
Ask HN: Hands hurts from coding too long? - sharps_xp
This is the first time this has happened, but I was coding on my 13&quot; MBP for 5 hours straight last night, and this morning my hands are really tight and sore. I&#x27;ve never had carpal tunnel so I&#x27;m a little paranoid that that&#x27;s what&#x27;s going on. Any shared experiences is appreciated.
======
enthalpyx
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.

------
bitwize
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.

------
bigmanwalter
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.

------
jnbiche
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.

------
saluki
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
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...

------
75j
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.

------
jbob2000
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
+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.

------
digitalsushi
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.

------
lastofus
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.

------
seanp2k2
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.

------
GFK_of_xmaspast
See a doctor and get a referral to a specialist.

~~~
Someone
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
> I would hope it to be one on ergonomics

That's exactly the kind of specialist I was thinking of.

------
dacompton
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/)

------
huangc10
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!

------
toasterlovin
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.

------
itamarst
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.

------
glup
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)

------
TYPE_FASTER
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
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.

------
jtcond13
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.

------
jarnix
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.

------
anysz
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.

------
abc_lisper
\- 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.

------
tedmiston
Take breaks more regularly and take a day off. It happens to the best of us
from time to time.

