does anyone suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome?

greg · Post by **greg** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 5:31 am

I've been wearing a wrist splint on my left hand for the past week now. The discomfort/pain gradually grew, so I can't remember when it all began. I'm not even sure if it is carpal tunnel syndrome or if I've just injured myself somewhow. My right hand is a bit uncomfortable too.

So I'm doing a bit of research today because I'm starting to become a bit concerned. I'm reading that I need to start taking anti-inflammatory meds like ibuprofen and to stop using my hand for exercises. I haven't even really played much video games for the past month... My slight visits to this forum has been the most exposure to videogames lately. I just go through phases like that sometimes, I guess. Anyhow, I type about 75wpm and have played a lot of games since the Atari 2600 days. Maybe I do have CTS. But I know I had been sleeping on my hand wrong when I sleep on my side, and maybe I might've hurt something while doing a bench press during exercising. I'm just becoming concerned and I think I'll be consulting a doctor soon after I get back from my vacation to Japan. Maybe just getting away from keyboards for two weeks will do a lot of good... I don't have poor typing habits that I'm aware of... I don't press down on my wrists. I'm just stumped.

So is CTS something that never goes away once you get it?

IlMrm · Post by **IlMrm** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 5:48 am

That sounds serious. Consulting a doctor is definitely a good idea. I hope it gets better, because not being able to play video games is no fun.

I had a pain in my right wrist about a year ago, due to constant arcade button tapping. I would lean my wrist on the board, and tap. After a couple of hours, it hurts like hell. During that time, during push-ups also hurt like hell. I didn't see a doctor or wear a splint, and eventually the pain went away.

greg · Post by **greg** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 6:01 am

I just found a webpage that explains that repetitive strain injury (RSI) and carpal tunnel syndrome are not necessarily the same. I think maybe a part of it is that I do not take enough breaks at work. I just type away all day. If I was a smoker like my cube partner, I'd have plenty of esxcuses to get away from the desk. But since I don't have such a vice, I feel silly just walking around doing nothing, especially for fear of being thought of as loafing on the job...

RSI:
http://www.naturalpoint.com/smartnav/co ... i-faq.html

I found this on treating CTS:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4492_treat-carpal-tunnel.html

When looking at diagrams of the carpal tunnel, it looks like base of the hand, next to the ball of the thumb. That's not where I hurt. My discomfort is in the actual wrist itself, like where suicidal people slash away. Strange.

MadSteelDarkness · Post by **MadSteelDarkness** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 6:01 am

Aww, man. My heart goes out to you. I hope you're feeling better really soon.

cigsthecat · Post by **cigsthecat** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 6:09 am

My dad's got CT. Between working as a cartoonist and playing shooters I could see myself getting it someday. Fine so far though.

BAD · Post by **BAD** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 7:16 am

I worry about the same thing...

Cugel · Post by **Cugel** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 9:59 am

I started showing symptoms of CT in my right hand about 10 years ago and wore a splint for a while, but the best thing I've ever done was to go lefty. I'm a righty, but using the mouse with my left hand cured my problem. I've never had symptoms since. Heck, one of the fringe benefits was my left hand got much more nimble. I can even write with my left hand.

So, that's a radical solution, but that's how I did it. I distributed the workload off my right hand and moved it to my left hand.

Diabollokus · Post by **Diabollokus** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:03 pm

Ambidextrous eh? Bit like the twin ikaruga controlling guy.

I had a sore wrist this week myself think I strained it trying to get back into weight again, anti inflamatories don't work very well for me.

FatalError · Post by **FatalError** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 1:57 pm

When I was working at my job over 65~70 hours a week I started getting tendonitus. It was the first serious signs of carpal tunnel. My fingers and thumb would twitch involentarily.

I couldn't play and videogames for months because my thumb twitched so badly, and it was extremely painful.

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 7:34 pm

Hope you get good treatment for your CT, greg.

Post by **system11** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 8:45 pm

Go to see a doctor immediately.

There are many different types of RSI, of which CT is just one.

I went through this about 3 years ago, I was pulling overtime at work, and typing/playing games in the evening (hobby programming). One day, my right wrist started to become painful. Next day so did the left. The day after, I couldn't do normal things like drive a car. Zero warning signs whatsoever before this.

What follows is a sorry tale of 8 months (off work) physiotherapy, seeing specialists, taking muscle relaxants (still have to take these), dropping programming as both a passtime and a part of my CV/resume, laser therapy and ultrasound. In the end, it got better. It's never going to be entirely healed of course, but it's better enough for me to play games again and do systems admin work. I still get pains every now and then, but they clear up over the weekend.

Don't fuck with your future, ignoring the problems can make them hugely worse.

Things to consider for everyone else:

Vary your activities.
Get enough -relaxed- sleep, this is very important for your physical wellbeing.
Check your posture and wrist position when using computers. Consider your neck, arm angle, and wrist angle. Natural keyboards can help (I can't use normal ones anymore - it hurts).
Take regular breaks from any repeated task.

All common sense of course, but many of us forget or simply don't think about it, until there's a problem.

