Starting to feel pain in my index finger by using Elektron push Encoders

I was dumb enough to neglect those signals 29 years ago and ended up almost unemployed. Couldn’t sleep lying awake because of the pain that at some point became permanent. Had to give up hobby and dreams. Tried almost every therapy both regular and alternative. About 4 years ago i stumbled upon Dry Needling. That was the first thing that cured a lot of the symptoms. I do still have to be very careful especially with (vertical) mouse and keyboard (max 1 hr a day) but i’m so grateful that i’m able to play with hardware as long as i balance repetitive finger presses. Don’t make the mistake i made and listen to your body and prevent ending up playing Didgeridoo and singing bowls because other instruments become a no go.

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i’ve seen a fair few of your colleagues over the years, mostly relating to desk activities … but since the pandemic (at the start of which i got a remote diagnosis) it’s been lean pickings for any support opportunities … i buried this (as much as is possible) but am curious if Viking’s disease (to use the more impressive sounding moniker) can in any way relate to repetition or mousing or whether it’s viewed as environmental/genetic … i can barely flex my right(main) hand back (about 30deg less than left) and often (if you forget and over commit) it is absolutely excrutiating, like torture … but for the most part it’s not profoundly impacting … curious because it’s only one hand, which seems odd if not related to activity/use

i have been using the magic mouse for a decade plus, but recently went ergonomic again having had to do so in the office - apple’s style over function bs hasn’t been as bad as it was when they dropped the puck with teh G4 tower, but it does feel like it’s just to look pretty (thus uselessly burrying the recharge point underneath, rendering it unusable)

ps: sorry to be that guy :wink:

wrt OP - you should consider that the issue may manifest when you use the gesture you describe, but that doesn’t make it causal of course !

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If you’re talking palmar fibromatosis, as far as I understand, there is still currently no evidence to suggest that it caused by repetative movement, or vibration.

Its still classed as an idiopathic desease, but there is a pattern, more common to find in men over 50, more common in people with northern european genetics, and some suggestions of links to smoking, alcohol, and diabetes.

Short of cutting the tendons, regular manual therapy is a good option. Good luck!

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About 6-7 years ago I had pretty severe and long term pain in hand, wrist and forearm due to spending too much time using laptop trackpad etc. Someone over at muffs mentioned trying a powerball as he had good results using one. So I thought for £40 why not give it a shot, after the small learning curve of getting it to spin fast enough I noticed almost immediate relief, I continued to use it a few times a day for a few weeks, and it completely got rid of any pain at all.

Now I never need to use it, but I keep it just in case, it is also good for improving grip and forearm and wrist strength.

Mine looks like this but there are lots of different models, avoid the non autostart ones though as they are a bit fiddly to start, you have to use a string.

Edit: only downside is you look a bit of a wanker using one :laughing: I could get to 18,000 rpm and it is pretty challenging to keep hold of at that speed, look at this guy:

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intriguing - now i ned to go google WTF that thing is !!

Apparently they are popular with golfers too, I think there are a few brands, mine is NSD.

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Ive got one of those.
Got one after breaking a wrist years ago. To build strength back up.

Used it again about a year ago of spraining a wrist in kungfu. Again, regain strength.

Those gyro balls do a good job of strengthening all the wrist flexors and extensors in the forearm, which also helps improve grip strength, and joint stability.

Cant say if they’ll help with the old viking hand though.

Edit: you don’t need string- use the force…

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No, but i lost a tonne of ability after a long term frozen shoulder on my left arm :zonked:

i also suffered a lot with mousing tendonitis and carpal tunnel etc

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Did you get checked for brachial nerve plexus impingement?

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So you’re saying I was limp wristed then? :laughing:

j/k thanks for all the info - consider yourself the official Elektronaut go to guy now though for everyones aches and pains :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Album title claimed.

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Google translate didn’t help with that, so i guess it’s a no or can’t remember

i couldn’t comfortably reach and lift a tin of soup up in front of me without it feeling strange at the beginning … before it froze it was excrutiatring - i broke both wrists teaching my son to cycle a few years before this and that didn’t help the general state of affairs, but i fear we’ve probably wandered off from hand specific ailments relating to activity at this point (fearful of flags) :wink:

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I’ve had Rheumatoid arthritis for about 15 years. It’s particularly bad in my hands (to the point that I find dressing my kids stupendously difficult and have had to come up with a whole new strategy for wiping my arse).

I was picked up early because I had been experiencing pain similar to the OP and had carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms that weren’t alleviated by treatments. A couple of MRIs and blood tests later and we figured out it was the inflammation from the arthritis causing the problems.

Always best to get these things looked at.

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ive had this before. its the worst i think with the rytm mk1 encoders. i remember having a synth that was even more painful. but yeah, constant pressing on those things is a real pain, especially in the case of the digi’s or something, where you’re always pressing them down while turning to do quick scrolls

the novation peak physically hurt me to use. for one, i only had room to place it higher up, on a stand on my desk. and the angle it sat at, along with the width, made my back hurt so bad, constantly hunching and leaning forward to read the screen with the monotonous button presses to tab through each page for something as simple as envelope adjustments. the worst menu diving synth ever imo, just very poorly thought out and uncomfortable. its probably better on a flat surface or straight up and down on a rack or something. or maybe its just me

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Just echoing what some others have said - you should take a step back and moderate your physical activities (even if just related to the finger). Your body is giving you warning signs.

I’ve developed chronic pain/discomfort due to a few different repetitive motion careers and the best possible thing is to catch it early and adapt. The longer you carry on and ignore signs, the longer it will take to turn around

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unless you’re thrifty … it’s actually possible to get it going by rolling the wheel on your other hand !!

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Hope it helps!

I went from zero grip strength (could not hold a bar chord at all) to normal function in about 4 weeks if I remember correctly. Every day with that bloody gyro thing.

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Try taking off watches, wristbands and bracelets.

If my watch is on tightly enough that the face stays in place I find that wrist pain develops very quickly. When I’m doing a lot of coding or other fine detail work, I avoid wearing anything on my wrists. Seems to make a big difference.

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A key tip I read somewhere (possibly above) was that the increased movement may stimulate blood flow to the area and expedite general improvements

It’s at least a satisfying Fidget Spinner with a pay-off if no other benefit ! Could be brutal if you drop one on something you value :zonked:

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mister-t-rolling-eyes

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