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PaperclipPerfector  8mo ago (text post)   3781 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for August 27, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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Does anyone else here suffer from chronic pain/tension, especially things like carpal tunnel/repetitive strain injury or TMJ?

I have quite a bit of experience with these issues and have managed pretty much a full recovery over several years. Curious to talk to others about their experiences, or offer guidance if folks are interested.

I started developing weird pains in my right wrist, then read somewhere to pay attention to how you sleep, in particular that you don't have your palm angled at 90 degrees forward from the wrist. Then I discovered that for some reason I did this all the time, made a conscious effort to stop doing that, and had no issues since.

I have terrible form and posture and am sitting at my computer 8+ hours per day. Still young though so maybe it'll catch up to me.

I'd recommend at least starting to work out now! Also Pipersong chairs and kinesis keyboards are the bomb, if you have the money.

Oh for sure, when you mentioned carpal tunnel I thought you meant from a desk job. Working out is definitely indispensable. Will look into the other two--I've got a Branch chair currently and so far it works fine.

Hah I did mean from a desk job, although video games were the real culprit in my situation.

I mean, I occasionally get strain on the lower side of my right middle forearm below the wrist, makes it painful to use a mouse. But this is only maybe a few times a month. Would you consider this a warning sign of something that will get worse and needs correction, or would you say that sounds more like transient overuse that simply being a bit more careful about time management is sufficient to avoid?

I would say it is something to monitor, doesn’t mean imminent carpal tunnel is inevitable. IMO if you’re worried best thing is to really master proper form and learn to build muscles in your back/shoulder.

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