Pain in the top knuckle (small one) of pointer finger.

[Quark]

Hey fellow keyboard wizards,

I'm a pro typist/documentation professional and I'm starting to get pain in my little knuckle (top one) on the pointer finger of my left hand. As a typist pain/injury really isn't new to me but this particular pain is slowing me down at work, which is really annoying.

Any idea's how I can minimise it, or what may be causing such pain?

I use a Goldtouch keyboard for my daily driver at work and have it set up correctly. Split, for correct alignment of the wrists and also tented, for the correct alignment of my arms.

I've tried taping off the kunckle with some gauze taping to minimise it's movement, but it isn't really helping much.

Any ideas?

[tp4tissue]

Do you eat alot of animal products ?

Recent revelations has pin pointed  animal proteins/fats as the main source of autoimmune/ inflammatory diseases/ arthritis/ osteoporosis


--Among also being the root cause of cancer/heart disease/ diabetes



Overall    there are probably numerous method you can treat the symptoms here in your finger,   but it won't last long, and you're going to have flair ups as long as your diet continue the way it is..



Temporary pain killers will be necessary if you're in a pinch for work related stuff..


Then , when this becomes a habit, you're going to need other medication as the pain killers puts greater wear on your other organs, kidneys/ liver//




But yea,  painkillers in a pinch,   and take anti inflammatory.

[Quark]

Do you eat alot of animal products ?

You know, that's funny. I used to be a vegetarian, but recently got very, very sick and have had to go back to eating meat for health reasons. Maybe that's part of the problem.

I've been taking Ibuprofen for it and have been trying to be very careful with my finger placement but it's still pinging me from time to time. May need to take next week off as my job involves typing at pace for eight hours a day....

Thank you for the thought and advice.

[tp4tissue]

Veggie diet will definitely help


But there'r some caveats , eggs and milk,  they're just as inflammation promoting as steak and cheese.


Vegan is a tough balancing act.. I'm hopeful,  but am myself having a hard time with it..

[hoggy]

Do you use the mouse with your right or left hand?

Have you seen a doctor?

Take a look at macros/ text expansion, see if you can balance your productivity that way.

Are you taking rest breaks?

[davkol]

Do you eat alot of animal products ?

Geez. Are gonna spam this all over the place instead of EHMAGERD ERGODOX now?

I'm a pro typist/documentation professional and I'm starting to get pain in my little knuckle (top one) on the pointer finger of my left hand.

Any idea's how I can minimise it, or what may be causing such pain?

Have you observed how you use the finger in the first place?

I actually had a similar issue many years ago. In my case, the finger was typically used for 5, R, T, F, G, V, usually B and 4, sometimes C and 6, in some cases Y as well. In other words: a lot of keys, and spread across multiple rows. I didn't use right Shift at the time, thus stretched the index finger even more, while holding the left Shift with my pinkie.

So, I relearned to type, now I use Colemak and standard fingering including opposite hands for modifiers (which is very helpful for hotkeys as well).

Your problem might stem from a different source, though, and you really need to observe what you do.

[Quark]

Do you use the mouse with your right or left hand?

Have you seen a doctor?

Take a look at macros/ text expansion, see if you can balance your productivity that way.

Are you taking rest breaks?

I use a track ball with my other hand.

I haven't seen a physio or doctor yet no, I hate doctors.

Txt expansion - what do you use for that?

I do try and take rest breaks, but you know what work is like... sometimes you take them, sometimes you are not so good. Usually when things start to hurt you get a bit more aware of taking them and soon forget afterwards.  )

[Quark]

Hahaha - awesome, didn't realise this was a regular response from the aforementioned. 

I have had a good look at my physical technique and I'm not sure what's going on. I used to be quite proficient in COLEMAK but have let it go now. I've gone back to QWERTY mainly due to work and I find it very difficult to jump layouts. I used to try and do it all the time a few years ago, but I've become lazy.

If it doesn't clear off I'll probably end up going to the quack. Not that they are good for anything.....

[tp4tissue]

Do you eat alot of animal products ?

Geez. Are gonna spam this all over the place instead of EHMAGERD ERGODOX now?

Muahahahahahaha

Here's the breakdown

If you DO IT,  it's better for you, better for society, better for the environment.


If you Don't do it, it's still technically better for TP4,  because Tp4 will almost certainly outlive you.. Consuming your hard earned tax dollars after you die early.


So, as a fundamentally GOOD GUY, Tp4 chose to promote the greater good, by preaching about the whole foods veggie lifestyle..

However, It's a win win for Tp4 either way you go..

[Findecanor]

I've been taking Ibuprofen for it and have been trying to be very careful with my finger placement but it's still pinging me from time to time.

Using pain killers to "cope" with strenuous activity is never a good thing. The pain's purpose is to tell you that you are doing something wrong.

I got pains in my finger joints some years ago after having used a stiff rubber dome and a small mouse at work. I switched to a keyboard with light switches (Cherry MX Brown) and a large vertical mouse and the pain abated. It did not happen overnight though.
I also took a look at my posture and lowered the desk in relation to chair height.
I believe that alternating between different postures (sitting, standing, slouching...) and positions and sizes of keyboards and pointing devices every once in a while can be good for you in the long run.
Many types of joint problems can be prevented by exercising and building muscle around the joints - but I don't know well that applies to the fingers because the fingers' muscles are in the wrists...

BTW. There are many older threads on RSI in the forum and lots of varying opinions on the matter ...

[tp4tissue]

what's your tenting angle...  it might not be high enough.

[hoggy]

Text expansion - autohotkey works pretty well.  Also Macro Express.

[Centropyge loriculus]

The fingers are controlled by the wrist and forearm, the tips specifically are controlled by the muscle flexor digitorum superficialis and flexor digitorum profundus. These are what give you flexion of your digits, but superficialis is what gives the distal interphalangeal joint flexion that it sounds like you're complaining off. Now, extension is also a big part of this, but that is mainly done by the extensor digitorum and a pulley system of ligaments is used to straighten out the tips. The way the muscles and ligaments themselves attach to the bones of your hand also play a big part as they pass through canals and tunnels which is partly why typists get carpal tunnel.

So, changing your hand and wrist position on a keyboard most certainly may help.

What may help the group to help you, is to determine when it hurts. Is it when your fingers are at maximal extension or during the depression of a key. Do you experience any numbness or tingling before or after? The nerves the muscles are not the same that innervate the hand, and if you're insulting the nerves that innervate the fingers themselves it can be a positional issue as well. However, it may be that you need to find a way to rotation your wrist ever so slightly.

A few people have mentioned that taking ibuprofen is not the answer, and it shouldn't be. Hopefully this thread will stay alive long enough to help you. Otherwise, it might not hurt to see an orthopedist or plastic surgeon that specializes in hand surgery. They have even further training into injuries of the hand and may be able to help you out. I can't promise it, but I suggest it if the pain persists and you find yourself taking NSAIDs (i.e. ibuprofen (motrin/advil), naproxen(aleve)) daily.

Edited for grammar.

[Sylvester]

for finger exercises.,Speeds up recovery.