A couple things.
- This is my 1000th CC post since I started here last December. Now I will be a "senior member". Yay for me!
- I have recently noticed repetitive stress pain in both my index fingers. It started with my left index finger, but my right one has it as well. I am positive that it is due to a combination of the track pad design on my Macbook and they way I use this website. Basically it involves checking "Latest posts" and then quickly flipping through the pages, and sometimes going back to the control panel to track threads where I had previously replied. All of this involves many taps-per-minute on the trackpad.
The good news is that forcing myself to switch tapping to my middle fingers brought almost immediate relief. Has anything like this happened to anyone else?
Trackpads are awful and are not meant for prolonged use. In all seriousness, get yourself an ergonomic trackball or mouse.
I am a computer programmer and internet addict of 20+ years… when that happens, I switch to using my left hand to mouse/track. It’s awful, I am suddenly useless - but it fixes the problem and then I go back. Never learned to type properly and I never got carpal tunnel either. Now if I could just figure out how to keep my fingers from getting sore from touch screen over-use…
I have been a typist since the age of 2. My parents owned a transcription service and there were typewriters (pre-electric kind) all over the house. Basically, the way to help avoid CTS is to use the correct typing method that used to be taught in schools. I use all of my fingers when I type. When I text, I try to use voice to text as much as possible. Although I have had rheumatoid arthritis for 40 years and probably spend at least 4 - 6 hours a day typing, I have never had CTS.
For touch screen overuse, consider a stylus. I can’t stand them, but my H swears by his.