How do you prevent the finger pains as a result of using your laptop for too long?

[Johnson Tay]

I spend long hours on my laptop and my fingers do get quite painful.

Does anyone have any advice/tip to share to eliminate the pain?

[new2ebiz]

When it comes to a laptop, I add a ergonomic keyboard using the extra keyboard port on the back. I also add use a ergonomic keyboard with my desktop.
If I have to use someone else's computer with the 'level' keyboard I can tell in a matter of a few minutes my hands bother me.

I also think I've seen a newer keyboard for laptops, but don't remember offhand who makes it. It looked like a thin sheet of plastic. Almost like a toy. I don't know if they will help are not, but it looked like it had more 'give'.

Another tip: take regular breaks. Set a timer if you have to.

Hope this helps.

[Jillian Slack]

I've been laptop only (no desktop) for about 5 years now and I don't have any finger pain.

Maybe it's different for guys. My hands are small and fit this keyboard perfectly, but I've seen a lot of men have trouble because their fingers are so big.

I'd suggest:

• learning about ergonomic keyboards and possibly hooking one up to your laptop
• checking with your doctor to make sure you don't have the beginnings of arthritis
• consider using Dragon Naturally Speaking part of the time instead of typing
• dictating into a digital voice recorder, then sending the mp3 files to a virtual assistant to transcribe for you

[Vikuna2009+]

I got carpal tunnel syndrome and do take a lot of vitamins. Besides that, I take MSM which stands for Methyl-Sulfonyl-Methane. Check out lifetimevitamins dot com, they sell a version in powder form and it's in-expensive. 16 oz. for $18.95, lasts you 6 months. And no, you can not over-dose on the stuff, take more if you need it !

Straight from their label: "... powerful preventative and therapeutic properties. Following calcium and phosphorus, sulfur is the third most abundant mineral in the body. Nearly half of all sulfur is contained in muscular tissue, skin and bones. It is an important factor in the formation of connective tissue. MSM also functions as a natural antioxidant and encourages anti-inflammatory actions... end quote".

Seriously, EVERYBODY should take this "stuff" and NO, I am not an affiliate! Try it out !

P.s. I'm no doctor, take this at your own risk, bla, bla, bla. (Legal dis-claimer...).

[Emmanuel Betinis]

Originally Posted by Johnson Tay

I spend long hours on my laptop and my fingers do get quite painful.

Does anyone have any advice/tip to share to eliminate the pain?

Outsource.

[JoMo]

Voice recognition software.

[Emmanuel Betinis]

Originally Posted by JoMo

Voice recognition software.

It comes free with Windows Vista and is quite good in my opinion.

[JoMo]

From what I gather it takes a while to get used to, but when you get the hang of it, it can be quite productive.

I have been mashing on a keyboard ever since I was a little boy. My dad had TRS-80s in the house for his engraving business back in the late 70's. Now 30 or so years later I am still tearing it up without hand issues. God-bless PC gaming!

[GarfieldsOnlineBiz]

I use an exercise from Gung-Fu, and I take a 10 minute break every 50 mins.

Exercise as follows:
1. Extend your hand and fingers out in front of you, palm up, fingers together. Your hand /fingers/wrist should be totally relaxed.

2. Bend your wrist so that your palm faces you and your fingers point up. It is important to keep your fingers straight and palm flat. Your fingers should never point towards you.

3. Rotate your wrist and feel the stretch. Be gentle but be sure to stretch. It should not cause pain. You will only be able to rotate in one direction, that's the direction you should go. :P

4. Once you have done a full rotation your palm will face away from you. Simply flip your palm face UP and repeat.

Do this exercise once an hour for 2-3 minutes each wrist.

If this is too confusing a description please contact me and I'll make you a quick video. =]

[adamv]

Originally Posted by JoMo

Voice recognition software.

Originally Posted by anapest

It comes free with Windows Vista and is quite good in my opinion.

The one that came with windows vista made TONS of mistakes when I used it so I went ahead and bought Dragon Naturally Speaking 10. I already had DNS 9.5 for about 6 months but it wouldn't work with vista.

