Some of you who have corresponded with me lately may have noticed that I have been brief with my responses. You may also have noticed a number of spelling and grammatical errors in recent WUWT blog postings. This is due to the fact that after over five years of blog posting, I have succumbed to a problem that plagues many people who use the computer too often -carpal tunnel syndrome.
During the last week the problem has gotten severe enough to interfere with my ability to use the keyboard and mouse, as I have constant pain in my right hand. So tonight I decided I would try something new.
That “something” turned out to be speech recognition in Windows 7, which until tonight I didn’t know existed. I started looking for a off the shelf program to do the job but in the Google search discovered that it was built into Windows 7. After going through the tutorial on it I am using the speech recognition utility to write this blog posting.
As with any new technology it takes some getting used to. But, I am getting the hang of it with continued practice. So far I’ve only had the correct about six or seven mistakes in the paragraphs preceding this.
Over the next few days I planned to take a little bit of a break in blog posting and I will use that time to get more familiar with the speech recognition software. Hopefully by taking a short break I will be able to improve the situation with my right hand. Of course, I also have to learn how to dictate more effectively as it is something I’m not used to on a regular basis. I will say that that dictating to the computer allows me to write faster than I have been able to for quite some time. Further, it seems the speech recognition software is quite good at picking up the nuances of my voice and inflection which results in an overall increase in typing speed.
For those of you that have Windows 7, you might want to try getting a USB headset with a microphone and practice learning how to use the speech recognition software -it may help you write better comments. One of the most interesting things I learned is that screaming at the headset results than nothing being typed at all – the computer gets confused. So, on the plus side if everyone use speech recognition for writing comments we would probably have less trolls because they tend to shout. 🙂 it even recognized when I said the emoticon in the middle of the last sentence.
In the meantime, those of you that wish to submit stories should use the submit story button on the WUWT menu. Please bear in mind that when submitting a story it should be submitted as if it’s actually going to be posted rather than as a tip or advice. Please use tips and notes in the menu for those sorts of notifications.
As always, thank you for your patience and consideration. -Anthony
Tried Dragon. Three problems.
First, background noise confused it. Plenty of that with a young son, windows open* near a main road, etc.
Second, I can type a coherent paragraph faster than I can say it. The ideas quickly turn into sentences in my fingers, and take longer to find suitable articulation in speech.
Third, changing to Windows 7 meant that it refused to work.
I’ll give the Windows a go.
*In Brisbane, back in the days of Global Warming.
Anthony,
Sorry to hear about your problems, hope they go away.
As others have, thought I would share my experiences.
I have suffered with Rhumatoid arthritis for over 20 years, so joint pain is something I live with and control with several meds.
I have experienced severe wrist joint pain on each hand. This occurred after using a leaf blower for an extended period and after splitting wood on another. I finally learned to avoid any vibration or shock to prevent re occurance. I too tried the LH mouse use but never did well.
On one occasion the hand Dr diagnosed CTS and sent me to a neurologist who after an hour of testing indicated that CTS was not the problem.
Back to the hand Dr., and he took an x-ray which indicated I have bone to bone contact which would not be cured by an operation. After “begging” for a cortisone shot, the pain went away before I got to my car, not to return.
My learning is that I cannot do any chores or fun things that vibrate or stress the wrists.
Cortisone is effective if there is a problem, and I’m sure my anti-inflamitory meds also help. As others indicated rest is often very beneficial. Also I frequently use the mouse pad on my laptop.
Wish you the best, hope this experience is helpful, your efforts are always appreciated.
Had the surgery on both wrist… It can and most likely will come back… Good luck
wow. thank you all. Anthony I did fear you might succumb.
Partial paralysis feeds into my right arm and shoulder pains that arise with mouse use. I use a light-touch keyboard, my mouse rests on a pad in my lap so I don’t have to lift my arms too much, and I sit high up. Now I know so much more that I can try!
ntesdorf says:
June 27, 2012 at 12:20 pm
…..contain valuable Vitamin E. My wife takes tablets containing Condroitin and Glucosamine which are shark extracts and help with cartilage problems.
________________________
I will second the Vit E, Condroitin and Glucosamine for some types of arthritis/joint pain. If I quit taking it for a couple of weeks I am back in pain again. Unfortunately it works only on some types of arthritis.
The wrist braces that keep your hand/wrist at the right angle really worked well for me too. I used them first 24/7 over 20 years ago and only need them now when I overdo.
