Avoid carpal tunnel syndrome

For the past few days I’ve been getting some level of discomfort in my mouse finger so this is going back to my list of active goals. As to trying to make progress with this goal, I am going to adjust Workrave to impose longer breaks more frequently and work on using the mouse with my left hand.

I’m trying to lessen the amount I do on the computer. That tends to lessen any pain or numbness I’m experiencing.

Symptoms of carpal tunnel first showed up towards the end of my high school years. It wasn’t until graduate school that a sports medicine doc. formally diagnosed me with a mild form of carpal tunnel. He recommended that I wear wrist splints at night to sleep. As someone who can’t stand wearing socks in the house, that was a huge adjustment. I’d oftentimes wake up in the morning with the wrist splints dislodged from my wrists.

Thanks to Workrave preventing me from overdoing it, I can’t remember the last time I’ve had wrist pain. I know its been a few weeks if not a month of being pain free so this goal is being marked off but Workrave is here to stay to ensure it stays that way.

Yesterday I downloaded and installed “Workrave”http://www.workrave.org/welcome/ a free program for Windows and Linux and was completely pain free for the entire day. It is a neat little program that forces you to take breaks every so often in the form of micro pauses (like rest 30 seconds every 5 minutes) and breaks (rest 10 minutes every 45 minutes) that you choose as well as the option of setting a daily limit if you choose. Mac OS X users should check out AntiRSI which is another free program which also does the same thing.

I’ve been extra active on the computer for the past few weeks and its starting to catch up with me in my right wrist. I had similar things a few years ago where I was told that I was at a point that if cut back and took care of myself that it would heal in a few weeks but if I didn’t it would develop into carpal tunnel syndrome. Regardless, to be on the safe side I’m going to see my doctor about it sometime next week.

move to cuba. no internet no need for a computer. no carpal tunnel. yay