I like DNS well enough to have bought it twice within 6 months. It's a great program and a huge time saver for me.

[Jagged]

I work on a laptop all day...12-16 hrs a days. I do this little exercise a few times a day to keep my fingers from cramping up.

First, I reach into my pocket....pull out a wad of $100 bills. Slowly....I wrap my hand around the bills firmly....with my thumb I peel off 1 bill at a time....

Do this with both your right, then your left hands for as long as it takes to gt through th roll of bills...

Do this every 4-5 hrs...

Soon...any pains you have in your hands / fingers will deminish, Replaced with visions of all that big money your making by working those long days...

Hey...it works for me

[Robert Oliver]

I use a trackball mouse by Logitech with

click and scroll options. Connects

by way of USB port. Only use thumb

and fingers. No pain and I can

navigate very quickly. I hate the

finger pad on my laptop.

Robert

[Stu Eaves]

I suffer with this a lot right now. I've found taking a break every hour and (here's the weird thing but it works) running my hands/fingers under warm/hot water from a tap for a minute or two REALLY works wonders. It heats my fingers up and the aching/stiffness disappears.

I've been using computers and keyboards for about 25 years now, up until recently i've never experienced any pain/aching. Guess it's catching up with me!

[Jon Steel]

Keyboard and "Dragon Naturally Speaking Software (Standard)" - this voice recognition software is perfect. It rarely messes up or anything. If you look at its review on amazon you will see that out of like 118 comments - it has 4.5/5 stars. This is REALLY good software and it only costs like $50. I've wasted more money than that on nothing...

js

[Craig Desorcy]

This is a good thread because I'm looking now for solutions.

My fingers and wrists are sooooo bad right now I feel 70 years
old.

Craig

[MaggieDavid]

You do need to take breaks often, I would go with 30 minutes breaks. At break time, get a "Squeeze Ball" this is a ball that is soft rubber and you squeeze it and thus exercise your hands and fingers, often used by arthritis suffers etc.

Also, buy yourself some Arnica Infused massage oil and rub into your finger joints and wrists often during the day. This oil is all natural and takes down swelling and also takes out bruising. I am sure you can find this in a shop that sells vitamins etc.

One thing that is very important is that your posture is correct when-ever you use ANY computer.

Hope this helps.

[Jon Steel]

By the way "Dragon Naturally Speaking Software (Standard)" really allows me to spit ebooks out at lightening speed, navigate the internet, instant message, and more...

Its true what they say - if you find a good product out there that really works - you will tell everyone about it...

js

[Vikuna2009+]

Anybody else tried MSM? If not, please do some research, it really is GOOD!

[seasoned]

The ONLY time I EVER got finger pain was when I had keyboards with VERY hard keys. Luckily, today, that is RARE! I guess I last had that problem about 30 YEARS ago! I had a highschool that had OLD typewriters!

BTW that can ALSO cause REAL wrist pain.

Wrist ALIGNMENT, caused by posture, can ALSO cause REAL wrist pain.

There is a special area below the palm in the middle of the wrist area and perhaps a bit below that is known as the carpal tunnel. That is a VERY different situation. Repetitive stress can caused RSD(Repetitive Stress Disorder). In fact, it is SO common it has its own name. CTS Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. CTS CAN be exascerbated by the REAL wrist pain and finger pain. Its ONLY cure, if mild, is REST! Its only cure, if severe, is risky and unreliable SURGERY! You can prevent it by changing positions and limiting use.

Jillian,

On average, males are probably a LITTLE LESS likely to have finger pain, as they are supposed to have a little bit thinker skin. I doubt you would find any real correllation to gender though.

Steve

[James Spinosa]

Originally Posted by anapest

Outsource.

Well, that does indeed work

Really though I would suggest you get a good ergonomic external keyboard and mouse, using the small surfaces of a laptop causes your hands to be curled up the whole day.

