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Ask HN: Anyone have arthritis in their fingers? How to keep working with it?

8 points by cableshaft ↗ HN
The past month I've been dealing with the joints in three of my fingers on one of my hands giving me pain when I bend them, and it kind of feels like maybe the edges of the bones are rubbing against each other (especially painful when I try to pinch or close things, like ziploc bags).

Actually first noticed when I was playing games with the fingers on WASD keys (for movement) and now I've switched to a controller, possibly for good, but now typing for extended periods when programming is bothering them.

I haven't confirmed that it's arthritis yet, maybe it'll still get better on its own, but assuming it isn't, is there a way I can continue to write code (and write comments on HN and whatnot :) and yet protect them and let them heal? Should I look into some ergonomic keyboards? Try typing one-handed for a while?

For those who definitely do have arthritis, how do you manage it as well as work?

13 comments

[ 5.2 ms ] story [ 42.5 ms ] thread
h2odragon
First, don't fuck around with possibly RSI type things, you can make a temprorary irritation into a permanent disability that way. Possibly consult experts and definitely go read some anatomy texts and figure out what exactly hurts and and see if you can figure out why.

I've got psoriasis and associated arthritis symptoms have taken a lot of my dexterity from me the past year. Its a bitch; I am my hands in the way that dogs are their nose. I get internal join pains from elbows down, associated with finger movement, and sometimes cramps or weakness in particular muscles or groups that make some motions just not happen. Opening a bottle cap is pretty sure to cost pain and require a moment straightening that hand back out, now.

I can't say I'm managing it well. I push through the pain, try to retain patience as I drop things and have to find workarounds and new ways to do things i once found easy. I try to be sensitive to becoming irritable with others socially because ive been typing too much today or whatever, and not do that. It's not easy.

I've known this time was likely coming; early on I did things like acquiring a stack of Model M keyboards, learning some keyboard technique from old high typing rate secretaries and piano players (wrists up!), and adopting an index finger trackballs instead of mice (MS Explorer Trackballs; or Elecom M-HT1UR). That worked for my body and habits. Whatever makes your body comfortable while you're fiddling the small switches in a static position for long periods of time will vary. The "long periods" makes the "comfortable during" bit very, very important.

cableshaft
> read some anatomy texts and figure out what exactly hurts

According to this image[1], it's the joint between the Metacarpal bone and the Proximal Phalange, as well as the joint between the Proximal Phalange and the Medial Phalange, for each of my index, middle, and ring fingers on my left hand, to be specific. The Proximal/Medial joint is the one in particular that's causing me problems.

Thanks for your comment. I'll try to schedule an appointment with my doctor soon.

[1]: http://www.handsurgeonlondon.co.uk/hand-anatomy/

h2odragon
Is there pain at rest; is any movement irritating, are there specific motions that set off a painful period or not ... etc. I advise going into the doctor with as many specifics as possible and treat them like they're trying to hide things from you. Good luck!
cableshaft
Not really all movement. Seems to be more when it has some resistance, like pressing keys on a keyboard (although not always) or trying to hold something tight, or like I said before closing a ziploc bag.

If I move the joint of my middle finger especially tighter and looser in the air it feels and sometimes sounds like a small pop each time it gets tighter though.

That finger does seem to be the worst one for discomfort and mild pain, in fact.

h2odragon
I think you may have hope that this is something that can be fixed instead of something you just have to live with. I would expect arthritic causes to be less limited in where they affect you, and probably jump from one joint to another or spread to them all.
tarun_anand
I have stiff hands in the morning but no pain. It's probably a sign of oncoming problems.

Did you consult a doctor?

I found out that I had major vitamin D deficiency

cableshaft
Not yet. I'll set up an appointment soon though.

I probably have a vitamin D deficiency as well, I can start taking supplements again.

adamrezich
is the weather getting colder where you live? that seems to be what does it for my mom and I. as things cool off here and cold fronts pass through it causes pain in mostly my finger and knee joints. my mom takes medication for arthritis and I'm probably going to have to look into doing the same soon
cableshaft
I live near Chicago, so yeah, generally speaking. Although it's 46F degrees today, so a little high for the time of year.
adamrezich
yeah it's 50F here in western South Dakota today but we've had cold fronts and snow in the past couple weeks and even though the weather is quite nice today my finger joints are killing me as I type this. I just turned 30 this year and it's been getting worse each year but now I'm at the point where I probably should do something about it.
AnimalMuppet
Think carefully about your keyboard. You want to be able to type a key without hitting the bottom of the travel. Learn to type lightly. (That does not mean slowly!) This was hard for me, because early in my career I had to type on some very stiff keyboards, and I learned to really hit the keys hard. As I also start having finger problems, I've had to unlearn that.

Oh, yeah, don't forget the mouse. If you have issues on only one hand, run the mouse with the other hand. (If you're not on a Mac, and you want the buttons to correspond to the same fingers of the hand when you're running it with the other hand, both Windows and Linux have a setting for "left-handed" mice, which reverses the buttons.)

We don't normally think of programmers as people who work with their hands, but we really do...

MH15
Vertical mouse, good keyboard and fish oil pills, simple stretches before working. After my internship working on a MacBook all summer my fingers were in a terrible state and it took a few weeks of minimal usage to recover. Now with the techniques I mentioned above I still have mild irritation after long workdays but it’s completely bearable.

I also found the advice on here to wear long sleeves to promote blood flow and keep your hands warm, this works well.