Related: https://youtu.be/8SkdfdXWYaI (2013)
Hands-Free Coding (2020)
21–30 of 60 posts
Re: Hands-Free Coding (2020)
#22I'm not a doctor, but I'm skeptical that the author has/had Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. Similar to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, it isn't a condition that significantly improves, much less resolves with rest. Both conditions warrant surgery to remove the nerve compression.
I would guess that the author has relapsed by now, unless he made a lifestyle change not mentioned in the article (e.g. more ergonomic desktop, or started regularly exercising and stretching).
I will add too that I have yet to find a study that supports the notion that Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is caused by computer use. Vibrating tools are the main culprit, along with genetics.
Re: Hands-Free Coding (2020)
#23As someone with RSI who writes code using speech recognition, before copilot, something like Talon was a pretty good solution. Awkward, kinda rough on the throat, not something you would use in the long term but better than the other options. I've always thought that a editor based on the abstract syntax tree in the language was a far better solution but that's a hard to solve problem and needs to be redone with ever…
It's not beneficial to believe that you have "RSI". That's like saying you have "cancer" and are treating it with chemotherapy. What if you just had Thyroid Cancer, in which case you merely needed to take a special iodine pill. In other words, both cancer and "RSI" do not have a single treatment. RSI doesn't have to be this chronic, debilitating condition... but in my experience, you can't put too much faith in orthopedic docs/surgeons, either.
I find orthobullets.com to be a very useful source of information on orthopedic conditions. Give it a look and see if your symptoms really do align... https://www.orthobullets.com/hand/6021/cubital-tunnel-syndro...
Re: Hands-Free Coding (2020)
#24I would highly recommend checking out https://www.cursorless.org/ , an editor for voice built on Talon (what’s being used here by Josh) and a VSCode extension. If for nothing else than to watch the dev live code with it.
> If for nothing else than to watch the dev live code with it.
YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@PokeyRuleJams/videos
Re: Hands-Free Coding (2020)
#25I'm not a doctor, but I'm skeptical that the author has/had Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. Similar to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, it isn't a condition that significantly improves, much less resolves with rest. Both conditions warrant surgery to remove the nerve compression. I would guess that the author has relapsed by now, unless he made a lifestyle change not mentioned in the article (e.g. more ergonomic desktop, or started…
Even if you were a doctor, making a diagnosis upon reading a post is not good practice.
It is easy to find subjects who did nothing else but the suspected activity develop RSI, so it is a weird claim to suspect it might not exist. For computers in particular, the "emacs pinky" is common knowledge, unless you'd think people suffer from collective hallucination (maybe a side-effect of emacs?).
It is definitely a condition that improves with rest, even if not totally and over a long period (months rather than days). There is also some level of evidence that suggest that psychological factors have an influence (there are a few obvious potential links that would explain it, but I'm not familiar enough with the research).
Re: Hands-Free Coding (2020)
#26I'm not a doctor, but I'm skeptical that the author has/had Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. Similar to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, it isn't a condition that significantly improves, much less resolves with rest. Both conditions warrant surgery to remove the nerve compression. I would guess that the author has relapsed by now, unless he made a lifestyle change not mentioned in the article (e.g. more ergonomic desktop, or started…
[deleted]
Re: Hands-Free Coding (2020)
#27I'm not a doctor, but I'm skeptical that the author has/had Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. Similar to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, it isn't a condition that significantly improves, much less resolves with rest. Both conditions warrant surgery to remove the nerve compression. I would guess that the author has relapsed by now, unless he made a lifestyle change not mentioned in the article (e.g. more ergonomic desktop, or started…
Well, I am anecdata in that I was diagnosed with cubital tunnel, recommended surgery and 99% cured it with extreme ergonomics.
I was working on a large library with a verbose coding style and a clear plan. It was a year long sprint typing more than ever before. Started feeling pain down the side of my forearm and random needle stabs in my hand. Doc said I required surgery.
Instead I took a many-pronged approach to ergonomics:
1. 2 keyboards and 2 mice. Switched to a Microsoft ergonomic on my desk and a flat keyboard on my lap. A mouse on the desk and another on the other side on a pedestal by my chair. Switched between them all frequently.
2. Stretches and massage before/during/after typing. Many times per day. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TSrfB7JIzxY was a good help.
3. Held my wrists straight and fingers completely loose when typing. Imagine the classic zombie pose with their arms straight out and hands loose. That was me. Moved my whole arms to type rather than move my wrist or fingers at all. Same with the mice.
4. Stopped wearing any rings or a wristwatch.
Took months of this for the pain to go away. And, had to continue it through the project. But, since then I’ve never needed to type nearly that much and the random pain never came back. If I get on another typing bender I can feel a reminder that my hands don’t like it. And, if I ignored that I’d probably get right back into trouble. But, for the past couple decades I’ve been staring at code for 100x more time than I spend actually typing.