[Harry Behrens]

To Johnson and to anybody who suffers from computer-related injuries I freely and totally recommend to read the books by Dr. Peter Egoscue (not aff links):

Amazon.com: Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain: Pete Egoscue, Roger Gittines: Books

Amazon.com: Pain Free at Your PC: Pete Egoscue, Wendy Wray, Roger Gittines: Books

I am not affiliated in any way with Dr. Egoscue. I simply was referred to his books back when I was starting out on my own; back then I used to do 10 hours of line-cook work, standing up over a work station chopping stuff all day long, and came home and did about 5 hours more IM work bent over the computer, six days a week. Eventually I developed pretty much every type of repetitive motion pain there is... the thing that saved me every single time was that I followed the Egoscue Method.

It is now five years later and even though I've since left my line-cook "career", I now spend as much as 10-12 hours a day on the computer. And yet I am free of any pain anywhere on my body, headaches, cramps, or anything.

It is no exaggeration when I tell you that I consider these two books to have literally saved my life Do check em out.

[stevenh512]

The best way to avoid finger and wrist pain from using your laptop (or any other computer) is to take breaks regularly. Also google "carpal tunnel" and look for exercises to prevent that (there are plenty of them and they're usually simple), do those exercises during your breaks.

For me, personally, I find that playing a musical instrument helps.. it gives your hands a "different" set of motions to go through compared to the typing and clicking you get used to working on your computer. I play guitar and bass and that seems to help me a lot.

[InternetMarketingIQ]

While this won't prevent pain (And pain is a warning system from your body you should not ignore) I have found that Dragon Naturally Speaking is a good product. Another thing you should be doing is to use Macro Scripting to automate as many tasks as possible.

[ildarius]

Glucosamine!!

[Sandi Valentine]

I use Dragon Naturally Speaking, as well. I also have a set of gloves with microbeads in them, made for laptop users - sort of a replacement for the wrist massaging mouspads.

[Barry Walls]

Typing? Dragon and macros are the tools you need.

[JMSD]

"How do you prevent the finger pains as a result of using your laptop for too long?"

Examine what and how you are working at the keyboard but your first step should be to sit at the right height to avoid the "sit up and beg" pecking posture most non-touch typists adopt. Also learn to touch type with a qualified typing teacher. If this is not an option, check the following:

1 - Your fingers (at second nuckle) should be curved (at right angles) under your hand when at the keyboard
2 - Your finger (third section), hand and wrist should form a flat platform (almost able to rest a cup on your upper hand)
3 - Avoid resting your wrist on the "rest" bar of the laptop or keyboard - big mistake
4 - As suggested by others, take frequent breaks and massage your hands to get circulation going.

RSIs (Repetitive Strain Injuries) are caused by excessive tension of the muscles while doing something repetitively. So keep your finger and wrist muscles as relaxed as possible whilst typing (or pecking) at your keys but above all else DO NOT REST YOUR WRIST ON ANY SURFACE whilst typing. It would be like a tennis player repeatedly hitting a ball whilst his elbows were strapped to his waist!

In a former life I was a Royal Society of Arts Tutor in WordProcessing and Touch Typing. I've been typing for decades (I now work almost 12 hours a day at my keyboard) and to date, not a single twinge!

So correct posture, good touch typing techniques and relaxed muscles all help to keep pain and RSI at bay.

Hope this helps.

[Alan Mc Donald]

i am crippled with rsi at the monet, really painfull

is dragon naturally speaking software easy to set up? how long does it take?

[jjbalagosa]

I agree with the majority of people here. Use Dragon NaturallySpeaking. It makes IM so much more fun!

[Greg Cooksley]

Originally Posted by Johnson Tay

I spend long hours on my laptop and my fingers do get quite painful.

Does anyone have any advice/tip to share to eliminate the pain?

Hey Johnson,

In the past, there have been several threads discussing this very issue and others related to Carpal Tunnel and Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).

Here is a thread that I started to address the conditions and more importantly the solution to the conditions:

RESPONSE TO Allen's thread - Anyone else here have killer tendonitis in your mouse arm?

This product has been around for a long time (20 years) but has mostly been treated as a gadget and not a serious medical tool.

I have plenty of testimonials vouching for the success of this product when used consistently.

(There are no aff links here or in the thread above.)

Hopefully this will help you to gain relief...

Regards

Greg