Switch to DVORAK! You’ll thank me later. You’ll slow down a little while learning it, but that may not be a concern. What you’ll get is MUCH less movement and strain. I’m a programmer. I’m always on the keyboard. With qwerty, my fingers were locking up and I was in much pain. It’s been over 10 years and never noticed anything but FUN when using the keyboard. YMMV, but it’ll definitely make things vastly better for those times you DO need to use the keyboard in the future.
Try this. It is for all muscle groups but contains a section on hands.
http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Self-Treatment/dp/1572243759
Worked for me.
Dear Anthony,
There is an extraordinary product, much used by mountain climbers, musicians and weightlifters, that will very possibly *cure* your RSI:
armaid.com
Please look into it.
Does the voice recognition software mean we’ll finally be able to hear directly from your resident Concerned Scientist? (Speak, Kenji, speak!)
Seriously, I’ve prayed for you. Take care. He cares.
Keep practicing the dictation gets easier and better.
I just finished reding and article in a news letter about platelet rich plasma therapy for your carpal tunnel. It has been used successfully for carpal tunnel. http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=platelet-rich+plasma+therapy+for+carpal+tunnel&oq=platelet+rich+plasma+therapy+car&gs_l=hp.1.1.0j0i30l2j0i8i30l3.4968.11093.2.14562.4.4.0.0.0.0.407.1299.2-2j0j2.4.0…0.0.qws0u7RcuCE&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=3ddc6ee7f452a242&biw=1124&bih=543
You can also get this treatment at the Whitaker Wellness Institute in LA. http://www.whitakerwellness.com .
Good luck
Get one of the Microsoft split “natural keyboards and prop it up on the edge nearest your body. I’ve had a problem with regular keyboards and can’t type for 2 minutes without my hands starting to tingle and go numb. I can type for 30+ minutes with not a single problem on my split keyboards. I’ve got them at work, home and a couple of extras. If you want I’ll ship you one free to try out.
That or Dragon Dictate 🙂
For Mac people, MacDictate appears to be equivalent. It works quite well.
Also, I gave up the mouse years ago and went to the trackpad. Never had a problem since.
omnologos says on June 26, 2012 at 11:37 pm:
“has Romm discovered Voodoo, I wonder”
Rantin’ Joe uses Dragon NS. Where is Buffy when we need her?
Anthony,
Yeah for Windows 7. Let’s hope the speech recognition in the upcoming Mac OS Mountain Lion will raise the bar even farther. My hands have 40 years of classical guitar, 30 years of pounding keyboards (programming and systems architecture) and a few years of framing houses when burnt out in between jobs. When forced back to the keyboard and mouse, I recommend a Kensington Expert Mouse (trackball) and a Unicomp keyboard with the buckling-spring key switches. Via mergers, spin offs, etc. the latter is a direct descendant of the keyboards that came on the IBM 3270 and 3192 display terminals. Rubber-dome key switches, where every stroke has to bottom/impact out, should be banned. Thanks for everything!
In support of Philhippos’ comment. Philhippos said:
June 27, 2012 at 3:35 am
“As someone with 68 years of total right handedness I was getting pain in the right wrist even having had the carpal tunnel operated on ten years ago. I switched my mouse to left handed and after a couple of days problem gone and no loss of speed. It might even be that the change could liven up my right brain and make me more creative!”
I also had problems with my right hand. I changed to using my left hand for the mouse and switch from right to left, before there is any onset of fatigue or pain. I would highly recommend that change. It only takes a few hours for a few days to get use to.
I would also highly recommend standing for a portion of ones computer time for heavy computer users. The standing time needs to be limited to the start of fatigue. I stand for a portion of my computer time at both home and at work. I was surprised at the difference it made to my core strength and posture. (I climb (scrambling) mountains and workout regularly.) Standing for a portion of the day is a type of workout.
Grand and Toy sells a standup computer desk which is reasonable priced and well built.
http://www.grandandtoy.com/product/EN/1929GR_Safco_Muv_Stand-Up_Height-Adjustable_Workstation.aspx
Hi Anthony, do take care and I hope some of the suggestions work for you.
Like many other long time heavy users, I experience pain and swelling in the right hand and wrist at times (partly arthritis). Just a quick tip to reduce mouse-induced pain – move the mouse with the right hand, if that’s your favoured one, but ‘click’ with the left by tapping the touchpad. Makes a big difference for me, significantly reduces pain and gives the overused bits a chance to heal. You tend to hold the mouse much less tightly and in a more relaxed way if you are not also priming to click all the time – in fact, I then hold the mouse lightly on the sides between my forefinger/middle finger and thumb with perfect control. HTH.