Re: Hands-Free Coding (2020)
#28As someone with RSI who writes code using speech recognition, before copilot, something like Talon was a pretty good solution. Awkward, kinda rough on the throat, not something you would use in the long term but better than the other options. I've always thought that a editor based on the abstract syntax tree in the language was a far better solution but that's a hard to solve problem and needs to be redone with ever…
It's not beneficial to believe that you have "RSI". That's like saying you have "cancer" and are treating it with chemotherapy. What if you just had Thyroid Cancer, in which case you merely needed to take a special iodine pill. In other words, both cancer and "RSI" do not have a single treatment. RSI doesn't have to be this chronic, debilitating condition... but in my experience, you can't put too much faith in ortho…
I've been living with this problem since 1994. Some of the symptoms match up with cubital tunnel syndrome in that my hands feel split along the middle finger ring finger line. At the same time, the palms hands feel like they are burning, and my shoulders are caused me low-level discomfort. If I overdo it, the pain migrates up into my neck. sometimes my forearms and fingers swell. When the finger swelling happens, I lose mobility in my fingers.
I've also lost fine motor control and can no longer do things like write. One of the drugs they put me on gave me tremors that have not gone away so now I can no longer write or use a soldering iron. Sometimes tremors are bad enough typing is literally hit or miss. I miss juggling and cartooning.
For the first 10 years I chased doctor after doctor hand surgeon orthopedic surgeon etc. looking for a cure. Nobody gave me consistent diagnosis and even some of the recommended surgical interventions for some of my symptoms were not recommended because I didn't present in a way that indicated the surgery would be successful.
I've tried numerous things acupuncture, physical therapy, trigger point massage, and drugs like gabapentin and tricyclic antidepressants. The only thing that gave me any relief whatsoever was lidocaine injections in trigger points around my shoulders. The release lasted only 48 hours but it was so wonderful.
I've given up that there's any medical intervention that will help and I just have to live with it the rest of my life.
Re: Hands-Free Coding (2020)
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not beneficial to believe that you have "RSI". That's like saying you have "cancer" and are treating it with chemotherapy. What if you just had Thyroid Cancer, in which case you merely needed to take a special iodine pill. In other words, both cancer and "RSI" do not have a single treatment. RSI doesn't have to be this chronic, debilitating condition... but in my experience, you can't put too much faith in ortho…
I've been living with this problem since 1994. Some of the symptoms match up with cubital tunnel syndrome in that my hands feel split along the middle finger ring finger line. At the same time, the palms hands feel like they are burning, and my shoulders are caused me low-level discomfort. If I overdo it, the pain migrates up into my neck. sometimes my forearms and fingers swell. When the finger swelling happens, I l…
I went to a few MDs as well, for what presented like de quervain's tenosynovitis. It was only in my right hand, thankfully, so I could still mouse with my left. I also could use nothing but a split keyboard, which made it tough to use a laptop. And I could no longer use my phone with my right hand either. But after a while, I started getting symptoms in my left as well.
Obviously, no where near as bad as your case, but there nonetheless, for years. MD after MD told me there was nothing wrong with my hand, so nothing they could do.
Finally, after no longer being able to trust my right hand at all, because it would just randomly let go of whatever I was holding, no matter what size object, I finally went to a DO who takes a wholistic approach. After a few sessions of soft tissue therapy, involving massage, scraping and cupping, combined with stretching and strength training exercises, I'm pretty much back to normal. He worked from my neck down, to get the nerves to "floss" correctly through my system, down to my hand.
I've now moved past the treatment part, but as long as I maintain the daily stretches and strength training, both hands are pretty much back to normal. I do have minimal pain in the right hand if I have a particularly grueling work week, but I'm back to using normal keyboards and even laptop keyboards. And I can mouse and use my phone with my right hand again. I can even trust my right hand to not drop things anymore.
Of course, YMMV, but traditional doctors couldn't get the job done for me. I'm so grateful it didn't discourage me after a years long journey, and I'm grateful for the wholistic approach that worked.
Re: Hands-Free Coding (2020)
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's not beneficial to believe that you have "RSI". That's like saying you have "cancer" and are treating it with chemotherapy. What if you just had Thyroid Cancer, in which case you merely needed to take a special iodine pill. In other words, both cancer and "RSI" do not have a single treatment. RSI doesn't have to be this chronic, debilitating condition... but in my experience, you can't put too much faith in ortho…
I've been living with this problem since 1994. Some of the symptoms match up with cubital tunnel syndrome in that my hands feel split along the middle finger ring finger line. At the same time, the palms hands feel like they are burning, and my shoulders are caused me low-level discomfort. If I overdo it, the pain migrates up into my neck. sometimes my forearms and fingers swell. When the finger swelling happens, I l…
Not saying this is related to your issues at all, but in case it ends up being helpful for someone - my uncle was a postman and lived with RSI for decades, early on they even gave him carpal tunnel surgery for it which just made things worse. After that, I think he gave up on doctors to a large extent but as he got older and was having more health difficulties, his daughter "made" him go see the doctor about them. Turns out he has multiple sclerosis and they now think the rsi may have been an early symptom of it.
Editing to add: I have dealt with RSI as a software developer myself. It started during a months long flare up of new digestive problems (which I didn't connect it to until later). I had to quit programming for years after being unsuccessful at finding long term relief, fortunately if I wasn't doing things that exacerbated it too much I would mostly feel fine and every once in awhile I would test things out to see if I had recovered. Close to ten years later, I found that I could begin working on the computer again and after some accidental experiments I realized that what was keeping the rsi under control was taking probiotics that I had begun taking for other reasons (and had kept taking because of the notably positive effect they had on my mood). When I stopped taking the probiotics for a few days the nerve and joint pain would start up again and recede when I re-started them. Eventually I had an antibiotic (which was not the first time in that time period I had taken antibiotics) and afterward don't seem to need the probiotic anymore .