Wrist Update
Sep. 10th, 2003 09:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elfsI went to receive a second opinion yesterday regarding my wrists. I think he was a little surprised when I described to him the amount of time in front of the keyboard and how this was a quality of life issue. I wouldn't be surrendering my keyboard anytime soon.
He ran me through a collection of flexion and extension maneuvers to determine if there was anything else underlying the pain in my wrists, and he determined that there wasn't anything out of whack with my neck or back, things that would lead to an improper hang of the right arm and shoulder, because I sometimes have stabbing pains under the scapula and a burning sensation in the upper right bicep. He said I have "the neck of a girl." Apparently, men can't turn or flex their necks as much as women can, but mine is an exception, even more flexible than most womens'.
He was able to show me where in the right arm the initial signs of carpal tunnel syndrome could be found. There is a distinctive feel to the carpal tunnel when it's tapped, and it should feel solid. Mine didn't. They felt hollow. They echoed a little bit. My family physician hadn't known about that, and had missed it in her diagnosis.
Still, he was able to tell me that, recovery-wise, my first physician had been more or less correct: knock off the video games, ergo the desktop, get a smaller keyboard for my home (I have one of those early MS Natural keyboards, the ultra-wide monster that takes up the entire keyboard tray) so I have room for the mouse nearer to my hand.
He also told me to find a swimming pool. I had been on the varsity swim team in high school, fastest guy in the school-- third fastest in the state of Pennsylvania, 1983... man, were my schoolmates pissed when I decided for my senior year to quit getting up at 5am and eat a ton of protein just to swallow a gallon of chlorine before "breakfast" proper, and chose to play Ultimate Frisbee instead. All of the muscles in my upper torso were well-massed, but atrophied. My body has had no reason to remove all that muscle fiber, but it's now undeveloped. It's trying to support itself and my regular activities as a typist, and that's why I get upper shoulder pains after a long day. So, a half-hour of laps, three times a week, if I can manage it.
He ran me through a collection of flexion and extension maneuvers to determine if there was anything else underlying the pain in my wrists, and he determined that there wasn't anything out of whack with my neck or back, things that would lead to an improper hang of the right arm and shoulder, because I sometimes have stabbing pains under the scapula and a burning sensation in the upper right bicep. He said I have "the neck of a girl." Apparently, men can't turn or flex their necks as much as women can, but mine is an exception, even more flexible than most womens'.
He was able to show me where in the right arm the initial signs of carpal tunnel syndrome could be found. There is a distinctive feel to the carpal tunnel when it's tapped, and it should feel solid. Mine didn't. They felt hollow. They echoed a little bit. My family physician hadn't known about that, and had missed it in her diagnosis.
Still, he was able to tell me that, recovery-wise, my first physician had been more or less correct: knock off the video games, ergo the desktop, get a smaller keyboard for my home (I have one of those early MS Natural keyboards, the ultra-wide monster that takes up the entire keyboard tray) so I have room for the mouse nearer to my hand.
He also told me to find a swimming pool. I had been on the varsity swim team in high school, fastest guy in the school-- third fastest in the state of Pennsylvania, 1983... man, were my schoolmates pissed when I decided for my senior year to quit getting up at 5am and eat a ton of protein just to swallow a gallon of chlorine before "breakfast" proper, and chose to play Ultimate Frisbee instead. All of the muscles in my upper torso were well-massed, but atrophied. My body has had no reason to remove all that muscle fiber, but it's now undeveloped. It's trying to support itself and my regular activities as a typist, and that's why I get upper shoulder pains after a long day. So, a half-hour of laps, three times a week, if I can manage it.
no subject
Date: 2003-09-11 04:48 am (UTC)(I got an adjustable-height table from Ikea for a bit over $100, and it makes a great worktable. The mouse is right next to the keyboard, and I plopped the monitor on an old Yellow Pages to raise it up.)