Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?

#81

Post by qq4 » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 3:58 AM UTC

randomsearch wrote: post #23

cultofmetatron wrote: post #17

I started regularly lifting weights a few years ago. After a few weeks, all the muscle and joint pain in my body disappeared completely.

Same. I heard a famous entrepreneur say on a podcast recently that every time he felt a bit of pain he knew it'd been because he hadn't hit the gym for a few days... 100%. I get back in the workout routine and it's all good. On a positive note it's just insanely effective at getting me to exercise. I just have _no choice_ so I know I'll be regularly exercising so long as I'm still using computers.

This is somewhat similar to how I tend to exercise when I go hard at it. If I'm feeling down or I'm feeling dull pains I intensely workout and always feel better afterwards. I like to imagine I'm pushing the pain out with a rewarding kind.

Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?

#82

Post by qq4 » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 3:59 AM UTC

_dps wrote: post #77

Others mentioned lifting weights — +1 to that but let me add something I haven't seen mentioned yet: rowing. Rowing is, in my opinion, the perfect anti-programming exercise. - you unfurl your body instead of hunching over, stretching it in a way counter to the usual strains programming creates - you exercise your back, especially lower back, giving you support muscles for good posture - you also exercise your forearm…

Hard to row without having a boat, unless of course you're talking about rowing machines. Which do you recommend?

Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?

#83

Post by qq4 » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 4:01 AM UTC

ghoward wrote: post #47

Got a Keyboardio Model 01 [1], switched to the Dvorak keyboard layout, and started doing exercises, all at the same time. I also recently switched from GNOME to the keyboard-centric awesome window manager [2]. [1]: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/keyboardio/the-model-01... [2]: https://awesomewm.org/index.html

I switched from i3 to GNOME because I found it so keyboard friendly and simple. I never needed Fibonacci ratio sized windows in practice, just workspaces and easy window sizing and switching. What do you find that awesome has over GNOME?

Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?

#84

Post by mxvanzant » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 4:03 AM UTC

I think vitamin B6 is supposed to do it. I had symptoms in one wrist. Was pretty bad. I started taking a B Complex (B50) a couple times a day and it went away within a week. Some C would probably also help.

Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?

#85

Post by _dps » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 4:42 AM UTC

qq4 wrote: post #82

_dps wrote: post #77

Others mentioned lifting weights — +1 to that but let me add something I haven't seen mentioned yet: rowing. Rowing is, in my opinion, the perfect anti-programming exercise. - you unfurl your body instead of hunching over, stretching it in a way counter to the usual strains programming creates - you exercise your back, especially lower back, giving you support muscles for good posture - you also exercise your forearm…

Hard to row without having a boat, unless of course you're talking about rowing machines. Which do you recommend?

If you can do it on the water even better, but obviously that's harder to arrange. The basic physiological benefits come from either IMO, and 95% of the time I've been rowing on a machine.

P.S. If I've misunderstood your question and you're asking what machine specifically, I use a Concept 2 I bought 8 years ago but only because that was what my gym was using and I figured might as well match it at home. Nowadays there is a huge variety of machines to choose from, and the basic physiological benefits are going to be the same for all of them.

Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?

#86

Post by replwoacause » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 4:50 AM UTC

Mine went away when I switched to a Kinesis Advantage 2 keyboard. It took some getting used to, but I took heed of the advice here that it would be worth it and it was. Also, I use a Logitech MX ERGO trackball which I really like.

Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?

#87

Post by xupybd » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 4:53 AM UTC

Yes, a Kinesis Advantage and carefully resting my hand when not using the mouse did it for me.

Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?

#88

Post by seasoup » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 4:59 AM UTC

I had the same thing, I switched hands using the mouse and developed it in my other hand. I switched to a trackball, it persisted. I switched to a Wacom tablet and it went away. I used a pen and tablet for over a decade afterwards and it never came back.

Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?

#89

Post by dmlerner » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 5:19 AM UTC

Keyboard.io Model 01. Split, layers, thumb clusters, and standard tripod mounts to which I attached Gorilla Pods to get the perfect angles.

I was massively over using my pinkies with laptop modifier/arrow keys, and it's now all thumbs and home row. Took a while to come up with and learn my mappings in a Vim friendly way, but super worth it.

I had significant ulnar nerve pain. Tried PT, weightlifting, sleep braces, a (rather painful) nerve conduction study, stretches...nothing helped much, until the Keyboard.io.

Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?

#90

Post by sunstone » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 5:20 AM UTC

My recommendation to find yourself a respected sports massage therapist. Most of these things have their root back in the shoulder blade and the whole arm needs a careful (and painful) massage to set things right. Ibuprofen helps too.