Tendonitis

[rachelmanija]

Specifically, medial epycondylitis aka "golfer's elbow." Both elbows, worse in the left.

Yes, I am seeing a doctor and doing occupational therapy. However, it keeps flaring up, probably because it is not possible for me to not type for weeks on end (even if I cut out all non-work typing-- it's the work typing that's the big problem.) And when I do manage to cut down on typing, I still have to wash dishes and lift stuff and talk on the phone and otherwise use my elbows.*

Has anyone found any supplements or other forms of supplementary treatment that are helpful? I'm already taking glucosamine/chondroitin.

*I am considering getting a phone headset. Has anyone else found that this made anough of a difference to be worthwhile?

*I am very, very, very reluctant to try voice-activated software. For reasons that are too long to type out, it would also be impossible to use for at least sixty percent of everything I do, and would only cut out one of about forty steps of everything else I do.

Comments

[yhlee.livejournal.com]

Yikes. I'm sorry to hear that.

Have you had any luck with ergonomic keyboards (Kinesis (http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/) comes to mind but may be pricy--I've been coveting their keyboards for literally years)? Maybe a good keyboard would alleviate the problem a little?

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

One word of warning. Maybe a simple split keyboard will work wonderfully, right out of the box, but some of the other configurations (e.g. keys in a bowl shape) might work well once you accommodate to them after an initial adjustment period to get used to new finger movements and positions. I imagine the pain could be the same or even worse at the start. This was the experience of a friend in school.

Also, make sure to check out the position of the non-alphanumeric keys. In school, I bought an expensive Adjustable Apple Keyboard, and the escape key (or something like that) was torture to reach and press. Plus, the Ctrl and Caps Lock keys were in today's standard position, which I hate, instead of the swapped position that I love. So I found someone with an old, cheap keyboard and did a straight swap. That was one of my best investments *ever*.

I see that rilina said she wrote drafts longhand, but when my RSI in my hand was really bad, writing hurt as much or more as typing. I write so little that writing tired and still tires out my hand very quickly.

[rilina.livejournal.com]

Writing longhand isn't necessarily easy for me, but for me the main benefit is that it offers variation from what I was previously doing. It was a break from all the keyboard use. Ditto for using a mouse: I mostly wasn't using a mouse before I got one; as telophase noted, something like a tablet or trackball might be better for your particular situation.

I see that other people have also mentioned braces; I don't know if they apply to elbow conditions as much as wrist conditions. (I was prescribed some for my wrists, but my elbows were treated with various types of PT, icing, and rest.) But they are a big help for wrist pain; if I forget to wear mine while sleeping for a couple nights, I can definitely feel the different in my hands and wrists.