Neon · Post by **Neon** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 9:52 pm

My wrists have been aching constantly for over a year. Cut down on my time playing PC FPS but typing, using my arcade stick still irritates them. I've had to pretty much quit playing guitar. Can't afford to see a doctor about it and my parents won't pay for it, so meh.

MovingTarget · Post by **MovingTarget** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 10:00 pm

a friend of mine used to suffer from this

we all just though eh was wankin too much hehe

Just to double check CTS is achy wrist syndrome? its not very self descriptive is it

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 11:46 pm

My right wrist occasionally aches temporarily when I'm on the PC. No problems...yet.

TWITCHDOCTOR · Post by **TWITCHDOCTOR** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 2:18 am

Sounds messed up Greg! I hope that your wrists get better...especially for using them for work AND play.

aurang · Post by **aurang** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 5:03 am

I think everyone who's used a computer or played arcade games a lot has had even slight aches and pains in their wrist and hands.

I got one of those mouse pads with support for the wrist years ago and it works pretty good. I can't say I've had any problems in the last several years, in fact I had one day where I was drawing/painting for about 9 hours this week, I was a little soar, but it was gone the next day.

Get to a specialist, the best you can find/afford, there isn't any other way to approach it, follow the guy (or girl's) advice to the letter and get better.

landshark · Post by **landshark** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 5:28 am

I may or may not. My right thumb (well, the tendons and what-not that attach the thumb to the wrist) occasionally hurt. When they decided to have their fit, it lasts about 2-3 weeks and only hurts when I type (space bar).

It sucks because programming is my job, and I type about 75-100 WPM. It's really hard to try and train yourself to not use a certain finger while typing.

What's weird is it doesn't hurt when I rock climb. It's the specific motion of up-down-up-down.

It rears it's head every 4-5 months or so.

greg · Post by **greg** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 7:31 am

I've been taking ibuprofen for the past few days. It helps with the inflammation. I should've been taking this from the beginning, but I thought I'd just be tough.

Today is Saturday, so I've been away from a keyboard most of the day. Just watching my new New Order DVD, exercising my lower body only, and just taking it easy all day. I know I had been sleeping on my hand wrong, but that splint has helped considerably. Maybe I just overexerted myself. Judging by today, I'm getting better. But I will see a doctor or orthopediologist. Maybe it's perfect timing that I'm going to Japan the week after next. I'll be away from keyboards... I've talked to some people and they said that just sleeping with a splint for a month helped the problem go away. I guess RSI is not as bad as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Thunder Force · Post by **Thunder Force** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 10:22 am

greg wrote:If I was a smoker like my cube partner, I'd have plenty of esxcuses to get away from the desk. But since I don't have such a vice, I feel silly just walking around doing nothing, especially for fear of being thought of as loafing on the job.

Get up and walk to a nearby window and expose yourself to sunlight for a while, a few times each day. "Sunlight breaks" are good healthy alternatives for cubicle workers who don't smoke.

IlMrm wrote:I had a pain in my right wrist about a year ago, due to constant arcade button tapping.

Invest in a good quality arcade stick (or pad) that has programmable autofire. Seriously, who cares if some people consider it cheating if it's going to save your health, and your ability to keep playing games, some time down the line. Home versions of games usually implement autofire for a reason. Rapid fire button bashing over long periods (years) puts massive stress on your hands.

bloodflowers wrote:I went through this about 3 years ago, I was pulling overtime at work, and typing/playing games in the evening (hobby programming). One day, my right wrist started to become painful. Next day so did the left. The day after, I couldn't do normal things like drive a car. Zero warning signs whatsoever before this.

What follows is a sorry tale of 8 months (off work) physiotherapy, seeing specialists, taking muscle relaxants (still have to take these), dropping programming as both a passtime and a part of my CV/resume, laser therapy and ultrasound. In the end, it got better. It's never going to be entirely healed of course, but it's better enough for me to play games again and do systems admin work. I still get pains every now and then, but they clear up over the weekend.

Don't fuck with your future, ignoring the problems can make them hugely worse.

Things to consider for everyone else:

Vary your activities.
Get enough -relaxed- sleep, this is very important for your physical wellbeing.
Check your posture and wrist position when using computers. Consider your neck, arm angle, and wrist angle. Natural keyboards can help (I can't use normal ones anymore - it hurts).
Take regular breaks from any repeated task.

That story is certainly worrying for anyone with a job that involves computers, who then also uses computers to play games, do writing, progamming, or even to browse the net regularly after work.

How many years of this were you doing before the sudden onset?

I've also seen information suggesting that extended exposure to in-game rumble (force feedback) features can exacerbate these conditions tremendously.

greg · Post by **greg** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 5:43 am

I went to the doctor today. He said I only have tendonitis, not carpal tunnel syndrome. Tomorrow I'm on a plane to Japan for a 2 week vacation, so that'll give me time away from computers and time to heal! Everyone, thanks for your concern.

aurang · Post by **aurang** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 5:59 am

Take it easy and have a good trip!