JStrider

well spending so much time on the computer has finally cought up with me and im starting to feel some of the effects of carpal tunnel....

mostly a dull ache along the bottom of my wrist/forearm... sometimes a little bit of tingling in the hands... and i have been noticing it in both arms not just one...

its hard to stay off the computer when you live primarily within a 25 foot radius of your computer.... damn dorms...

ive already started making a concious effort to stay off the computer so much...(sit on the couch when studying and watching tv instead of my computer chair) and when im on it i try to use good posture and all that... i was wondering if anyone knew of anything else i could do to speed up the recovery...

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00111000

There are a number of companies that sell those glove type things that go over your wrist to keep it aligned. That would be worth checking out. Posture is also another key, make sure your desk is set up in a good fashion. Think geek sells one of those spinner balls that is supposed to help out with it also.

JStrider

yah... i tended to not use very good posture... but ive adjusted things as best i can... these school desks arent very conducive to good posture...

ive always wanted one of those powerball gyroscope things.... guess this is a good excuse to finally get one...

if its still bothering me in a week or so i'll go to the doc about it...

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EVIDENT

School desks? Hmmmm... you must go to tech.

http://collegehumor.com/?image_id=51122

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JStrider

yup...

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sprocket

Try and describe your pain as specifically as you can. Does the tingling effect certain fingers only, or does the pain travel past your elbow etc. Try to be specific and I might be able to give you some specific suggestions.

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apeman

I've switched to using the mouse with my left hand, that helps me a lot. It takes a few days to adjust mind you..

And I don't know if this works but I try to drink stuff like green tea that's supposed to have natural anti-inflammatories in it.

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archpaladin

If I ever felt anything, I always did some simple stretching. Just take the fingers of one hand and pull backwards toward the top of your shoulder while keeping the arm out straight and hold for 5-10 sec. I found that doing that a few times a day really helped.

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JStrider

it doesnt go back to my elbows at all

its all in my wrist... and sometimes my pointer and middle fingers will start tingling a lil bit

ive really tried to reduce the time spent at the computer and when i'm on it use much better posture then i did before

and ive been taking tons of breaks and trying to stretch my hands and wrists a lot

i think i might just go to the doc sometime.... its finals week so i can prolly get in pretty quick...

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raeanna74

I've dealt with carpal tunnel off and on for quite a long time. Dr gave me wrist braces - you can find them in any pharmacy - with a metal or hard plastic insert down the inside of your wrist. It holds your wrist and hand in such a position as to take as much pressure off the nerves that run through the carpal tunnel as possible. I also partly imobilizes your wrist so that the muscles can relax a bit. When you are on the computer the constant use of those muscles can cause them to stay tensed somewhat and constantly put pressure on the nerves.

Since my carpal tunnel problem isn't severe I find that when I wear my braces for a couple days that I can then leave them off for a month or sometimes more depending on how much sewing or computer use I do. Then the fingers start to go numb again.

When I was pregnant my hands were completely numb for 2 months and afterwards it took another month for any feeling to start coming back. The Dr told me he wasn't concerned about the lack of feeling until a couple months AFTER pregnancy since then the nerves start to die. If your hands stay numb for a long period of time and you can't get them to wake up by relaxing or shaking them THEN you have need for concern. Slight tingling at this point isn't a big deal and I doubt very highly that any real Dr would suggest any surgery at this point.

That all said - it doesn't hurt to go see your Dr. This way at least you'll be keeping him informed as to when the condition began to bother you and if it gets to be really serious he'll have a better idea of what kind of treatment to recommend. Good Luck.

Oh and if you have insurance that might pay for the wrist braces if the Dr prescribes them so you might want to wait on purchasing them until you see him. If you don't have insurance to cover it then I would suggest to go ahead and get them braces until you can get in to see the Dr.

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absorbentishe

Another thing you need to do is keep your hands/wrist straight while your sleeping. If you bend your wrists all night, this also adds to the problem.

JStrider

yah... i usually dont bend my wrist too much... least not that im aware of... altho i have started having sleeping problems... almost completely coinciding with developing the carpal tunnel...

but my hands have been feeling a lot better with just reduced computer use and more stretching and whatnot...

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:::OshnSoul:::

Do you have one of those wrist rest mousepads? I need to get one. I started to have signs of cp when I worked at starbucks, twisting the portafilters on the espresso machine on and off. And I do a lot of typing, so every once in a while it starts to bother me. Take care of yourself or else you may have to get surgery.

Rodney

To avoid carpal tunnel, keep your wrists high -- that's why so many devices to aid or avoid carpal tunnel involve supports for the wrist. The worst thing you can do is rest your wrists on the edge of the desk or keyboard tray.

When I was a kid, I took piano lessons. I hated them eventually dropped them. But my piano teacher spent five years teaching me to keep my wrists high over the keyboard, so that my fingers dangled down below them; makes it easier to hit all the notes. When I switched to a typewriter keyboard and later a computer keyboard, I kept that same high-wrist position. And in over 30 years of heavy keyboard use, I haven't had the faintest twitch of carpal tunnel.

sprocket

OK, just wanted to check. If there is pain in other parts of your arm as well as your wrist, it generally indicates a nerve entrapment somewhere else besides your wrists (in which case it would not be true carpal tunnel syndrome). There are alot of muscles in your arms that can entrap your nerve and produce symptoms almost identical to carpal tunnel.

Stick to the stretching. Do as much stretching as you can.. then do a little more.

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txd

As raeanna74 said, definately look into getting wrist braces/splints. They helped me no end.

I can also recommend going to a chiropractor.

WorkRave is a great piece of free software to remind you to take breaks and shows exercises you can perform while resting

JStrider

my wrists are already feeling a lot better then they were and my fingers arent tingling... its still there a lil... but noticebly better...
im gonna stick with the tons of stretching ,improved posture, and less computer use...

hopefully it will be my last run in with it...
OshnSoul: dont have one of those mouse pads...when i play games i usually use my elbow and shoulder more so they interfere a lil bit...

txd: i think my mom was telling me about that software... or something similar that they use at her office with ChevronTexaco... i'll definintly check it out...

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maleficent

Over the years I've done a bunch of ergonomics training for people, and it's usually the equipment that's designed to help that does the least amount of good. IF you get the braces, have one fitted by a doctor, the ones in the pharmacy are one size fits very very few, and unless it fits properly, it won't help you.

Posture at the computer is the most important. A decent chair is critical. (You will appreciate this much more as you get older) You want the arms of the chair to be able to support your forearms so that they just rest on the chair. Your feet should be flat on the ground, with your knees at an almost 90 degree angle.

When you are typing, make sure that your palms aren't tilted up (the worst thing ever invented was the keyboard stands that title the keyboard up) It's the tilting up that causes the pressure on the nerves - -and the continued pressure is what causes the long term damage.

Proper keyboarding skills are also important. It's not a typewriter you are using, it's a keyboard, a very light touch is all it takes, you should feel no pressure on your fingers as they move across the keyboard.


There are shareware apps out there to remind you to take a break every 15 minutes to stretch your fingers -- and wrists - tehre are sites available to tell you what stretches you should be doing.

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nukeu666

why dont you just try keeping your hands off the keybouard for a few minutes after an hour of typing....and do some wrist exersises for a fwe mins

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