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Ask HN: Hands hurts from coding too long?

• tedmiston 10y ago
  Take breaks more regularly and take a day off. It happens to the best of us from time to time.
• anysz 10y ago
  Could be RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury). I had that after binge coding for an extended amount of days without doing anything else. My right forearm was perpetually contracted and hand was prohibitively stiff. Went to a massage therapist who massaged my trapezoids, some spots in my back and finally my forearm. After 2 sessions over 3 days, it was gone. But I didn't code during that time. Side note: pretty sure I got much more programming done during my time off the computer than on.
• dacompton 10y ago
  Time for a new keyboard and mouse. This combo: https://evoluent.com/products/vm4r/ https://evoluent.com/products/vm4r/ http://www.typematrix.com/ http://www.typematrix.com/ in addition to smarter keystrokes in vim solved all of my issues. This keyboard is probably a better option: https://www.kinesis-ergo.com/ https://www.kinesis-ergo.com/
• toasterlovin 10y ago
  This is gonna sound like some crystal healing mumbo jumbo, but here we go anyway: I had tons of issues with my wrists, fingers, shoulders, and back when I first started programming. I tried all the ergonomic gear. It made a difference, for sure, but the thing that finally made the pain go away was getting strong with barbells.
• jarnix 10y ago
  I always try to use the same keyboard at home and at work (mine is a Qpad 85 with cherry mx red), typing on a laptop is a real pain.
• 75j 10y ago
  In the short term I'd recommend doing relaxed dynamic stretching on your wrist and fingers every few hours, massage your forearms by hand or with a roam roller, and consider wearing wrist bands if that's where some of your pain is. It's also helpful to readjust the height you sit at, or try standing. When you do start typing again, buy a timer or get a digital one and take regular breaks. I've had this problem too after spending a lot of time on the computer, even to the point of buying a pair of wrist braces that I wore at night. Some kind of compression with a brace, band, or tape is usually helpful for injuries involving smaller muscles, ligaments and tendons. More importantly though, I'd recommend not getting to the point I was at. I read about many people who injured themselves far worse, requiring surgery and major lifestyle and work-related changes. The complete answer is much more holistic, but sleep and rest will help you the most.
• jtcond13 10y ago
  Having a keyboard at a lower level than your desk can help with this. Investing in a monitor and keyboard tray is probably a good idea.
• saluki 10y ago
  I think carpal tunnel would be in your wrists . . . it could be from clenching/tightening your hands in your sleep. I expect that would be more from stress than coding. I've had something similar off and on the past month. I code on a 13" air 4 or 5 hours per day, regular keyboard the rest of the work day. No previous problems, same routine. I've woken up with pain in my fingers and hands a couple days per week the past month, I think it's clenching hands in my sleep. Hope you're feeling better.
  • AnimalMuppet 10y ago
    I have pain in my fingers (especially index finger of my right hand). I've always hit the keys on the keyboard hard (I picked up that habit when I had to work on some terminals with really stiff keyboards back in the day). It's worse on keyboards with short key travel. I think the index finger is worse, because it also gets to do the mouse clicking. I'm 54. At this point, it could be the beginnings of arthritis...
• bigmanwalter 10y ago
  Laptop keyboards and trackpads are not ergonomic enough for prolonged daily use. Get a full-sized keyboard and mouse pronto. Within a week of making the switch, the pain in my hands made a significant improvement. For even more ergonomics, get some cushioned wrist pads for your mouse and keyboard, (many ergonomic keyboards come with one built in). That's the second biggest culprit in RSIs.
• GFK_of_xmaspast 10y ago
  See a doctor and get a referral to a specialist.
  • bloodorange 10y ago
    This is good advice. Please don't get a diagnosis from random anecdotes. There are people who've studied the subject and are qualified to diagnose and prescribe a treatment. Wouldn't it be best to go to them? Also, for posture, an ergonomic specialist might be able to help.
  • Someone 10y ago
    Why would he refer you to a specialist when you tell him "This is the first time this has happened, but I was coding on my 13" MBP for 5 hours straight last night, and this morning my hands are really tight and sore"? This likely is the equivalent of having sore muscles the day after runnning a marathon. Phrased bluntly, "don't do that" likely is the way to prevent this from happening. If there are no other reasons than "I was coding on my 13" MBP for 5 hours straight" to explain your symptoms, and the symptoms really are limited to "tight and sore" (as opposed to painful) I would expect your doctor to tell you just that, but a bit more politely, likely with the tip to take regular breaks. If your doctor refers you to a specialist, I would hope it to be one on ergonomics, to prevent future problems.
    • GFK_of_xmaspast 10y ago
      > I would hope it to be one on ergonomics That's exactly the kind of specialist I was thinking of.
