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my friend and yours, carpal tunnel syndrome (pg. 4)
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| igottaknow |
sothis,
If it's any consolation to you, I've been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome too, so I know how it feels. I wouldn't blame yourself too much for getting this condition. While it is true that maintaining a neutral wrist position is a good way to avoid this disorder, many people are predisposed to getting cts no matter how they work. For example, a lot of my friends use the computer a lot more than I do and bend their wrists, but have no effects. They have a hard time believing I have a real problem. There have been studies that have shed more light on the condition, here are a few facts:
- women are more likely to get cts (3 times more than men)
- thyroid conditons contribute to the problem
- low levels of a natural lubricant found inside the carpal tunnel lead to irration and infamation
Here are a few things I find help:
1. Buy voice recognition software, I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking, I'm using it right now to dictate this message. It's a great way to reduce the amount of typing you do.
2. Take ibuprofen after each meal. It helps reduce the swelling.
3. Wearing wrist braces at night really helps.
4. Stretch your wrists before and after doing computer work. Avoid doing squeezing exercises, they actually make condition worse.
5. Soak your hands in hot and cold water.
6. You can buy foot operated mouse.
7. Avoid repetitive computer activities such as video games and even a lot of AIM.
8. pay attention to your body and recognize early warning signs.
Hope this helps. |
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| Freefall |
People
Thanks for this, as a result I've completely changed my posture, got a nice wrist rest, and a infra red mouse on both my PC's. |
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| tu_face |
*removes glue*
the sticky's are piling up again hehe :) |
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| JohnSmith |
*watches it slide slowly down the page*
*watches it pop back up to the top*
ooh fun! |
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| Dj DoomForce |
| Well, let's hope everyone has learned something from Sothis's pain and the other peoples posts... |
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| DJ CLUSTER |
I find I've gained really cool powers from being in front of my computer so much. For example, I can make people glow when I look at them now~ :stongue: :rolleyes:
That really sucks to here about the syndrome deal. Hope things get better for you :gsmile:
Cheers,
Zigg's
www.djcluster.com |
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| TranceSeeker |
| quote: | Originally posted by Miss Proximus
We call it RSI, repetitive strain injury.....
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Hehehehe the good old RSI, my ing last text I had to explain for my last exam ever.
Stayed up the ing whole night to learn it.
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| Busy Child |
| yea i know some people with cts already. Whats in worse is knowing my eyesight is going bad. I gotta get contacts now. |
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| Sand Leaper |
Well,looks like I'm on my way down the RSI (CPS) road myself now.:(For two weeks straight I've had consistant pain in my thumbs when I'm on the computer,and before sleep it is also quite bad. What I don't get tho,is why I got it.I've always had my arm so far inwards that my elbows rested on the table and I also have space under the table for my legs.I guess I didn't enough breaks or did enough exercise,and now I'm suffering from it:(
Anyways,I'll try to use both hands on the mouse from now on,and take regular breaks so that the blood can flow easier.And perhaps there is still hope for me,since I've only had these pains for a few weeks.What should I do now?Just go see a doctor while I'm at it? |
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| XxremedyxX |
| My aunt has CTS and arthritis as well. She is in her 40's. It's a very sad thing and she had surgery for the CTS and takes medicine for the arthritis. I hope things work out for the best for you. |
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| sothis |
sand leaper: YES. go to the doctor. they can determine if you have it.
even with the right posture, etc.. you could get it. mine isnt constant anymore, but i find what really agitates it to come back is using the mouse a lot.. the constant moving of it and clicking. some people find if they get a trackball mouse, this helps.
the keyboard pad or mouse pad (to keep your wrist immobile) is a very good thing.
i also found out recently through a friend who has CTS as well, that his chiropractor told him if you tie cloth (or in his case, he bought arm braces that do the same thing nicely, which ill be doing soon) around your arm right below the elbow.. right where your arm starts getting big.. tie it tightly. this pulls the two bones together there, relieving pressure from the carpal tunnel.
i tried that last night because once my CTS acts up, even if i put my wrist brace on, it eventually gets really bad, makes me nauseous, and then i have to stop typing. im working on a database/web project and needed to do it last night so i didnt want to stop! tied the cloth tightly around my arm, and it was amazing how much it helped. ill be getting those arm braces soon.
the wrist braces, he explained, helps get rid of the pain.. the arm braces, helps to actually cure it for the time being. |
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| DarkTrance |
| my father had sugery for it about 2 years ago, and he still has chronic pain. As for myself though, the only time I feel pain from using a computer is when I play a computer game for a good amount of time, but the pain is in my shoulder and it's a burning type of pain. It usually goes away after 5-10 minutes when I'm done playing the game. |
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