Repetitive strain injury / carpal tunnel

I think I'm starting to get RSI/CT. I want to minimise the risk of it getting worse.

Can anyone recommend any input devices that helped control their RSI/CT?

In the last 10 minutes I've read a few good things about the keyboards at www.kinesis-ergo.com. Has anyone tried these?

Thanks.

I switched away from a thumb-ball trackmouse. That helped but it took over a year to go away. Now I sit with a high chair as a support for my right arm (I have no suitable chairs with arms), so my arm and the mouse are level and my wrist does not get messed up.

YMMV. I also switched to a round mouse. It helped, since I could rest the outside of my palm on the table, but the buttons are dying, so I''m trying out the mx-510. It''s heavier and my forearm is still adjusting to it.

I definitely recommend sleeping for a few weeks with a wrist brace, which you can pick up at a drug store. I went to see a neurologist about my CTS, and he gave me a brace...After wearing it at night for 2 weeks it hasn''t returned.

Are you using a split keyboard? If you touch-type and are having wrist problems, they''re brilliant. My wife and I have both had wrist problems at some point from typing, and picking up split keyboards helped both of us. I never have problems typing anymore. They take a couple of hours to get used to, but they''re absolutely worth it.

I have done all of the above but I still have pain almost every day. What helps me is wearing the brace while im on the computer.

I should try wearing a brace, but it sounds annoying. I too have some pain in my mousing wrist, even though I try to keep it pretty straight when I dork all day long. I do have one of those gel wrist-rest mousepads which has helped some. I also try to take breaks (take my hand off the mouse when I''m not using it) and flex my wrist a lot to get the blood flowing in there. Although, I still have pain so it most not be working

My remedies: knuckle push-ups, heavy bag, drywalls, and magiwara!!! When I type I take frequent 1-min breaks to rotate and relax wrist joints.

I''ve been using split keyboards and trackballs for years and I''ve never had a problem despite using a PC about 10 hours a day between home and work. I recommend the Microsoft natural keyboards and Logitech Trackman trackballs. A couple of people in my office had the beginnings of carpal tunnel and switching to the trackball really helped them.

Still no problems for me, although most of my game time is FPS bound *knocks on wood*. It may have to do with resting my entire lower arm on desk when using mouse. I even have cheap mousepad that cushions my elbow which is few inches inside the surface of the desk. That way, my arm and hand are totaly level and it takes only very small wrist moves to get the cursor where it needs to go.

Also, I always used ergonomic shaped mice (MS before, MX now).

*edit* Oh yes, I also very often let the mouse go so I can get the beer can to my mouth or light a cigarette...

Heavy mouse use will kill my wrist. I switched (at home) from a standard MS mouse to one of the larger, heavier MS types with a substancial tilt to it - it made a world of difference to my pain. Unfortunately, my work mouse is just the standard, old mouse.

One thing you do not want to do is bend your wrists up for extended periods of time no matter what you are doing. Although the muscles can do this its not the relaxed state of the wrists.

It may have to do with resting my entire lower arm on desk when using mouse.

Yes, I do this too. Very easy when you have a trackball mouse that never moves.

"LeapingGnome" wrote:

I''ve been using split keyboards and trackballs for years and I''ve never had a problem despite using a PC about 10 hours a day between home and work. I recommend the Microsoft natural keyboards and Logitech Trackman trackballs. A couple of people in my office had the beginnings of carpal tunnel and switching to the trackball really helped them.

Same here - been doing the same solution for the past 5 years, after some RSI resulted in minor neural damage. Excellent recommendation mate.

Also, changing to a tilted mouse when gaming and proper typing posture (wrists in the air, learn to blind-type) will do wonders.

You know, I had pain in my wrists a couple of years ago when I wasn''t working out at all. Then I began doing Tai Chi and it cleared up.

I now workout sporadically (once a week or so) and the pain has not returned. I still use a plain keyboard and a MS mouse.

I suck up the pain.

I don''t use a special keyboard or mouse, but I do use special gel-filled wrist pads for both. they keep my wrists elevated and more relaxed. I can tell when I goto my friend''s basement LAN and play half-life, my wrists (esp. the right mouse using one) start hurting about 1.5 hours into it if I don''t find something to put under my wrist to keep it more level.

With my ""mouse usage style"" gel-filled wrist pads actually brought pain. Not for me. It''s a matter of habit, probably.

So what if this thread's 14 1/2 years old? Repetitive stress injury never goes out of style!

I've got a standing desk but my mouse had been on a shelf elevated above my keyboard, so I lowered that. It's a trackball though, so I worry that having my arm locked in place for long stretches. A trip to the store for a gel armrest is next. Not one of those waifu things. My cube has low walls.

Anyone have experience with some new ergonomic mouse designs? Is one of those vertical mice worth the $50-$100 investment?

I got a vertical mouse from Monoprice for like $12. Was worth giving it a try. Still causes issues for me though.

I switched to mousing left-handed at work years ago during an RSI flare-up, and have been doing it ever since. Didn't take more than a week to adjust, I don't need leet-twitch skills for email and spreadsheets, and it's nipped the problem in the bid nicely.

Jonman wrote:

I switched to mousing left-handed at work years ago during an RSI flare-up, and have been doing it ever since. Didn't take more than a week to adjust, I don't need leet-twitch skills for email and spreadsheets, and it's nipped the problem in the bid nicely.

I went a similar route, but instead swapped the mouse out with a track pad. The novel interaction makes the transition to the non-dominant hand really easy. Unfortunately Logitech discontinued the best option for whatever reason.