Anyone with Carpal Tunnel issues?/How's your setup?Follow

I feel compelled to note that this truly is a medical problem, and you should not be getting medical advice from strangers on forums. I'm not saying that to be snotty so much as to urge you to take hand and joint pain seriously. Talk to your doctor if you truly have a problem, or research on your own, as there is a lot of literature out there about proper workstation setup.

Now that the disclaimer has been noted for the record, if you're just asking out of curiousity just to try some stuff out, here're my answers to your questions.




Yes.




Roughly. My elbow is roughly the same height as or slighly below the wrist wrest.




High enough for my arms to be roughly in line with the top of my desk (see above), and equally importantly, paired in height with my monitor so as to keep my neck and eyes as level as possible.




I use a wrist wrest on my mouse pad and my gaming pad has one built in. For me personally, the incline from elbow to wrist is not as significant as the incline from wrist to palm. Comfort means not having to hold my hand up at an angle. I also need to make sure my wrist is level horizontally as well - not tilting left or right too much.


I've been working from a home office for many years now. I type all day. I'm careful about my setup but I also make sure I don't game every single night for a week straight. There's only so much you can do to prevent repetetive stress; the best solution is always going to be to make sure to take breaks. Find yourself a book and put the mouse down for a few hours.

See, everyone's different. I'm going to have to jump on the "see your doctor" bandwagon. Unlike teacake, I can't use arm rest, or wrist rests, because resting my wrist, forearms or elbows on anything impinges the nerves and makes it worse. I'm right-handed but I've actually gotten used to left-handed mousing, and I use a trackball and mouse look only.

Mine actually goes up into my shoulder and sometimes my neck. But I've been having these issues for years now and I still work on a computer at work, though Friday I was hurting so bad I could barely type... I know what I can do to make it better, but it may not work for you. But you know what the #1 thing I do when it gets that bad is? I get off the computer.

OP - I second the thought that you should go talk to your doctor about this.

A lot of wrist pain is mechanical in a nature, but isn't carpal tunnel.

Even pain that seems like it's carpal tunnel (numbness and tingling into the hand) could be coming from your neck, or from a different peripheral area. Distribution of sensation matters, any muscle weakness or sensory loss needs to be identified.

In other words, you need someone to figure out what is actually happening at your wrists and hands.

In most cases, wrist and hand pain is purely mechanical, and getting some stretches and exercises / fixing your ergonomics will help.

Don't self-diagnose off of reading on the internet - there's likely a fairly easy solution to your problems that will enable you to keep playing WoW if you want, but you need someone with the knowledge to help you find it.

As tea mentioned, the height of your chair should depend on a lot of factors. Such as, you should be at equal length (visually) with your computer screen. If you can get your arm rests up to the same height as your desk, that'd be great.

Any type of keyboard/mouse support such as those gel pads you see in the store can help as well.

Also as mentioned, this could be an issue other than just your wrists and hands. It could be a back issue as well (perhaps the way you're sitting). Usually you'd want both feet flat on the group when sitting (and not slouching). A back support may help as well (if that's the issue with your wrists)...

As many have mentioned, it'd be wise to visit your doctor about it first to see what truly is the cause of your pain. Could just be something as simple as taking a break every few minutes and doing a few sitting computer exercises.


(I work in a cubicle all day, occassionally my hands would cramp up, but since I usually try to follow the above and take a break when I can, it helps a whole lot).

There are a lot of things that can cause wrist/arm/shoulder pain from using your mouse, but if it is really carpal tunnel, you definitely need to see your doctor. A friend of my father ignored his for so long, he lost the use of his thumb.
If it's not carpal tunnel, there are exercises, braces and other things that can be used.

Edit: inability to spell

Edited, Feb 22nd 2010 4:29pm by Vorkosigan

Edited, Feb 22nd 2010 4:31pm by Xsarus

Whats the point of having an epeen if you cant stroke it?

A good friend of mine at work was dealing with some very similar issues, and he found that the use of this mouse helped *a lot* because it puts your hand and body in a much more natural position. Another friend of mine has one and swears by it.

I've tried it and it's not as weird as it might seem at first and have been meaning to get one myself!

Obviously you haven't rolled a Prot Paladin yet. It's not telepathy but you are using your head.

A quick easy exercise I use thats tied into motocross fitness a bit is, grab a few 15 or 20 pound weights, and sit on the edge of chair with you arms down, elbows slightly out like you're riding a bike, and twist both weights freely in your hands like a motorcycle throttle. Let them slide through your hands.

After awhile you'll feel some "arm pump" same thing you'll get from riding a dirt scooter! Do this enough and you'll have better circulation through your arms and fingers, and who knows, your GF might like your sexy arms! I have my fair share of "wow marathons" too and I have a crappy hard wooden desk without many cramps.

I do little things like that while auto running or a quick flight. Also, remember you can work off that beer belly with just a few feet in your computer room! Get down on all sorts of crunches, do some squats with the weights, put your feet on the chair and do some pushups with some hardcore sh*t playing.

Just throw whatever you can in between BG ques or whatever...its much better than jumping around Dalaran, or just staring blankly at Dalaran. God I feel like Richard Simmons now.. YAY YOU CAN DO IT!!

I had an exam on minimising health risk in office jobs last year, and I believe the main thing they had us learn over and over again on hand/wrist strain was that taking regular breaks in the most effective strategy. That is according to whoever makes up Health&Safety regulations, so it might not be 100% correct.