From the tab and backspace I stab at thee...

[gement]

Tendonitis has been gnawing at me for the last couple of months, on and off. It's come to my attention that I need to nip this in the bud. I feel it in my wrists, my thumbs, and the depths of my elbows (the tendon that drives the rest of the fingers). I know friends who deal with REAL chronic pain, so I was tempted to ignore this, but then I realized that's often how it starts, so let's talk now.

I've seen the "prayer" stretch, though it doesn't seem to stretch the right things. The yoga "Dog" stretch loosens up my shoulders, which helps peripherally but doesn't address the main problem. I've got an ergo keyboard now, I've been adjusting the heights and distances every which way...

But every time my pinky reaches for the tab (I do Excel all day) or the backspace (I have to correct typos regularly), unless I'm REALLY conscious, my hand twists and I ache. Any time of day, except when my hands have been resting all weekend, I can touch the funny bone hollow behind my elbow and feel the ow ow ow tendon. My finger knuckles have popped constantly (but not painfully) for the last three years since I started typing day jobs.

My massage therapist says he submerges his arms in hothot water at night until they're pink and parboiled, which promotes blood and lymph movement and thus healing. He says it hurts worse at the time, because of swelling, but that's why you do it before bed, not in the morning before work.

Tylik suggests I bring in my sitting ball and sit on it at work, which would certainly help my overall useage, but (like Dog) I'm not sure my wrist problem will benefit more than peripherally.

I'm trying to figure out if there are more stretches I should be doing, if I should pick up drug store wrist braces to train myself out of twisting when I hit tab, if there's something I'm missing here.

Must fix. Suggestions and resources appreciated.

Comments

[pomma-penses.livejournal.com]

have dealt with problems like this on and off for seven years now, so things I have found that help me:

* drugstore wrist braces. I am particular to a certain brand (I think it's "futuro"), although they run about $20 apiece. Would be happy to lend you mine, if you'd like to try them out. I think I even have two for one of the wrists.

*hand strengtheners. (as opposed to "stress balls" and the like.) These will hurt at first to use. I suggest the chinese jingly balls that you twirl in your palm, and a type of hand strengther used by climbers, the Gravity Grip. (I like the 1lb gravity grip - it's like a stress ball, but it's filled with lead shot.) Keep these at your desk and use them when on the phone, in meetings, etc.

*stretches and changing habits: sounds like you're already trying both of these.

I have sucessfully avoided going to the doctor through all this time by nipping nerve damage before it became permanent. I regained full hand strength and mobility, but of course there are a variety of RPIs and YMMV.

[gement.livejournal.com]

Please let me try your wrist braces, if I my borrow them for a bit. If you could drop them by the house of an evening? (I won't be here a lot this week, but I believe plantae will be home most evenings.

Do you have a Gravity Grip I could look at before buying one? Also, please teach me the ways of Chinese jingly balls. I've owned two sets and given both away because I couldn't figure out how to play with them right.