Serious hand pain - Need some ergonomic help.

[MrEngenic]

Duh!
Go see a doctor, play on party with MTH only and skip some bonuses for a while.

[Eratosthenes]

I use a Logitech Trackman Wheel. It is a trackball with a scroll wheel that also acts as the third button. I now have no hand/wrist pain at all. There are also some interesting looking ergonomic mice on the web. I think this is a case where everybody is different and you just need to find the mouse/trackball/other thingie that works for you.

[sg23]

i'll also praise the 3M mouse, it did wonders for my wrist pain, though you want to make sure you use it with your forearm fully supported on a desk or other surface or you'll just start straining different muscles/joints/fascia/etc.

ultimately devices are only part of the fix. you really need to start incorporating stretches and breaks in your computer use, as well as verify that your workstation is ergonomically sound, before you really [censored] up your wrists and arms. ideally you should find a local RSI specialist who can assess the severity of your problems, recommend suitable stretches and exercises, and give you tips on device and workstation configuration.

suffice to say given how important your upper extremities are to online poker play, a visit to a specialist can only be +EV if you're already in "serious" pain.

[pothead]

I used to get strains in the hand from using the mouse all day (working with programming and playing poker when I have spare time...so almost 12 hrs/day every day....what a sad geek I am...I know).

Now I use a basic optical mouse but have thrown away my mouse mat and have the mouse on my thighs.
Might sound awkvard or weird maybe, but I would really recommend to give it a try.
It seems like that position removes all strain since you don't have to strech the arm at all to reach a designated mouse area.
I also know a guy who was going to the doctor and eating painkillers due to a very serious strain problems from the mouse, and the same solution sorted him out very quickly.

[Soul Rebel]

First off thanks for the help guys. I know the OP was a pain to read through. I have an Evoluent vertical mouse, so thats not the problem. My workstation is also good, I have a really good chair that has good back and neck support my laptop is on an elevated stand so its at eye level. So most of my ergonomics are good, I just need to tackle this finger problem.

I'm about to order the 3M mouse, and if that doesn't work, I'll suck it up and go see a doctor or bring in a physical therapist. I just turned 25 the other day, and these problems make me feel so freaking old.

Unfortuneatly, not playing 8 different sites just isn't an option. The issue is game and tournament selection, not bonii.

So it doesn't sound like anyone has used one of these Wacom tablets for poker, I was planning on ordering one today, but maybe I'll try the 3M first. If I end up getting a tablet, I'll post about it. Any other suggestions are of course appreciated.

[dfan]

Have you tried the program mousetool? It almost eliminates the need to do manual mouse clicking. It takes a few days to get used to, but using it has improved my wrist tendonitis tremendously.

[pretender2k]

I like to keep a stress ball at my desk and spend any freetime squeezing that to stretch.

I have also started working out and a guy at the gym suggested rolling my wrists with a 5lb weight. It would probably be just as effective with one of those little weights you can get at Wal-mart or anywhere else that has fitness equpment.

I also agree with taking breaks every so often. I play mainly ring games so every so often I just sit out a round and get up and stretch and walk around a bit.

[sourbeaver]

[ QUOTE ]
A mouse wrist rest perhaps won't solve all problems, but it might help?


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I have read on numerous ergonomic websites that this might actually aggravate CTS by somewhat reducing the bloodflow to the hand and wrist area. That being said, OP is probably experienceing pain because of bas posture/hand position and keeping too much resting tension on his hands/wrists.

[BrianChina]

If you have pain in BOTH hands and all you're doing is poker to account for this I think you should see a doctor asap. Don't forget things like arthritis effect people of all ages. Repetitive stress injury for something like poker should obviously only effect your mouse hand.

On a more practical note, as someone who has worked on keyboards and hi tech for twenty years, and has had this happen to me more than once, my solution that has worked 100% is to change my mouse hand. You first change your mouse settings in control panel / buttons / switch primary and secondary buttons (for XP) to swap the mouse keys.

You may also want to slow down the mouse movement speed for while as you get used to it.



I keep it this way for months since I figure it has taken months to cause the strain.

Good luck.

[sublime]

[ QUOTE ]
http://www.evoluent.com/vmouse2.html

[/ QUOTE ]

this is sooooooo correct