Currently suffering from RSI, more specifically numbness and tinging on the ulnar side of both hands and wrists. After countless doctor's visits and imaging (x-ray, MRI) along with occupational hand therapy, nothing seems to work. It's gotten a bit better over the course of 18 months, but I'm still unable to comfortably type, use a smartphone, or perform many other daily chores. If anyone else has been in the same boat, any help? Thank you!
Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?
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Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?
#2I had issues with my right hand (which as a professional bassoon player is not great). I struggled with it for years, and it came and went. Then I started swimming. I did a front crawl course, loved it and started swimming 3-4 times every week, and after about 6 months my hand pain went away.
Plus I lost weight and had to buy new pants because they started filling off. And my shirts became too tight because I suddenly got some shoulders. Best problem I have ever had.
Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?
#3I never had actual diagnosable RSI, but I was on my way there I think. I really highly recommend split ergonomic keyboards though. They run quite expensive but are worth it IMO. At entry level there's the Kinesis Freestyle (~$100) but the Kinesis Advantage ($350) is probably the best ergonomics you can get without going for a more niche enthusiast focused keyboard.
Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?
#4I had neuropathic pain in my hands and feet on the ulnar side. In my case it was gluten intolerance. It has cleared up after a month of strict gluten free dieting.
Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?
#5Uh i have a little experience with this.
I was an intern for a few months as part of my computer science degree, and sitting at a desk very not suites for office work, caused my right hand to start hurtig and having issues with tingeling like you describe. What ultimately worked for me was minimizing mouse usage by stopping pc gaming, switched to console gaming instead and stretching primarily my neck and shoulders, that really worked wonders. I was tested if my arms/hands had any permanent nerve damage, and fortunately I had not. Let me know if you have any questions.
Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?
#6Stop using a mouse, or use a vertical mouse (e.g. Evoluent).
Move to a standing desk if you can.
These two things worked for me.
Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?
#743 y/o now, got first carpal tunnel at 12 y/o. Only thing that fixed it was to
1) stop using mice and track pads (wacom pen and tablet for the win), It was the incessant clicking that did me in I think
2) focused physio, then followed up with regular (3x week minimum) yoga-ish stretching, and weight training.
Additionally it crept into my shoulders as tendinitis, solved the same way.
Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?
#8I feel like I've conquered mine. I can primarily thank the Kinesis Advantage2 keyboard, it's basically the only reason I can type now. I have no pain using it, and I honestly get a shooting pain every time I switch over to my laptop's keyboard.
One more thing is getting up and walking around for 5 minutes every 30min. We basically sit ourselves into these problems, and getting up is a helpful solution. I even knock out a bunch of 5-minute chores in a day thanks to this.
Finally, find some 10min yoga sessions to do in the morning. Do 'em a few times a week. They'll stretch your hands out in ways you wouldn't expect.
Oh, and smartphones suck to hold, find the tiniest one possible. iPhone SE is killer for this
Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?
#9Bi-modal input worked for me. That’s a fancy way of saying use a trackball and a mouse at the same time. I would use the trackball to fling the cursor around the screen with my left hand, and the mouse to fine tune the aim with my right hand. I can only speak for myself, but this solved an acute pain in my wrist.
Re: Ask HN: How have you cured your RSI?
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