• glup 10y ago
  5 hours straight isn't a good idea for your hands, your eyes, or your heart. Practice 20-20-20 [1] and move around at least once an hour. [1] https://opto.ca/health-library/the-20-20-20-rule https://opto.ca/health-library/the-20-20-20-rule
• abc_lisper 10y ago
  - Get a full size keyboard. - Start using IDEs or do more with editor macros. - Make sure your hands return to a comfortable position when not actively typing.
• bitwize 10y ago
  Get a full-sized, mechanical keyboard and see if that doesn't help things. The tactile feedback from mechanical switches tells your fingers how much pressure to apply and when to let go, so you don't press too hard or bottom out early. My hands used to become gnarled claws after enough hours at the keyboard; with a Das Keyboard Professional, that simply doesn't happen.
• enthalpyx 10y ago
  If you're experiencing any sort of pain, do not attempt to power through it. It's your body trying to tell you something's wrong. Step away from the keyboard and get some rest.
• jnbiche 10y ago
  Yeah, agree with other comments to not ignore the pain, and don't attempt to type through it. That's how I've exacerbated my carpal tunnel in the past. Try a different keyboard. I'd recommend the Microsoft split keyboard, it has worked wonders for my carpal tunnel. If it continues, see a neurologist.
• jbob2000 10y ago
  I began experiencing the same thing as you and I found a solution 2 years ago. You don't need to see a doctor, you don't need a mechanical keyboard, you don't need to reduce the amount of type you type. The quickest thing you can do is stretch and massage your hands and wrists every once in while. Make your right hand go limp, put it in the palm of your left hand and use your fingers to gently massage and manipulate the various parts of your hand, then switch hands. After that, what I would suggest is an ergonomic keyboard and mouse. The Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 can be found for $40-60 online and is a great first step for ergonomic keyboarding. It took me about 2 weeks to get used to using this keyboard, but I credit it with removing much of my hand and wrist pain. I also started using a trackball mouse. With a trackball, you are not using your wrist at all, everything is driven by your thumb, and your hand is generously supported by the bulky mouse body.
  • seanp2k2 10y ago
    +1 also forearm massage. That's where a lot of the tendons run through. Check out some diagrams of where they are and get a feel for it. Go from the wrist all the way up to your elbow.
• TYPE_FASTER 10y ago
  I had this happen two weeks into my first job after college. I was freaking out. I bought a Microsoft Natural keyboard and haven't had a problem since. Also, laptop keyboards are horrible. Do not use them for a long time. Get an ergonomic keyboard and plug it into your laptop.
• pvaldes 10y ago
  Replacing the laptop touchpad by a wacom tablet helped in my case, a lot, but I admit that it was a little cumbersome to carry it with the laptop. At 21% VAT, I just forgot to buy a new one.
• itamarst 10y ago
  Don't worry about it too much. Worrying can actually make you tense up your muscles, which makes it hurt more... 1. Make sure you stay warm! Last episode I had with arm pain was due to being under air conditioner vent. Wearing sweater solved the problem. 2. If you have ongoing problems, get a better keyboard. 3. Stretching and massage are good too. 4. Take breaks, don't work 5 hours straight.
• huangc10 10y ago
  Aside from getting new hardware (which I do suggest), try taking a break every 30-45 minutes. Walk around the room, talk to some people, eat some food, etc. It'll also help you think. Make sure your body position is comfortable and you're not leaning too far forward or backward. Lastly, stay hydrated! Fluids is key for long hours in front of the computer. Good Luck!
• digitalsushi 10y ago
  I developed what I thought was carpal tunnel. I went to the doctor and had xrays. They said they could see nothing wrong. I was in serious pain. I switched to a trackball, and I did experiments with my desk height, keyboard, monitor height, standing desks, posture, yoga, stretching, sleeping with braces, cold and hot compresses... I'm ashamed that I debug computer programs for a living but I couldnt figure it out. In the same year, I had started using a machete to chop soft wood pine trees down in my new backyard. I didnt own a chainsaw and it was hilarious to me the method. There was enough delay between the activity and pain that I never figured it out. My wrists started to feel after a year or so of not doing this ridiculous activity. How did it finally click? I randomly chopped one straggler tree down that I had missed, and a week later was back in agony. So, really step back and try to look at the big picture. Sometimes we can be blind.
• seanp2k2 10y ago
  I agree with the other poster saying to look at everything else you're doing as well. My knee hurt for a few weeks starting a few days after moving house. Look into hand exercises. Rock climbing (especially bouldering) can help if you're up for it / live by a rock gym or somewhere lucky enough to have good outdoor climbing. The Microsoft Sculpt keyboard and mouse are the best I've found ergo-wise. imovr makes desks with solid keyboard platforms which can tilt to pretty extreme negative angles if you find that that helps as well. The sculpt KB comes with a negative angle riser as well, to get a feel for if you like that type of thing.
• lastofus 10y ago
  My hands and arms have been in pain for over a decade now from programming for far too many hours. You need to take this very seriously. Most people do recover eventually after rest. Please be one of these people and do not power through it until the damage is permanent. No job is worth your long term health.