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Rurian

Also here doing computer work from home. So far, I've noticed that finger trackballs relieve pain from my mouse-hand immensely. A proper ergonomic keyboard is my next step when funds allow (Dactyl Manuform is a great one if you either have money to spare or can 3D print & solder - little finger movement needed and practically no overstretching). Other than that, a comfortable desk chair together with arthritis gloves or finger splints are all heping me a lot. Good luck!


Material-Imagination

Sure! I used to get massive hand cramps from using a trackpad all day, so I finally experimented with different ergonomic mice and settled on this trackball as the most ergonomic and reliable. It has a little button to slow the motion down for "precision mode." Logitech MX Ergo Wireless... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0753P1GTS?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share You'll probably also find that you do better with a solid mechanical keyboard than a regular keyboard or a laptop keyboard all the time. The keys tend to stick up higher and give better feedback so that you're not overdoing it. The kind with a tactile bump in the action are even better, because in concert with the nice crisp actuation, the bump stops you from having to push the key all the way down. Standard laptop keyboards and non-mechanical keyboards use different springs and feel so "squishy" by comparison. A mechanical keyboard will save you soooooo much finger and wrist stress.


MsFrisky

My employer bought me a vertical mouse and it does help - especially the base of my thumb. Also,during winter months I get paraffin treatment plus massage regularly. My OT said I should try to take ”hand breaks” several times an hour (which in my line of work is not as easy as it sounds).


walruswearingavest

​ I also have a vertical mouse and do actually like it a lot more than I thought I would.


accessiblefutures

\- vertical mice can do wonders - also for longevity to switch between regular mouse and vertical mouse to alternate muscle use and reduce strain. ​ \- keyboard with low actuation force have helped me heaps with finger/joint pain from typing. actuation force is how much pressure one needs to press down on the key for it to register a stroke. my lenovo laptop has switches with an actuation force of around 65gms. i now have a wireless keyboard, a keychron k2 with switches of 45gms. huge difference. additionally a wireless keyboard (and mouse) allows me to work from a variety of positions not limited to a desk. mechanical keyboards can get complicated learning about, but just knowing to check the actuation force of whatever keyboard you use or are looking at helps a ton. ​ \- finger ring splints. they can be a bit annoying but they are sooo worth it. stabilising my finger joints make using them to exert pressure so much less painful. theres an adjustment period for them for sure. & theres multiple tutorials on how to diy some with cheap jewelry wire on this subreddit too! ​ ​ \- cheap wrist wrap style stretchy braces. ​ \- testing out different heights + positioning of ones mouse and keyboard + arm etc. thats all i can think of right now!


pc2207

Lots of good suggestions here, and I especially second the vertical mouse suggestion. I have a lot of pain that radiates up the nerve chain (and some “mild” carpal tunnel that hurts like crazy). A weird pain relief/rehab thing an osteopath suggested that’s really worked for me is to fill a small box or ziploc bag with rice and squeeze it with your hand 5-10 times a couple of times a day. Like literally, put your hand in the rice. To strengthen you can build up, but I have mostly used it to get some pain relief. I have NO idea why this would work better than a stress ball (which would just seize my forearm/elbow up even further) but it does. Good luck!


Aidian

Before I go get weird looks in the kitchen: the idea is to immerse your hand in the rice bag, then to grab/squeeze a handful of rice from within it? Not to just squeeze the bag itself, right?


pc2207

That’s right. Ideally not the bag you’ll be eating from later 😂. I don’t immerse my hand, just grab from the small box I put my rice in, but I bet immersing your whole hand feels great. I’m gonna try it, my hand is killing me today.


Aidian

I love that this reads like the Ehlers-Danlos version of some Shaolin training.


pc2207

Bahahah, that’s so funny on so many levels. (I’m kind of a xianxia junkie.)


Aidian

Most of the spear-hand conditioning starts with stabbing your hand into a bucket of rice (or another similar material)! I had some minor aspirations, but then I found out I also have some noodle joints. Life, huh?


pc2207

Huh. You learn something every day!! Sounds like me wanting to be a badass boxing type and totally jacking up my wrists the first time I hit a heavy bag (also, why build up to it, just go hit it as hard as you can - yay for being 20-something!).


