Wrist Fatigue

Nero

What is the best method to resolve wrist fatigue, new mouse pad, new mouse or what?

And don't say just change hands !!!8

Rabies

get a girl friend

what about getting one of the wrist supposts that are placed infront of the keyboard. that may help.
do you type correctly or are your hands/fingers all over the keyboard, that could be your prob.

Ruaidhri

get a g/f [edit]DAMN you rabies just bet me to it[/edit]

ok seriously personally i find if you get into a comfortable position (at your desk that is) with no strain AT all on your arms/wrists,and break regulary(just get up and walk around) should provide your wrists with some relief.

koneko

Nero, very interesting Q.

When I started getting wrist fatigue (or RSI) I took time off. Time away from work (where i'm using PCs constantly) and time away from PCs at home. Sounds hard huh It helped at the time.

Boots have some bandages that are more like elasticated socks, they support your wrist, seems to help a bit.

I haven't found gel mouse pads to be any good really though.

Find a good position at your desk, where you're not hunched over and you can keep your arms straight. Take a break every now and again. Do some finger/hand exercises (stretching, etc).

Go see a doctor if it's painful/achy/bad, if you're unlucky, it can end up in something very bad (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome). This isn't meant to scare you, but some people end up in a very bad way, so if it's a very regular thing, you might want to have it checked. Take a break though!


More tips:
http://www.rsihelp.com/tips.shtml

Warning signs of RSI:
http://www.rsihelp.com/warning.shtml

nesf

Hmm, had wrist problems a few years ago when I did alot more work with comps, ended up going to the doc, cause I couldn't put any weight/strain on my wrists, which is a very bad thing if you're work also involves alot of lifting. Turned out I had tendonitis (i.e. inflammation of the tendons). All that was needed was a few tabs and it was perfect again. Worth going to the doc tho..

Shinji

I ended up with very severe Carpal Tunnel Syndrome at one point, which kinda made me think very hard about how I work with computers. My entire livelihood revolves around them so I'm not about to ditch them, buuuttt.... when you get to a point in late afternoon almost every day when your entire right hand seizes up like a claw and you can't move your arm without spikes of pain shooting through your wrist and forearm, it's time to go "bugger, I should have seen this coming".

Gel wrist rests are good. A wrist rest of SOME description for your keyboard is essential, even if it's just one of the plastic ones that sticks to the bottom of your keyboard (that's what I use now). Make sure you're sitting at the right height relative to your desk - you shouldn't have to lift your arms too high to reach stuff; basically your arms should hang down and then make a 90 degree angle at the elbows, and your forearms should rest naturally on your keyboard and mouse from there.

Use a mouse you're comfortable with. I've found that as well as being a nice mouse, the Logitech "wedge shaped" Mouseman Plus optical rests very easily in my hand and reduces any strain on the tendons in my palm and fingers. It's worth paying 20 quid extra for a nice mouse now rather than spending a day having lubricating/anti-inflamatory stuff injected into your wrists, believe me.

Get up and wander around and wave your arms periodically. Easy for me now that I work at home, but I used to do it in the office too. People get used to it, even if you do look like the people out of the "I Feel Like Chicken Tonight" ads sometimes...

If you start to find typing or using the mouse painful, STOP DOING IT. Your tendons are inflamed and moving them more will just rub them off each other more, and they'll get more inflamed. Rest your arm and fingers. If you're in a job where you do stuff that doesn't require a computer at all times, do some of the non-computery stuff. If not, then just take a break - and remember, the magic letters "RSI" still make most managers break out in a sweat. After I had my carpal tunnel syndrome, I came into work to find that we'd all acquired really expensive new keyboards, mice, mousemats, chairs etc - about two or three grands worth of equipment, just to make sure nobody got RSI badly enough to be able to take out a lawsuit against them....

Nero

Well it is mostly from using the mouse I am getting the pain, I sit at my PC all day. I got a mouse pad with a wrist rest but it does not seem to be helping.

You are right about the afternoons getting worse, last week I could hardly hold the steering wheel with my right hand when driving home in the evening.

Hobbes

Get a better mouse then. I actually brought my own into work because the one in work was causing me pain in the wrist.

The one I use is the Logitech Optical Mouseman wheel as well. V.comfy and a lot more robust then the MS optical mice.

Only other mouse which has been as good is the MS mouse, but the ball one not the opticals (optical ones just die too frequently).

amp

Wimps. I type till I bleed.

Fidelis

lol

Dont be at yourself

Get up and wander around and wave your arms periodically. Easy for me now that I work at home, but I used to do it in the office too. People get used to it

What's to get used to? Prancing around flapping your wrists is perfectly normal behaviour for you!