Curious ... do any of you have CTS that cuts into scrapping time?

I didn't want my already long title to be longer ... but I'm wondering if any of you fine scrappers out there suffer with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or any other issues that cut into your scrapping/computer time, and what you do about it?

I have no idea how I did it, but I hurt my shoulder the last Friday of June and I've been battling it ever since. Right now as I sit typing this I am feeling every key stroke up in my right shoulder. I've been to an Orthopaedic specialist, and he sent me to a Physical Therapist who is going to try to help things loosen up. I have NO idea how I injured myself ...I woke UP with shoulder pain! How on earth can you hurt yourself SLEEPING?! But, that's me ... I hurt myself doing the STUPIDEST stuff.

Anyway, to make my blabbering short cuz it hurts ... how do you get around it to scrap??? I haven't made many pages since I hurt myself ... and it's really cramping my {Sweet Rewards Points} style.

~Melinda

I have carpal tunnel in both wrists. I had my first surgery a few years ago on my right hand. It didn't really help much, so I have opted to not have the surgery on my left. The doc wants to do the surgery a second time on my right, but uh, no thank you! The biggest help was giving up the mouse. I now use the Wacom pen tablet and it helped more than the surgery! LOL

I don't know how to help the shoulder issue, except to say make sure you are using good egonomics and have the keyboard and mouse/tablet at a level that doesn't make it worse. Sorry you are having this issue! So it's not a tear? Is it Frozen Shoulder?

not sure how you feel about needles...

but have either of you tried acupuncture?

Surgery for CTS - I've known of 10 who have had it, and only 1 benefited. However, most of them were able to get relief thorugh acupuncture.

I believe I do have the beginings of CTS in my right hand, and I feel it more from using the touchpad on my laptop then I ever did with my mouse (on my desktop). I keep meaning to pick up a brace, which I've heard can help a bit, and I forget every time I'm at the store.

Like Julie said, I have plans to try to switch to the Wacom tablet once I can get back int scrapping on my desktop instead of my laptop.

I'm certain I will have/already have CTS. How can I not with my habits, right?!

It's like the emphysema of chronic scrappers. You just have to deal with it, I guess.

Were you actually diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel?? I'm curious because what you've described sounds more like bursitis than CTS. Bursitis is a come and go type thing, literally just swelling/inflammation of the bursa in the joints (there are over 150 bursa in the body...I think I've had nearly every one flare up on me...joy.). There's not too much to be done for it besides time/some mild strengthening exercises, and anti-inflammatory medications if the pain is bad enough. Oh...and it can appear to be caused during sleep. I notice mine most right after I wake up. It hurts like a *naughty word*.

I don't have CTS but I use to have to stop scrapping b/c my wrist and shoulder would hurt. I use a keyboard and mouse at work too, then going home to use PSE didn't help. I switched to a writing tablet and feel 100% better!

I still use a mouse at work but with the tablet at home it relieved a lot of the soreness I use to have. I heard that using the mouse with the ball helps too, since you're not using your wrist as much but more or your fingers.

ROFL I totally read this wrong. I thought you meant CTs at is creative teams.

I don't have problems with CTS as much as I do arthritis. Man, can that really be a bother at times.

Paula said:

ROFL I totally read this wrong. I thought you meant CTs at is creative teams.

I don't have problems with CTS as much as I do arthritis. Man, can that really be a bother at times.

Click to expand...

LMBO!! Me too, Paula!! I was thinking, "Wow, this should be interesting!!"

I don't have CTS...It wouldnt' surprise me if someday I do though. Sorry to those of you suffering with it!!

I have CT along with a huge cyst on my right wrist, sometimes if I'm on the computer all day it'll start to bother me.

I type all day at work too, so that's usually when I have issues after working a 12 hour shift and then playing on the computer for 2 or 3 hours. I just take motrin and stay off for a couple hours. It usually helps.

Sorry for the confusion regarding CTS ... yeah, I meant Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I do not have that ... just looking for ideas/thoughts from people who are dealing with arm/shoulder issues while scrapping ... the subject was going to be too long if I elaborated . The doctor doesn't actually have an official diagnosis for what I'm dealing with yet. He said he wanted to call it tendonitis, but it appeared to get better and then came back, and since it wasn't caused by an injury to begin with ... he doesn't know. I get to go to Physical Therapy, now bumped up to 2 times a week, for a while to see if we can get me out of pain. I was in tears after my session today, though I know he didn't mean to have that happen. I think I hurt myself when I tried one of the exercises he wanted me to try (it HURT so he decided I'm not ready for that one yet). I do have Thoracic Outlet Syndrome which is being aggravated by whatever I messed up with my shoulder.

They are having an ergonomic assessment done for me at work, though it hasn't happened yet, and I am doing the best I can at home though I suspect that my desk is too tall at home. I have my chair set as high as it goes, though and am trying to keep my arm at a right angle as I use the mouse/ type at the keyboard. I'm not at the computer at home much right now with all this darned pain anyway.

I was just curious if there were any other scrappers out there dealing with issues in their arms or wrists that cause issues when scrapping and how you deal with it.

I do have a tablet ... maybe that will help, but right now it isn't set up in a way that is convenient to everyday use. It should be helpful though, because I'm a lefty so it would make for less work for my right arm in general. So, maybe I'll try that.

Thanks for chiming in everyone ... I really appreciate it!

Melinda

Paula said:

ROFL I totally read this wrong. I thought you meant CTs at is creative teams.

Click to expand...

me too and I thought well my CTs are my scrapping time

I did have a lot of wrist pain at one time and was scrapping with a mouse. I switched to a tablet and pen and the wrist pain pretty much disappeared but I started getting terrible pain in my elbow. I think it was b/c of poor ergonomics perhaps? After a few months though the elbow pain disappeared. But then I switched to a laptop with touchpad. so far no pain with that.

hope you can figure out the source of pain and that the therapy helps