My Newest Toy...

[EDanaII]

At the risk of sounding like spam, I'm gonna promote my newest toy.

Well, OK, maybe not a toy, exactly, but I thought others might like to know about it.

Over the years, I've been fighting with carpol tunnel. By the time I was thirty, it was pretty clearly a problem. I've managed by slowly changing my habits and by purchasing the appropriate keyboards, but as I've gotten older, even they have become less effective.

Now, I've found this: The AlphaGrip. Over the years, I've even thought about designing something like this. Shaped like a game controller, but with a regular keyboard embedded into it.

To be clear, I won't clame (yet) that it's going to get rid of my carpol tunnel, but I think it has potential. My biggest concern is the use of my thumbs might become a bit of a strain, but I'm still not convinced (one way or the other).

Anyway, I'm just posting this in case there are others out there looking for a potential solution to their carpol tunnel syndrome. :-)

Ed.

[odin]

Oh that looks quite interesting, let us know how that device stresses your fingers. Also how big a hand wil it fit? With most gamepads I've used I get very cramped hands after a while because they're usually too small for me.

[Cyberus]

Does the bird on the right with a little bit too much makeup on come with it?




(sorry, bad double entendre)

[EDanaII]

Like I mentioned before, Odin, my biggest concern is the stress it places on my thumbs. Not sure, however, if that will lead to some kind of RSI in them.

Yes, it's a little small for my hands. Some users have managed by taping foam on the sides to make the device a little larger. I may try that eventually.

They say it takes up to 40-50 hours to master. I've only had it for a week, and I've been able to get comforable with it. Although I doubt I can type with it faster than 10 words per minute. Hopefully, with more practice I can reach rates of 30 to 40 wpm. Then I'll be better able to make a judgement on how it's going to affect my carpol tunnel.

Ed.

[EDanaII]

Nope, sorry Cyberus, but I suspect she costs a little extra. Call it a hunch. ;-)

[X-ray]

Looking at how it is held, I doubt it will be an improvement over a keyboard and mouse with a wrist rest.
Have you seen a hand surgeon yet?

[Cymric]

Well, there is the advantage that your arms don't have to move anymore, you just use your fingers. But that still uses the same tendons and muscles, so common sense would say that if you are already not able to type properly anymore, this device won't be of much help either. The speed at which you can type out messages is impressive, though.

[metalman]

EDanaII wrote:

Over the years, I've been fighting with carpol tunnel. By the time I was thirty, it was pretty clearly a problem. I've managed by slowly changing my habits and by purchasing the appropriate keyboards, but as I've gotten older, even they have become less effective.

Ed.

What treatments for carpal tunnel have you been trying ?

I had a case for several months. At its worst my whole hand except for little finger would go numb. Now only the tip of my thumb remains numb. Symptoms gradually went away when I immobilized the wrist in a splint at night to keep my wrist from curling during sleep.

I took anti-inflammatories, (aspirin, ibuprofen) used a radiant heat ice pack and hydrocortisone lotion on wrist for flair ups during day.

[X-ray]

For a case like like that I would definitely see a hand surgeon.
I saw one back in 1997 when I had a paraesthesia (a kind of numbness) of my fourth and fifth fingers. You may be interested to know that those fingers are supplied by the ulnar nerve and the other three by the radial nerve.
There were a lot of investigations to try to determine where the impingement was (it can come from the neck, the shoulder, the elbow or it can be local). Some of those tests were quite nasty.
But I have seen them do a carpal tunnel release in theatre. In some cases that might be of benefit. I would check it out.

[EDanaII]

You guys are making some pretty big assumptions there. :-)

My carpal tunnel is not so bad that I need a surgeon to fix it. It's not so bad because, as I mentioned already, I've proactively done things to keep it under control, such as buying keyboards and changing habits. This newest "toy" is another attempt at being proactive.


@ X-Ray:

Looking at how it is held, I doubt it will be an improvement over a keyboard and mouse with a wrist rest.

That's why, for someone with hands my size, a slightly larger unit would work better. However, it still does not place the same stress on my left pinky that even my "super duper carpal tunnel" keyboard does. So, it is definitely helping there.


@ Cymric

But that still uses the same tendons and muscles, so common sense would say that if you are already not able to type properly anymore, this device won't be of much help either.

Yes, but the "travel distance" for the keys on this device is considerable less than the keystroke distance on conventional, or even, carpal tunnel keyboards, so this is not an issue either.

Ed.

[metalman]

X-ray wrote:
For a case like like that I would definitely see a hand surgeon.
I saw one back in 1997 when I had a paraesthesia (a kind of numbness) of my fourth and fifth fingers.

Surgrey not worth the risk, might loose more than sensitivity of thumb. In the summer all the ulnar nerve fingers were totally numb. I overused my hand to the point of muscle cramps from fatigue, for 2-3 weeks this summer. Then inflamation of muscles and tendons in wrist brought on the carpal tunnel. Now I keep a ice pack ready.

 
 

[X-ray]

I can't see how having that surgery is a risk for further nerve damage. Usually the 'thing' they alter or correct is the item that is impinging the nerve, not the nerve itself.

[EDanaII]

Surgeons can make mistakes, X-Ray, and sometimes do. They've been known to leave things inside their patients, sometimes do more damage than good, sometimes even kill them. Surgery is safe _most of the time,_ but there's always the chance that a surgeon could leave you worse than when you started.

As a general rule, I will not let a doctor operate on me unless my condition is life-threatening or threatens my quality of life.

Ed.