2 months ago, I was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome after which time my symptoms have gotten progressively worse. I first noticed the problem in my hands around the Chem 1AA3 exam in April and it's all been southbound.

I've gone to two doctors, and am waiting on a referral to a neurologist to determine what nerves exactly are bothering me.

I'm not asking so much for medical advice as pain management tips: does anybody have something similar? (My pain is also accompanied by severe joint pain in pinkies and thumbs) How do you manage?

I used to type excessively (I have a MBP) and I've noticed that the pain seems worse with this keyboard (it could just be my crappy posture when I'm at home though). I've heard of Microsoft's ergonomic line which will be something I'll consider closer to school starting.

Any tips would be wonderful, thank you

stop playing world of warcraft

Very helpful - if I did

I've had very similar problems, initially brought on when I switched to using a laptop as my primary computer when I came to university. By 3rd year I could barely hold a pen in my right hand and at times resorted to writing parts of tests with my left (much to the amusement of my TA's )

I switched to the Microsoft ergonomic line and its made a definite improvement, but it took months to years to see real change. The only direct relief I've had is through physio and massage therapy, so you may want to try those routes and see if its at all helpful. They may also be able to teach you how to self-treat your pain to help you in your day to day problems. If you get a referral from your doctor, part of the cost of treatment may be covered by your / your parents insurance

At my workstations at school and at home I use the following:
MS Natural Laser Mouse 6000 (wireless)
MS Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 (wired)

I also find that height adjustment of the table / chair and monitor are important. I find the angle at which my arm and wrist are at plays a big role in flare ups. You may want to consider a laptop stand to get your macbook up to eye level and then an external keyboard. I know its sort of an unworkable solution for working at school unless maybe you keep it all in a locker, but CTS is definitely something you want to address as soon as possible.

You might want to look up some stretches and stuff for your wrist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUyMNyrOHJQ

My brother said this helps him somewhat and it helps me too I suppose.

Massage therapy was really helpful for joint pain & muscle spasms in my hand.

Buy one of those gel wrist things, and get a nice chair.

You may want to consider acupuncture as well. It had worked for me, but my wrist issues aren't carpal tunnel (they're undiagnosable, yay!).

I've found that using a standard keyboard helps as opposed to a laptop keyboard. I'm not really sure why that is. I also use a brace, but my wrist pain is different, so that is not necessarily something that will help you.

The only thing I can think of is physio--it's kind of expensive, but it usually works!

Also, do whatever you have to to retain full use of your thumb...you'll need it when you're pipetting five hundred times in a single lab!!! (and no, five hundred is NOT an exaggeration)

Originally Posted by nerual

The only thing I can think of is physio--it's kind of expensive, but it usually works!

Also, do whatever you have to to retain full use of your thumb...you'll need it when you're pipetting five hundred times in a single lab!!! (and no, five hundred is NOT an exaggeration)

Yeah, I'm thinking of registering with the CSD because i've already lost the ability to grip, or it's significantly weakened. I couldn't pipette for Biology and my lab partner had to do it for me because I cannot apply enough pressure with my thumb, nor am I capable of distinguishing the two plunger stops on the Pipetman, which ironically, I could do just fine when the 1A03 labs started this summer
I plan to abstain, mostly, from nonessential typing as of August 6th until school starts, which gives me a good month of rest. Hopefully it won't be necessary
That and a complete ergonomic layout should help.
Since i'm on res, I'll probably need my own chair with armrests, a laptop stand, a wireless mouse and keyboard but I think they're worthwhile investments; I need my hands.

Fingers crossed (or in my case, very very relaxed) for that neuro appointment. It's really bad when the meds that are "supposed to help CTS" make no impact on you

Wearing a split at night might work, it'll be less of a lifestyle change. Something as simple as Aspirin might help, unless you've already tried it.

It might be a good idea to experiment a bit before school starts.

The meds are likely anti inflammatories, and those aren't going to relieve much pain or suddenly make your carpal tunnel go away.

Are you sure you aren't pregnant?

If you have pain in a certain region of your wrist, I recommend using "Biofreeze". I recently recovered from a herniated disc, and it helped me greatly. You can get it cheap off ebay.

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions - they're definitely something to think about and I appreciate all of them.
I did some research on Monday night about ergonomics and turns out, of course, that I meet none of the recommended criteria, so I began working on my posture on Tuesday.
The funny thing was that when my head was on a desk, I was taking a nap, I began to have pain running down my left hand.
When I sat up and corrected my posture, the pain and tingling slowly faded.
I think it's a nerve problem in the neck, because later, on the ride back home, I had excruciating neck pain up until my ears, also radiating downward to my hands, which is a new symptom and "new symptoms are good. They tell us things" (House, 2004-2010).

I think I may have some sort of RSI in the right hand, or at least be more susceptible to it.
I realised I've been typing on my Mac without problems for nearly 7 months and that it's probably due to the bad posture, immensely heavy backpack, the way I turn my neck and shoulders most of the time (see: sleeping on desks, weird positions to dry hair etc)

I've also begun doing wrist and finger exercises (rotating each finger and then slowly rotating the wrist, then the forearm, then the arm) and slow neck stretches, so again, fingers crossed