
Ask HN: Constant pain in my hands, any advice? - bgia
Since September I&#x27;ve been experiencing some mild but very uncomfortable pain in my hands, especially in the right one. It is becoming more and more painful to type and to hold a mouse. I&#x27;m very concerned because my hands are, with my eyes, my main working tools.<p>As anyone experienced this? What can I do?<p>When I look it up online, I find things about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, but there doesn&#x27;t seem to be anything actually useful to do to make this go away besides maybe getting an operation (that feels extreme).
======
epc
See a doctor, get a referral to an ergonomic specialist.

Immediate action: try wearing a wrist brace, at least on the right hand. This
will make a lot of activities difficult to do. That is the point.

In 1993 I went on a multi–night bender writing a gopher server that could also
speak HTTP, using a keyboard and computer that weren't mine which didn't have
a wrist rest. At the end of the bender I had a working gopher server, but my
wrist had swollen so badly I couldn't type anymore (while the bones of my hand
ached badly, the surface skin was numb). It took six months of working with a
wrist brace to undo the damage and to this day it resurfaces from time to
time.

------
Qwertystop
If you catch it early enough, CTS can be handled by physical therapy. Go to an
orthopedist.

Secondary: In some cases, reduced bloodflow can cause pain. Are you working in
a place that has been notably colder since September? Perhaps wear a jacket
while you work, and/or wear gloves when outside (smartphones have an
unfortunate tendency to discourage glove use in weather that really does
justify it).

------
kafkaesq
Really, stop looking up stuff online (except to find a specialist ASAP). That
will just inflame your condition even more. But do find specialist, _right
now_ , please. As in, call in sick to take a half or a full day off (just to
find someone available and make an appointment) if you have to. That's what
your sick days are _for_ , actually.

Better, try to see at least 2, ideally 3 specialists. (That's what I've found
to be prudent for any condition substantially "tricky" \-- like potential
nerve damage, for example). But definitely make sure to see someone as as soon
as humanly and physically possible. Because that's how serious your situation
is.

It isn't necessarily likely (so I don't want to sensationalize), but there's a
significant chance that your condition can "tip" into a state such that the
damage is essentially untreatable. Significant enough such that there's really
no value proposition at all delaying action, any further.

------
SamReidHughes
Things I've done to completely get rid of wrist pain:

\- use a Kinesis Advantage keyboard: works, but it's like, the wrist is still
weak, and you can't use laptops (or mice?).

\- use a piano keyboard: play the piano regularly, and vigorously. This makes
my problems go away _completely_. And then I stop playing, and... a few years
later, I get the problem again. So I start playing regularly again, and the
problem's gone again. By vigorously I mean playing etudes that push the limits
of your muscular endurance. Somebody mentioned physical therapy, and I think
this is an example of that.

Note that one symptom of my problems was a loss of grip strength.

I think that even for non-ergonomic keyboards, the choice of keyboard matters
a lot -- some keyboards require less hand strain to reliably actuate the keys
-- less precise movements. For example, the last two Vaio Z models were
horrible, compared to, say, Thinkpads. And some cheapo office keyboard is
worse than something with a clear actuation point (such as Cherry MX or Topre
or a buckling spring keyboard). Basically, I think whatever key switch is
easiest to use in cold weather is better than the others.

------
Mz
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12986759](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12986759)

------
GFischer
I had acute pain in my right hand last year - went to a doctor, wore a brace,
now use wrist pads, and it went away.

So I second the advice of seeing a doctor.

The week with the brace was awful, but, as other posters mention, it's the
point :) .

I do live in a country where I can have a week off for medical reasons and
still get paid though.

------
beat
First recommendation: see a doctor. There can be many causes besides carpal
tunnel.

------
AnimalMuppet
I agree with all the others that say to go see a doctor. If you don't know the
actual cause, any treatments you try are much less likely to fix it...