Although I don’t have this problem (apart from physical pain from overstressing tendons in my wrist from lifting heavy sheets of 16-18mm MDF in my job of kitchen manufacture, I can understand how this is an intolerance (not to mention my back!). My wrists, when rotated freely, almost sound like broken glass. It’s something I’ve lived with for years. I don’t expect your recovery Anthony, however, you have my deepest sympathy and understanding.
The best cure is retirement coupled with minimal exercise. Sad but true..
I had trouble several years ago. I second William Astley’s comment about switching the mouse over to the other side. That really helps. You can get accustomed to it surprisingly fast. I don’t switch the mouse buttons, though.
Anthony, this is certainly NOT something to be taken lightly. I’m aware of two extremely talented individuals; one male, and one female, fresh out of distinguished graduate schools and launching their promising new careers in industry, who literally were forced into de facto retirement,in their 20s, by RSS.
The young lady tried both bio-feedback, and eventually VR software. The VR software simply transferred the problem from her hands to her throat. The carpal tunnel problem became a serious “voice box stress” problem, because even the best such software is totally brain dead compared to a human recognition of voice nuances
If it was me, I wouldn’t focus too much effort on trying to train the VR software. I would just talk as ordinarily as if talking to someone; and then hand correct the errors; otherwise you will have to give up public speaking as well.
Anthony – in case your software does not include this tutorial, it comes highly recommended.
Anthony, my condolences for your tendons and tunnels. I’ve been involved with the evil PC machines since the early eighties. I apologise if someone else has already listed these recommendations. My WUWT reading time is dreadfully short this week.
The whole PC and workplace idea of PC usage are anti-ergonomic. Especially most mice and workstations are the worst things you can use.
First:
Look for a different mouse. I’m currently using an old corded Microsoft optical 3000. Not because it’s the newest or coolest tech, but because it fits my hand. The wireless mouse that came my HP last year had my carpals screaming by the end of the day. There are some great trackballs too that help some (not me sadly).
Second:
Place your system so that your entire forearm has a flat surface to work on. Let the desk support your arm! A major of the problem is not only that the mice are absurdly designed, but your are is hanging in the air and repetitively clicking and wiggling back and forth.
Third:
Let your arm heal some! the speak to the computer stuff is a great way to let the arm heal. There are still many things that require interaction though. Use the tab key, spacebar and enter as much as possible. Avoid that left click on the mouse until you’re well on the road to healing!
As someone else has mentioned, start with some mild hand exercises. Don’t try for a lot of exercise. A few minutes a day works to start with. Use a soft rubber ball and see how much hand strength you have left (compare it to your other hand). This strength has nothing to do with your muscles right now, it’s the tendons that (and their channels) that are suffering. Personally I’ve been using a NSD Powerball lately, (I’m not affiliated in any way except for buying one).
Fourth:
Remember the old days? Back when parents were always screaming for us to back away from the TV? Monitors, whether laptop or desktop have a proper ergonomic distance. check into and try to keep to it. You’ll get less headaches in the longrun.
Lastly:
Every chance you get, support your arm. Let it rest. Aleve is an anti-inflammatory, though it may be best to get a prescription anti-inflammatory, but aleve does help. So does aspirin. For your tendons to heal, reducing the inflammation is necessary.
Once you got RSI, it will always lurk and be back like a flash the moment you (ab)use your arm normally, it will always remain weak.
Learn to use your left (or right depending) more, I’m nearly ambidextrous now(12 years of RSI…on and off). If you need to write, use a whiteboard(big is good, but the small ones are very handy too), the big pen helps to write legibly with your left, and take pics if you want to keep your notes. I now have readable handwriting with my left with normal pen and paper, but it took a while.
This book might help a little with managing the pain:
http://www.triggerpointbook.com/ Also, don’t just look at your hand, check your neck, shoulder and upper arms for outliers of your issues.
Get well soon!
Sorry to hear of your troubles, Anthony, and I also hope it doesn’t interfere too much with your amazing output on your blog. We can’t do without you! Hope you overcome it quickly.
But my advice would be to disregard ALL the other 228 comments on this post… I think they’re all just taking sadistic pleasure from causing you to wince each time you approve their comments 🙂
You are obviously a competent typist, we two finger typists never suffer from this painful condition.
I just happen to have downloaded a free book on back pain yesterday that goes into handling the causes of back pain–or carpal tunnel or other similar sciatic pains. Painkilers are compared to handling the oil light on your car by putting duct tape over it. Here is the link to the “ad” for the book–but it is a real book, worth more than most, and it really is free:
http://www.losethebackpain.com/7daybackpaincure.html?utm_source=infusionsoft&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=7DayBackPainCure