The Android's Liberal Arts Degree (Meta/Critical), The Android's Repair Shop (Meta-blog)

Nintendinitis

10 Comments

Well, I guess it was bound to happen. Not only have I literally grown up playing video games (and/or using the computer), but carpal tunnel syndrome runs in my family, and it looks like my own luck with staving it off may have run out: this past week or so I’ve had growing discomfort and numbness in my right wrist/thumb, particularly when using the computer. It’s probably something I’ll have to get looked at– in the meantime I’ve given myself a wrist brace, which seems to be helping some, even if it makes typing and such slightly awkward.

I’m still adjusting to the brace (I just got it about a half hour ago), but I figure I should probably do the right thing and give my poor wrist a break and minimize my computer usage for a little while. Well, crap. I was in the middle of colonizing Canada as Portugal in my latest EU3 game, too.

My face, upon realizing the implications of all of this.

Oh, who are we kidding? I’ll probably keep playing anyway, albeit a little less. And on the plus side I still seem to be able to comfortably hold a 360 controller with no issues, which means maybe I can actually finish Skyrim (and poke around with Mirror’s Edge which I’ve recently acquired.)

Has anyone else had this problem? What are your tips for dealing with it– especially as a gamer?

Written by: Pike on January 20, 2012.

10 thoughts on “Nintendinitis”

  1. I strongly recommend the book “It’s Not Carpal Tunnel” – even if it is, in fact, Carpal Tunnel. It’s absolutely the best book available on RSI, and will give you a lot of starting points on how to fix it.

    Also, act fast, act hard and act now. RSI tends to get worse, not better.

    Good luck!

  2. Not only do I game, I’m also a crafter, a writer, and I work as a secretary…So I type all day at work, then I come home and play video games on the computer, or I write, or I knit (sew, crochet, bead, etc.) while watching TV because I fail at passively watching things.

    So RSI and carpal tunnel? Yes, I have them. I also have inherited my mom’s arthritis. Goody. But it’s pretty easy to deal with when you learn how.

    1. The braces are your lifesaver and, when you’re doing something where you can’t wear a stiff brace, wear a compression glove or wristband instead. It’s more flexible than the brace, but gives support.
    2. Learn to recognize the signs of it getting aggravated – usually a bit of numbness or tingling. Go ahead and start using the braces before it progresses to pain and it probably won’t.
    3. Sometimes when it’s mild, sleeping in the braces will be enough to help. I can start sleeping in the braces while it’s in the mild-tingling stage, not wear them otherwise, and it usually never progresses to pain and goes away after a week or so unless I’m doing something majorly aggravating to my wrists.
    4. Capsasin Cream when it’s bad, and ibeprofen to help the inflamation. But whatever you do DO NOT touch your eyes, face or any other sensitive areas when you have capsasin cream on your hands. OW.

    Also: Get some Thinking Putty and use it to exercise your hands. I’ve noticed that helps some too.

  3. I just ignored the pain until it went away. Took a few months but it has learned its place now!

    (This is not good advice.)

  5. You may recall that I broke my left wrist some time ago. This was also the time that I picked up Civ IV. I recommend a Civ IV kick!

  6. I had similar problems a year or so ago and, considering my age plus the fact that I’d been working on computers with keyboards for over 30 years, I thought that RSI/CTS was my problem too. I got a brace and carried on working with a little more care and the problem went away in a couple of weeks. The quack said it was just a minor muscle sprain so I hope that is all you have. Either way, rest, support and a little self-awareness will work wonders and you do heal.

  7. I’ve spent hours at a time in front of glowing rectangles for years, either for homework, web surfing or gaming. It didn’t affect me before, but around a year or so ago my hand just started hurting all the time. Nothing serious, just incredibly annoying.

    I’m not sure exactly what a wrist brace is, but I found and started using this fingerless glove thing that had a bunch of cushiony plastic beads inside it. Not sure if it really helped or not, but ever since I left it back at home and moved into my dorm room I’ve been missing it.

  8. Wear that brace religiously. I noticed that if I raid a lot during the week (read: frantic button pushing at all speeds and pressure depending on how frustrating the fight is) my right hand will start to ache like mad. Bought a stiff brace to wear while I slept. Although not very romantic, it seems to do the trick. :)

  9. Also! Buy a new brace after a few weeks. That’s about when they start to smell like death. (There is really no other way to describe it.)

Comments are closed.