I have diagnosed RSI that I have already been to occupational therapy for. I've been a computer user since I was 12 (omg, that's 21 years ago!). RSI problems started about 3 years ago -- about 1-2 years after I started my first real office job, where I was parked in front of the computer all day, every day. (Followed by a couple of hours of recreational computer use at home.) At its worst, on a bad day, I could barely grab the mouse, and typing was excruciating.
The symptoms I have are tension (like a pulled muscle) in the forearm just below the elbow, pain/stiffness in finger joints, and numbness/pins-and-needles/sensitivity in the fingertips. (And neck pain, if I don't make sure my screens are high enough to keep me from slouching.)
My index finger was the first to go. Switching from an ambidextrous to an ergonomic mouse helped that a bit (really good for the wrist and forearm, though!), but what really helped was putting the mouse in a drawer and using a trackpad
with the other hand so that the injured hand can rest.
I am trying to teach myself to not type spaces with my right thumb (the current problem child) but undoing 20 years of touch typing experience is incredibly hard to do. The thumb whacks the spacebar and actuates the Back button on the mouse, as well as gripping the mouse. I think iPhone typing with the thumb is also a significant contributor to this problem.
What I can advise you is to take measures
immediately, before it gets worse:
- Take frequent microbreaks (like 30 secs every 5 mins) and regular real breaks (5 mins every hour)
- If you are forgetful of breaks like me, install break reminder software to force you to take them
- Do stretches and calisthenics every hour in the real breaks, especially hand exercises, but including your whole body. be holistic.
- Switch up your input devices (different keyboards, different mice/trackpads, switching up which hand)
- Check the ergonomics of your workspace
- If you can do other tasks (like manual paperwork or whatever), mix them up with your computer work
- Wear gloves to keep the joints warm
- Take some more breaks
- If you tend to write a lot of similar texts, e.g. email replies to customers, use text expander software (Mac has basic one built in, otherwise use TypeIt4Me or TextExpander; on Windows use PhraseExpress) to expand shortcuts into preset passages of any length.
Remember, the key element of repetitive strain injury is the
repetitive part. So do whatever you can to mix things up. It is also suspected that an element of RSI is restricted blood flow, so that's why you do the stretches and calisthenics: literally to get the blood flowing, which is necessary for tissue recovery.
I hope some of that helps your situation.