So, I’m going through a nasty bout with RSI (repetitive stress injury) again. I can’t really complain a great deal, as I’ve not had any such problems since last August, which is amazing considering how much I use computers. But I have to complain a bit, because as the title states, this sucks pretty bad. I ended up napping today for nearly 3 hours because I’ve been sleeping awfully for the past week or so. My sleep is being interrupted two to three times every night by my left hand, which decides that it would be a Good Thing (TM) to hurt like hell. The only thing that makes it stop is getting up out of bed Sometimes I’m able to go back to bed in 10 minutes; other times, it starts hurting as soon as I lay back down. Meh.
The pain during the day isn’t too bad at all, unless I do something stupid (like sit in front of the computer for too long).
I don’t really recall how I “fixed” this problem when I had it last August. I know I used ice packs on my wrist, and was regularly taking anti-inflammatory medicine. But if I recall correctly, it mostly just sorted itself out once I backed off the computer usage. So, that’s more or less what I’m doing now: less computer time, ice, Advil. I did find one new trick at this page on RSI treatment: hot / cold baths on my wrist, alternating between the two temperatures every 1 minute for 10 minutes. I’m also trying to correct how I hold my wrists while sleeping (palms against my sides instead of my thumbs), but I’m not entirely sure how to do this successfully. I can be in whatever position I want while still awake, but I tend to move around a bit once I fall asleep. 
Oh, and one other thing. Cas, I know you’ll leap into the comments demanding to know why, if I’m having trouble with RSI, I’m writing this blog post. And to that I say: I’m using my little Acer Aspire One, which, due to how sensitive the keyboard is, doesn’t seem to bother my wrists much. It’s the desktop keyboards that tend to make my left hand numb within 20 minutes. So nyah!
Comments 3
Ouch.
One has to be careful with things like this, last thing you want is an injury following you around for years.
Posted 08 Jun 2009 at 2:34 pm ¶Yes, they do suck! I’ve had some kind of RSI for like a year now. Very minor but very persistent little pains and other sensations in my hands and all the way up my arms… it’s always there, computer or no computer. Just a natural part of life for me now. Anti-inflammatory drugs seem to have no effect, and the specialist I saw couldn’t diagnose me. It all started very suddenly after using my laptop for too long one night in a weird position.
One tip the doctor did give me was to sleep while wearing wrist splints. I don’t do it anymore because it didn’t do me any good, but since you get pains at night it may help you.
Also, try WorkRave — a free program that reminds you to take regular breaks from the computer. It helps me out a lot… doesn’t get rid of the symptoms but it sure has helped prevent them from getting worse.
Posted 09 Jun 2009 at 10:57 am ¶Tom: Yeah, I don’t really want to have this for the rest of my life.
LearningNerd: Sorry to hear you’ve had similar problems. As I’ve always tried multiple things at once (anti-inflammatories, ice, etc.), I don’t really know if the anti-inflammatories are helping or not. I figure I’ll keep on them simply because I’ve read that RSI is (usually) an inflammation.
I might try the wrist splints, if my doctor will prescribe me some decent ones. I have a few splints that I bought at the local drugstore, and they make me hurt more, not less. I’m not sure if it’s because they’re too tight, too stiff, or what.
Thanks for the heads up on WorkRave; I’ll check it out.
Posted 09 Jun 2009 at 9:42 pm ¶Post a Comment