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Google Staff MD on Carpal Tunnel & RSI
bariswheel writes "Every older and some younger Slashdotters have been subject to that tingling feeling in your wrist after countless hours of hacking, cracking, or playing CS. This Google Blog, posted by the Staff MD addresses this serious symptom that could potentially lead to "compression of the nerve which can cause numbness or tingling and eventually weakness if the nerve is damaged severely." Didn't think hard work would hurt anybody right?"
I use my hands/wrist/forearms for a lot of things. I play bass, program for a living, play piano & enjoy hours of computer games. On top of that, I spent my youth working on a farm doing repetitive chores like picking up rocks or bails of hay.
I've always been concerned about the state of my wrists especially since they're so vital to my livelihood. But what I've found is that the only time I've experienced fatigue or pain in them is when I haven't used them to intensively work out. I now visit the gym twice a week and I believe that doing proper exercises builds strength and endurance in them to overcome what effects poor posture at work might have on them.
I'm not in any way a doctor but it's been my experience that when I was in college with no time to work out (and no job to force me to use them), I experienced discomfort from programming 12+ hours at the end of semesters. Now, I never even notice a 12+ crunch between work and school.
I also have a pair of hand grips at both my office and home where if I'm watching television or waiting for a compile to complete, I'll put in a few repetitions. I just see this as "flossing your teeth" for programmers. It's not something you have to do but you should do it because your hands really are worth a lot to you.
I don't take this issue lightly after I saw my friend go through it at the young age of 22. He had to wear a sort of headband thing with a reflective dot on it to move his mouse around on his machine. Unbelievably, he even became quite good at play Star Wars Galaxies online with it on.
My work here is dung.
I am not a doctor, but what I do is have various input devices, wheel mouse, regular mouse, split keyboard, regular keyboard and every couple of months change my main computer's devices. I don't know if this will actually help but the change feels nice.
I cured my RSI using this "mindbody" approach:
http://www.rsi.deas.harvard.edu/handout.doc
or Google view as HTML
I now firmly believe that "RSI" is caused by psychological reasons (though it does exhibit actual physical symptoms). I know that is hard to grasp, and long-time sufferers will disagree with me, but read the document I linked to and some of Dr. John E. Sarno's writings if you are interested.
I have been programming software for over 10 years, and was avidly using a computer years before that, and I don't have CTS or any tingling sensation after 8, 9, 10+ hour days.
People that experience CTS because of typing seriously need to figure out what they are doing wrong, and they ARE doing something wrong.
People I know that have CTS tend to pound on the keyboard, they put so much tension and force in order to hit the keys with their fingers, there is no need to pound on the keyboard. Light quick presses of your fingers is enough to register the key press. If your keyboard forces you to pound on the keys, get a new keyboard. The moment even ONE of my keys because sticky or requires more force to press then normal, I toss it and get a new keyboard, period.
People that I know who also have CTS tend to try and type as quickly as possible. Their fingers are a flurry of activity for 2 - 5 minutes, and then they have to stop and rub their fingers and wrists because they are sore. I watch them tense up and basically spas out on the keyboard in short intervals. You will find greater productivity and no pain if you learn to type slower, aiming for long sessions of moderate speed typing rather then spazzing out on the keyboard for short stints.
Put it this way. You move your fingers and wrists in thousands of directions thousands of times a day in with normal activity. Your fingers, hands, and wrists are designed to handle it. Where you get problems is when you strain your tendons and force movement while in a strained position. This is where repetitive STRAIN syndrome occurs.
By relaxing your fingers, typing with a lighter touch, and slowing your typing speed, you can type for hours, days, weeks and years without pain or any CTS symptoms.
It work, believe me. With the MS natural keyboard and keeping the above statement in mind, I don't have sore wrists at the end of the day.
The bottom line is, your company doesn't force you to use the equipment you use. If they won't buy you a natural or other ergonomic keyboard, or a force you to use a keyboard that has sticky or hard to press keys, then buy your own keyboard. Take steps to ensure your work environment is safe. If you don't like your chair, or your desk, get it replaced. Remind any employer that a few hundred dollars to improve the ergonomics of your workstation, or even a few thousand to improve everyone in the office pales in comparison to the millions they will be sued for for not providing a safe working environment that causes you pain or forces you to have to stop working. NO employer should refuse to let you bring in your own keyboard, mouse, even chair, if they do, find other employment.
I tire of hearing about people getting CTS. They are simply doing it all wrong, but blaming everything else but themselves. If you are using a straight rectangular keyboard that isn't at the proper height, pounding on it with your fingers and strained wrists, and feel you need to type 100 wpm in order to be productive, then its your own damn fault!
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
While do-it-yourself solutions (new keyboards/mice, home exercises, wrist splints, etc) are a great first step, if you are still hurting don't be afraid to go to your doctor. They can run tests (e.g. EMG, blood flow studies) that can narrow down the problem and can prescribe physical therapy to help you through exercises specifically for your problem.
As a long-time RSI sufferer, it is also worth mentioning that even though the symptoms may appear in your wrist/hands, the actual problem could be in your shoulder or upper back. Impingements on the nerves or blood vessels in those locations can lead to symptoms further down their path. Posture and sleeping positions can be big culprits here.
Personally, I used to sleep on my stomach with an arm above my head and under the pillow. Changing sleeping positions went a long way towards relieving my symptoms, which were rooted in my shoulder and neck. Physical therapy and posture changes took me the rest of the way.
--bdj
Am I heading for disaster, or am I anatomically resistant to the problem?
To do some wild speculation, I would guess that this is caused by the fact that we tend to look in a constant direction at all times. Part of how nature has evolved is that whenever you move your eyes from one object to another, you blink. (Google "saccade" and "blink" for more info - I can't quickly find anything concise.)
To add to the speculation, this is probably even more pronounced than when reading, since at least then you need to go the next line, turn pages, etc.