me that made a huge difference.

No problems since.
Click to expand...

What type of RSI was yours, and how well did the splint work and decrease pain? Think it will work for my tendonitis?

PsiFox said:
I have that but on my non mouse hand ( probably to much WASD)

to OP try a trackball my other half swears by it
Click to expand...

Hmm i looked at trackballs but dont like em much, did your partner have RSI?

Ukadder said:
Speak-type package worked really well for a friend of mine, I know it's a pain to set up but it should really reduce the need to type as much if it's mianly email responces and after useing it and tinkering it's realy very accurate.
Click to expand...

Been thinking about the dragon naturally speaking 8... may try it at home first.

The_Blue_Dragon said:
To tell the truth I just carry on regardless. Luckly I dont work or anything so if I need to stop I can
Click to expand...

Still a student then?
 
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