ulnar nerve entrapment (cubital tunnel syndrome)
Thread poster: Roni_S
Roni_S
Roni_S  Identity Verified
Slovakia
Local time: 13:55
Slovak to English
Mar 16, 2017

Has anyone ever experienced this? How did you get rid of it? I assume some sort of physiotherapy looms in my future but in the meantime I'm just looking for advice from anyone who's had to deal with this problem. It isn't painful but very annoying and it definitely interferes with my typing speed.

Thank you!


 
Guzel Rakhimova
Guzel Rakhimova  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 13:55
Member (2012)
Italian to Russian
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
mouse pad with wrist rest Mar 16, 2017

I had this kind of problem but when I started to use a mouse pad with wrist rest I forgot about it.
Mine is like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Mouse-Pad-JETech-Mat-Wrist/dp/B0159S1O70/ref=lp_490596011_1_24?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1489663274&sr=1-24

[Edited at 2017-03-16 11:24
... See more
I had this kind of problem but when I started to use a mouse pad with wrist rest I forgot about it.
Mine is like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Mouse-Pad-JETech-Mat-Wrist/dp/B0159S1O70/ref=lp_490596011_1_24?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1489663274&sr=1-24

[Edited at 2017-03-16 11:24 GMT]
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Dan Lucas
Dan Lucas  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:55
Member (2014)
Japanese to English
Hand talk Mar 16, 2017

Roni_S wrote:
It isn't painful but very annoying and it definitely interferes with my typing speed.

I have not had CTS, although that was one of the things that my doctor tested for when I had my most recent bout of hand pain at the end of last year and the beginning of this year.

However, unless this is completely random, it is fair to say that it has been caused by the way you work and probably by the way you hold your upper body and especially your arms while typing. If you don't change anything about the way you work it will either not disappear, or get worse, or disappear once but recur in the future.

For that reason I would take this very seriously if I were you. It may not be painful now, but it might become worse in future and cause serious discomfort. Moreover, if it is symptomatic of the burden you place on your hands, wrists and arms, you may develop other, related syndromes such as RSI.

May I suggest the following.

1) Use a more ergonomic keyboard, such as a Microsoft Natural or Microsoft Surface, if you do not already. Straight arms lead to wrist pronation and that is not good. If you use a laptop, simply plug in an external keyboard.

2) Use a trackball instead of a mouse or, as the other commenter suggests, use a mouse pad if you must use a mouse. You might also want to consider a Contour Design RollerMouse Pro2.

3) Invest in Dragon NaturallySpeaking. I tried this for the first time more than a decade ago, was impressed by the recognition but decided it wasn't for me, and have come back to it a couple of times since. Now (EDIT: just to make clear, I evaluated it again in January 2017) I'm using it every day and it does the bulk of my typing for me. I still use the keyboard, but much less, and I believe this is the reason that the pain in my left hand that flared up at the end of 2016 and wrist has at last subsided. It is not cheap, but the pain and got to the point that the alternative to using voice recognition was not typing, which of course means no income. It takes a while to get used to - I'm still only scratching the surface of what it can do - but it has already more than repaid my initial investment.

Basically, your hands are how you earn your income. You must do whatever it takes to keep them in good health.

Good luck
Dan



[Edited at 2017-03-16 14:02 GMT]


 
Tina Vonhof (X)
Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 06:55
Dutch to English
+ ...
Agree with Dan Mar 16, 2017

Hi Roni,

Yes, you may need physiotherapy. I agree with all of Dan's good suggestions and with his advice: get it looked at soon, before it gets more serious and before it turns into a life-long problem that prevents you from working at all.

For many years now, I have used a mouse pad with a gel-filled wrist rest and trackball mouse. It means that I use only my fingers but I don't have to move my wrist or hold it up. I don't understand why this type of mouse is not bet
... See more
Hi Roni,

Yes, you may need physiotherapy. I agree with all of Dan's good suggestions and with his advice: get it looked at soon, before it gets more serious and before it turns into a life-long problem that prevents you from working at all.

For many years now, I have used a mouse pad with a gel-filled wrist rest and trackball mouse. It means that I use only my fingers but I don't have to move my wrist or hold it up. I don't understand why this type of mouse is not better known and used more, I really recommend it.

There are also special wrist supports for this that I sometimes see cashiers in the supermarket wearing. Look online for 'wrist support for carpal tunnel syndrome'. This may help you in the short term with rehabilitation. The physiotherapist will most likely recommend this and advise you on which kind is best for you.

All the best,
Tina
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Roni_S
Roni_S  Identity Verified
Slovakia
Local time: 13:55
Slovak to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you Mar 16, 2017

I will check into the wrist pad, I'm not sure about the track ball though. In any event, I do take it quite seriously. I battled sciatica for many years and am finally symptom-free, but that is fairly recent. I was just thinking that the problem only moved up my spine a bit I need to work on my posture as well, so doctor first and then all the rest. I've been looking at software like Dragon but the price does seem excessive, so th... See more
I will check into the wrist pad, I'm not sure about the track ball though. In any event, I do take it quite seriously. I battled sciatica for many years and am finally symptom-free, but that is fairly recent. I was just thinking that the problem only moved up my spine a bit I need to work on my posture as well, so doctor first and then all the rest. I've been looking at software like Dragon but the price does seem excessive, so that may have to wait.

Thank you all for your kind suggestions.
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Mary Lou Gonzalez
Mary Lou Gonzalez  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 08:55
English to Spanish
I agree with Dan. Mar 16, 2017

My experience:

I had a problem with my ulnar nerve and the movement of my little finger to the point of having to rest my hand for almost a month, and not undertaking any type of work that required extensive keyboard use (also, having to eliminate other activities, such as tennis, that required gripping an object).

I was in the middle of a large project at that time, so I invested in Dragon NaturallySpeaking to finish it on time. My doctor recommended physiotherapy, whi
... See more
My experience:

I had a problem with my ulnar nerve and the movement of my little finger to the point of having to rest my hand for almost a month, and not undertaking any type of work that required extensive keyboard use (also, having to eliminate other activities, such as tennis, that required gripping an object).

I was in the middle of a large project at that time, so I invested in Dragon NaturallySpeaking to finish it on time. My doctor recommended physiotherapy, which I underwent for a total of 16 sessions in a period of two months. This helped me recover completely from the pain in my ulnar nerve.

The physiotherapist recommended switching between devices to avoid overuse. I invested in the Contour Rollermouse Red, and I'm constantly switching between the mouse and the Rollermouse. I also use a keyboard tray to position my keyboard at the correct height for me. I use Dragon as much as possible.

All in all, from having kept my fingers curled in the same position for long periods of time while gripping the mouse, I can no longer stretch out my little finger; and it is slightly bent forward (and there is no solution for that). I hadn’t even noticed it until the physiotherapist pointed it out to me. Since then, I take frequent rests and stretch my hand and lower arm muscles frequently. This has worked for me, and the pain has not come back.


Good luck,
Mary Lou
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ulnar nerve entrapment (cubital tunnel syndrome)






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