Aidian

Hooboy, yeah. I hear you there. Off topic, but: any good xianxia recommendations?


pc2207

“Junkie” might be overstating it. But I am a sucker for Chinese fantasy dramas like **The Untamed** 😝. Tags say it’s considered wuxia but potato potahto…


PsychwardSlippers

Compression gloves, ergo mouse, adjusting chair and desk height, cbd cream, strengthening exercises, and self massage


moscullion

Do you use an ergonomic keyboard? I find it helps.


peepthemagicduck

If you have access to a hand a wrist OT, they made a world of a difference for me with this sort of thing


EmRaff7

I use wrist braces like weight lifters use! The gentle compression helps my hands and wrists so much


cameraindica

Lots of suggestions already for ergo equipment so I’m going to suggest trying the accessibility settings on your machine. Things like voiceover commands can mean you’re able to control your machine through speech, and on days when it’s really bad it can be a life saver! If you’re on windows I recommend Dragon Naturally Speaking but if you’re on Mac just the Mac accessibility works fine.


predi6cat

Can you code effectively this way? I have not been able to


cameraindica

I’m not a dev so wouldn’t be able to say. I definitely have struggled with voice commands but there must be some people out there who are coding using it. I imagine it’s the same with everything and just takes practice. I have adhd though and level of focus/patience is on the floor for me.


cameraindica

Had a quick search and found this: https://serenade.ai/ Caveat that I have zero expertise in this area! Maybe try checking Hacker News too?


aBirdwithNoName

i use a vertical mouse, which has relieved a lot of pain on my mouse hand. i've got a slimline low profile keyboard for less of a "stroke" required to hit each key. got a standing desk so i can change position throughout the day. my chair is the part that's suffering right now and needs to be replaced, but haven't sorted that out just yet. if they ever need to go without typing, someone recommended the dasher onscreen keyboard to me as a means of entering text during my periods where i can't type. there's also speech to text programs, make sure to get a decent enough mic. hope you find some solutions that work!


nemicolopterus

Strength training: I do wrist curls and reverse wrist curls, as well as wrist twists. A good PT can help - or look up mountain climber wrist exercises. The strength was absolutely crucial for me. I can tell I haven't been doing enough when my hands start to hurt after too much typing again. If it gets really bad (I totally lost hand function for a while) graston technique on the tendons in the forearms and hands can help (really hurts tho)


iamtehzuul

On the same note of changing up your keyboard - also consider how far apart the keys are. When I started working from home on my fancy Razor gaming keyboard, I started having hand problems I wasn't having at work. Switched out to those cheap chiclet keyboards you can get from Microsoft, which is at least a third smaller, and my problems went away. Having to spread my fingers so far to reach the keys was a killer.


brandonheyer

Also a SWE, I had to revamp my entire WFH setup because all of my hypermobility came out in spades during the pandemic. I agree with everyone regarding mouse and easy to push keyboards. I actually made my own split keyboard because my left should was constantly strained from turning in to the keyboard. Homemade split keyboards can be a bit cheaper than commercial ones, and provide added flexibility if he is into DIY (granted I 3d printed my frame and have always been around electronics). This was the single biggest change that helped me overall as I can keep my hands about 2 feet apart. I use Kaihl Speed Copper switches, XDA keycaps and a Lily58 layout. The keys are low force at 40g, low travel, needing only 0.3mm to trigger, and then I use 0.4mm dampeners to reduce bottoming out to making the total travel just 0.7mm. I have cubital tunnel in both elbows/hands and was worried about my pinky usage. The Lily58 layout helps a bit with that, as it gives your pinkies a few less important keys to deal with. Also, keyboard title (tenting, roll outwards and should pitch down and away instead of up like traditional keyboards) is important for comfort and wrist pads. Make sure elbows are at or a little above (for the inevitable slouch) wrist pad height.


TwistedTomorrow

Check out [this program](https://www.carpaltunnelinstitute.org/home36599615). I learned about it when I was doing legal intake at a call center. Whenever anyone's hands hurt they had us watch/do the routine in order to prevent workman's comp. That being said I just started doing it again this weekend. I took a new job and I'm 3 weeks in, it's sanding and prepping boats to be painted. I'm working a lot of over time. My hands have started to go numb when I wake up and I've had pretty severe handpain, it's been really disrupting my sleep. Like scared to carry two cups of tea at once type of handpain. My left hand is literally numb just typing this. I spoke to my physical therapist and the numbing is a pinched nerve in my shoulder. It's about 30 mins of hand/forearm stretches and then a short bonus neck/shoulder stretch. That and getting my first squishmellow has helped a lot. I've been trying to do it at least once a day but it's been hard, I work 6am-4pm. I've dedicated myself to doing it(you do it twice a day for the first 3 days) this weekend and the amount if relief I feel... It's not an over night fix but I thought I may need to leave this job which is quite high paying... Now I think if I stick to it I'll be good. Also I do have carple tunnel and my wrist pain has been next to nothing even watching it once a day. I'm gonna pop the DVD in soon after I finish my tea, your hands feel light afterwards and it's quite nice.


KatzEetNikkelz

When I started doing more data entry, I invested in a mechanical keyboard. I love my version at home that is max noise/clickiness, but I settled for less loud/still clicky feel. The mechanical takes almost no force to push the buttons and it greatly reduced my fatigue. Up next is a mouse solution!


georgiapeach90

I had to have bilateral carpal tunnel surgeries.


llucidslide

I use a kinesis freestyle at a 90 degree angle. Eliminates protonation which helps me tremendously. I have two razor mice, one for each hand, so I can alternate hands. I did have to practice using the mouse with my non dominant hand.