3 ms·

I'm not a doctor, but I'm skeptical that the author has/had Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. Similar to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, it isn't a condition that significantly

I'm not a doctor, but I'm skeptical that the author has/had Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. Similar to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, it isn't a condition that significantly improves, much less resolves with rest. Both conditions warrant surgery to remove the nerve compression. I would guess that the author has relapsed by now, unless he made a lifestyle change not mentioned in the article (e.g. more ergonomic desktop, or started regularly exercising and stretching). I will add too that I have yet to find a study that supports the notion that Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is caused by computer use. Vibrating tools are the main culprit, along with genetics.

woolion 3y ago
Even if you were a doctor, making a diagnosis upon reading a post is not good practice. It is easy to find subjects who did nothing else but the suspected activity develop RSI, so it is a weird claim to suspect it might not exist. For computers in particular, the "emacs pinky" is common knowledge, unless you'd think people suffer from collective hallucination (maybe a side-effect of emacs?). It is definitely a condition that improves with rest, even if not totally and over a long period (months rather than days). There is also some level of evidence that suggest that psychological factors have an influence (there are a few obvious potential links that would explain it, but I'm not familiar enough with the research).
- eimrine 3y ago
  > For computers in particular, the "emacs pinky" is common knowledge, unless you'd think people suffer from collective hallucination (maybe a side-effect of emacs?) I really like the name, considering emacs as "Escame Meta Alt Control Shift" abbreviation. All of that keys typically pressed by pinky.
- gymbeaux 3y ago
  Eh, read up on Cubital Tunnel Syndrome... it's illogical to expect "ergonomics" to resolve a muscular impingement of the ulnar nerve. "RSI" isn't a thing. It refers to an umbrella of conditions and therefore doesn't have a single "cure".
deleted 3y ago
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corysama 3y ago
Well, I am anecdata in that I was diagnosed with cubital tunnel, recommended surgery and 99% cured it with extreme ergonomics. I was working on a large library with a verbose coding style and a clear plan. It was a year long sprint typing more than ever before. Started feeling pain down the side of my forearm and random needle stabs in my hand. Doc said I required surgery. Instead I took a many-pronged approach to ergonomics: 1. 2 keyboards and 2 mice. Switched to a Microsoft ergonomic on my desk and a flat keyboard on my lap. A mouse on the desk and another on the other side on a pedestal by my chair. Switched between them all frequently. 2. Stretches and massage before/during/after typing. Many times per day. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TSrfB7JIzxY https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TSrfB7JIzxY was a good help. 3. Held my wrists straight and fingers completely loose when typing. Imagine the classic zombie pose with their arms straight out and hands loose. That was me. Moved my whole arms to type rather than move my wrist or fingers at all. Same with the mice. 4. Stopped wearing any rings or a wristwatch. Took months of this for the pain to go away. And, had to continue it through the project. But, since then I’ve never needed to type nearly that much and the random pain never came back. If I get on another typing bender I can feel a reminder that my hands don’t like it. And, if I ignored that I’d probably get right back into trouble. But, for the past couple decades I’ve been staring at code for 100x more time than I spend actually typing.
- gymbeaux 3y ago
  I would want to know in which fingers you were experiencing the tingling/numbness/pain. Unless it was only in your pinky and ring fingers, it wasn't Cubital Tunnel Syndrome (or rather, not JUST Cubital Tunnel Syndrome - it is possible, though uncommon, to have say Cubital Tunnel Syndrome and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome at the same time causing tingling and numbness in all five digits, however in such a case I would suspect nerve impingement in the shoulder or neck, before the ulnar and median nerves split from the brachial plexus).

woolion 3y ago

Even if you were a doctor, making a diagnosis upon reading a post is not good practice. It is easy to find subjects who did nothing else but the suspected activity develop RSI, so it is a weird claim to suspect it might not exist. For computers in particular, the "emacs pinky" is common knowledge, unless you'd think people suffer from collective hallucination (maybe a side-effect of emacs?). It is definitely a condition that improves with rest, even if not totally and over a long period (months rather than days). There is also some level of evidence that suggest that psychological factors have an influence (there are a few obvious potential links that would explain it, but I'm not familiar enough with the research).

eimrine 3y ago
> For computers in particular, the "emacs pinky" is common knowledge, unless you'd think people suffer from collective hallucination (maybe a side-effect of emacs?) I really like the name, considering emacs as "Escame Meta Alt Control Shift" abbreviation. All of that keys typically pressed by pinky.
gymbeaux 3y ago
Eh, read up on Cubital Tunnel Syndrome... it's illogical to expect "ergonomics" to resolve a muscular impingement of the ulnar nerve. "RSI" isn't a thing. It refers to an umbrella of conditions and therefore doesn't have a single "cure".

deleted 3y ago

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corysama 3y ago

Well, I am anecdata in that I was diagnosed with cubital tunnel, recommended surgery and 99% cured it with extreme ergonomics. I was working on a large library with a verbose coding style and a clear plan. It was a year long sprint typing more than ever before. Started feeling pain down the side of my forearm and random needle stabs in my hand. Doc said I required surgery. Instead I took a many-pronged approach to ergonomics: 1. 2 keyboards and 2 mice. Switched to a Microsoft ergonomic on my desk and a flat keyboard on my lap. A mouse on the desk and another on the other side on a pedestal by my chair. Switched between them all frequently. 2. Stretches and massage before/during/after typing. Many times per day. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TSrfB7JIzxY https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TSrfB7JIzxY was a good help. 3. Held my wrists straight and fingers completely loose when typing. Imagine the classic zombie pose with their arms straight out and hands loose. That was me. Moved my whole arms to type rather than move my wrist or fingers at all. Same with the mice. 4. Stopped wearing any rings or a wristwatch. Took months of this for the pain to go away. And, had to continue it through the project. But, since then I’ve never needed to type nearly that much and the random pain never came back. If I get on another typing bender I can feel a reminder that my hands don’t like it. And, if I ignored that I’d probably get right back into trouble. But, for the past couple decades I’ve been staring at code for 100x more time than I spend actually typing.

gymbeaux 3y ago
I would want to know in which fingers you were experiencing the tingling/numbness/pain. Unless it was only in your pinky and ring fingers, it wasn't Cubital Tunnel Syndrome (or rather, not JUST Cubital Tunnel Syndrome - it is possible, though uncommon, to have say Cubital Tunnel Syndrome and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome at the same time causing tingling and numbness in all five digits, however in such a case I would suspect nerve impingement in the shoulder or neck, before the ulnar and median nerves split from the brachial plexus).