I'm getting the one where my tendons hurt, from my knuckles to my elbow, which means that I try not to type and use my mouse in a rather weird way. I don't know what else to do. Is it possible to have this problem at our age? Doesn't it happen to people who do a lot of daily typing for years? Or is that specifically that "metacarpal syndrome" (I have no idea if that's the right appellation).
I've had RSI for a couple of years now and it started when I was 19. You can definitely get it at any age, and it doesn't have to be after years at work. If you're on any PC (or doing any repetitive action, such as stuffing envelopes or something) it can become a problem.
It's a real pain to have - not only literally, because it means (for me) that I'll probably never be able to have fulltime work at a computer (limits options much?) ;o) So, if you're noticing signs then please try and correct things before it gets too far. There is pretty much nothing in the way of medication that targets these type of injuries, so prevention is important. The most important thing, if it's computer-related RSI, is posture at the computer. You should have a hunt around for a site about ergonomics; something that tells you the best way to set up your computer, and how you should be sitting etc. Also, take regular mini-breaks from typing etc.
There's a lot of info about this stuff (also called OOS where I live) so I would think it'd be quite easy to find some via a Google search of something.
Right now my wrists hurt if I spend very long at the computer. Rihgt at the joint. And sometimes they're very weak-- like if I lean sideways on one hand, I feel like my wrist will snap and break.m Somedays it doesn't hurt at all no matter what I do, and other times my wrists will hurt after the first two minutes at a comp.
Yep, sounds like the same things I noticed when I started having problems. It can be incredibly painful. I use my mouse on my left hand side now, because my right hand (dominant) can't take it. It gets bad whenever I go on a PC for too long, but also affects anything involving hand movements. I once nearly crippled my arms after going bowling, and also washing dishes/brushing teeth became a problem. It was a great excuse not to do cleaning! Very painful though.
Saw the post about acronyms, and I get where you're coming from. I don't use them much myself, either, but there are always those that you use so frequently they become part of the day-to-day (and you forget that other people don't have a clue what you're on about, heh). I mentioned "OOS" in my post, and that's what we call Repetitive Strain Injury in New Zealand now; it stands for Occupational Overuse Syndrome. It's the same thing - a repeated action causes stress (almost always in the wrist/arm area) leading to extreme pain when those (or similar) actions are performed. You may be interested to hear that it's most commonly found in 'A' type personalities (perfectionists, overachievers etc.) and is thought to be psychological (seems to be triggered by stress). Sometimes there's an actual physical problem in the tendons (tendonitis) but often there's nothing they can find that is physically wrong which makes it very difficult to diagnose - some doctors don't believe it's a real condition. I was prescribed a very mild dose of an anti-depressant because one of its effects was to give you better quality sleep. I wasn't sleeping well and therefore my body wasn't having a chance to heal properly. Didn't really work, but I did have some great sleeps! Anyway, I'm blabbing on. Take care of yourself - I hope it doesn't get any worse.
By the way, an acronym I find funny is 'SMG' because I think of it as being Sarah Michelle Gellar, but it's used at my work as Senior Management Group ;o)
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Date: 2003-05-10 02:23 am (UTC)Eek, take care!
Date: 2003-05-10 04:04 pm (UTC)I've had RSI for a couple of years now and it started when I was 19. You can definitely get it at any age, and it doesn't have to be after years at work. If you're on any PC (or doing any repetitive action, such as stuffing envelopes or something) it can become a problem.
It's a real pain to have - not only literally, because it means (for me) that I'll probably never be able to have fulltime work at a computer (limits options much?) ;o) So, if you're noticing signs then please try and correct things before it gets too far. There is pretty much nothing in the way of medication that targets these type of injuries, so prevention is important. The most important thing, if it's computer-related RSI, is posture at the computer. You should have a hunt around for a site about ergonomics; something that tells you the best way to set up your computer, and how you should be sitting etc. Also, take regular mini-breaks from typing etc.
There's a lot of info about this stuff (also called OOS where I live) so I would think it'd be quite easy to find some via a Google search of something.
Take care,
Helen
Re: Eek, take care!
Date: 2003-05-10 04:11 pm (UTC)Re: Eek, take care!
Date: 2003-05-10 08:07 pm (UTC)Re: Eek, take care!
Date: 2003-05-11 12:40 am (UTC)Re:
Date: 2003-05-11 12:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-05-11 03:26 am (UTC)Saw the post about acronyms, and I get where you're coming from. I don't use them much myself, either, but there are always those that you use so frequently they become part of the day-to-day (and you forget that other people don't have a clue what you're on about, heh). I mentioned "OOS" in my post, and that's what we call Repetitive Strain Injury in New Zealand now; it stands for Occupational Overuse Syndrome. It's the same thing - a repeated action causes stress (almost always in the wrist/arm area) leading to extreme pain when those (or similar) actions are performed. You may be interested to hear that it's most commonly found in 'A' type personalities (perfectionists, overachievers etc.) and is thought to be psychological (seems to be triggered by stress). Sometimes there's an actual physical problem in the tendons (tendonitis) but often there's nothing they can find that is physically wrong which makes it very difficult to diagnose - some doctors don't believe it's a real condition. I was prescribed a very mild dose of an anti-depressant because one of its effects was to give you better quality sleep. I wasn't sleeping well and therefore my body wasn't having a chance to heal properly. Didn't really work, but I did have some great sleeps! Anyway, I'm blabbing on. Take care of yourself - I hope it doesn't get any worse.
By the way, an acronym I find funny is 'SMG' because I think of it as being Sarah Michelle Gellar, but it's used at my work as Senior Management Group ;o)
Ciao bella
Helen
Re:
Date: 2003-05-11 12:25 pm (UTC)