OT: Carpul Tunnel problems

[Deleted User]

Interesting tips on here.

I've got a (possible, still wainting for assessment) herniated disc in my back, which as well as general pain in that area is causing numbness in my foot, and sometimes weirdness in other parts of my body.

I find walking really helps - seems to relax me, and the walking posture and movement loosens up the crankiness and swelling in my back. When that doesn't work - ice packs and Ibuprefen take down the inflammation, and I've had a go with a Tens machine, which does seem to calm things down.

I had a frozen shoulder a couple of years back, and the only thing that stopped the pain, and returned movement to my arm, was smoking a Camberwell carrot. Nothing else worked, and I never want to see a pineapple again. If it was possible to get the proper CBD stuff in the UK I'd be on to it like a shot.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

McD

@onkey said:

@palms said:
tumor, ick!

fwiw, I'm a california skeptic as well, but tai chi is great. ignore the chi, but I prefer it to yoga for the stretching benefits. looks goofy as hell, but it feels great.

@palms said:
tumor, ick!

fwiw, I'm a california skeptic as well, but tai chi is great. ignore the chi, but I prefer it to yoga for the stretching benefits. looks goofy as hell, but it feels great.

Our gym has a class called BODYBALANCE that combines elements of both so there’s clearly a demand for that sort of thing.

I prefer yoga as I get a pretty decent workout from the muscle shortening (contraction) that supports the deep stretches. Recently woke up with wicked DOMS in my legs thinking I’d overdone it in the gym but then released I hardly ever train my legs. It was all from the yoga session 😯

Another thing to counterpose piano player’s posture is bench dumbbell rows. Basically lay face down on the bench with a dumbbell in each hand and lift them by squeezing your shoulder blades together. Highly recommended!

Great vid btw.

Thanks!

Musician, heath thyself.

tpj

Altough these tools will not fix current pain. These will prevent a lot of mouse related issues in my opinion.

I personally use a combination of Karabiner, Dwellclick and Keyboard Maestro to do any kind of mouse click/hold/drag action using the keyboard and left hand. I only use my right hand to move the mouse. Left hand to do the rest.

If i use a mouse or trackpad i will never use the same hand for clicking and dragging.

Karabiner is a great free tool for OSX to remap keyboard keys on a low level.

Most modifiers on your keyboard are only used when pressed down and in combination with other keys.
So you can use these for a lot more.

For example:

I have programmed my left command key to send out F13 on press and release, which will trigger a Mouse Click using Keyboard Maestro. But this key will still function as a command key when the button is down.

My left shift will send out F12 which will trigger Dwell Click to do a mouse button down.
I use this for drag and hold actions. ( moving windows for example )
So i press shift 1 time, and the mouse button is down. Press again. Mouse button will release.
And ofcourse the shift still works as a normal Shift when pressed down.

My left Control is a Button 2 ( right click button ) down press.

Karabiner is also a great tool for Macbook Trackpads.

When any finger is touching the trackpad, space bar will do a mouse click.
V en F will do up and down scrolling. C and D will do page up / page down.

I personally think that using your mouse this way will prevent a lot of issues for anyone and even if you don't have issues it's a lot more comfortable to use a mouse in general.

Keyboard Maestro is a great tool to create Actions and Macro's for system or specific apps.
You can use on screen palettes to trigger them so you don't need to remember any shortcuts.
You can also use midi as input or output.
So you could for example use a midi foot controller to send out mouse clicks.

-

https://pilotmoon.com/dwellclick/
https://pqrs.org/osx/karabiner/
https://www.keyboardmaestro.com/main/

Alfred

Yes Max is right. This is also the cause of mouse arm. People get it when operating a mouse or a trackpad with their wrist resting on the table. The tendons that operate your fingers are being pulled at an unnatural angle, through your wrist. So do not use a wristpad with your mouse!
Rest is more benificial then exersize at the moment. Those raw tendons have to heal.

McD

@Alfred said:
Rest is more benificial then exersize at the moment. Those raw tendons have to heal.

It might be time for a sabbatical from i-devices. Just paper and streaming media. I've ordered 2 voice activated streaming devices. One Amazon and one Google. I have an iPhone but don't expect Apple will allow voice activated media navigation and control. They still see competitors as their enemies and users as someone to be controlled.

I probably need 2 weeks to learn Siri, Voice Over and Shortcuts and this would help.

[Deleted User]

Siri and microphone dictation rather than typing or pressing a screen or keyboard.

McD

@InfoCheck said:
Siri and microphone dictation rather than typing or pressing a screen or keyboard.

If I can figure out how to dictate Mozaic scripts I'll be in heaven. But I wouldn't have the
patience to insert "character by character". It would have to recognize word tokens.

I also want to be able to drive and perform all my usual activities without even touching or looking at the phone.

Being an addict and driving without that capability is dangerous to me and others.

I love Podcasts and my podcast app "Overcast" has a nice selection of Shortcuts implemented already.

Has any IOS Music Production Developer added similar Shortcut features or do we have to start coding our own and hopefully sharing the effort.

I recall the AudioKit "Metronome" does have some voice input features... so this could be
a nice direction for IOS Users.

@bedheadproducer created a nice video covering "voice control of Garageband with ios 13".

https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/35181/new-bedhead-producer-tutorial-on-how-to-voice-control-garageband-with-ios-13

Gravitas

@McD

I use Hey Metronome when I'm using AUM and BM3.
It's a really cool combination.

cloudswimmer

@LinearLineman said:
Dr. Sarno +++1!

And the thing is Sarno was not some obscure quack ‘Dr’ making YouTube videos .. he was a real MD working at New York Medical Centers Rusk institute for rehabilitative medicine, and had decades of real world research and in vivo work on the subject. Since he passed away his work has carried on by other real world MD’s like Dr. Howard Schubiner, Steve Ozanich, and others. We creative types often fit the mold of TMS/MBS to a tee. When I was reading his books it was like looking at myself on every page. Researching carpal tunnel and tendonitis obsessively for months at a time, worrying about it, trying recommended exercises or stretches, posture changes, avoidance behavior, etc. etc. etc. got me nowhere and in fact just made things worse.

audiblevideo

Stretching is important, ice baths help (keep your entire hand in as long as possible), ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatories are typical prescriptions. Wearing wrist braces when you sleep at night is a good idea.

Surgery to release the sheath covering the nerves is now done endoscopically and is an out-patient procedure that typically takes 1-2 weeks recovery.

bedheadproducer

@McD said:
Carpul tunnel and general hand pain issues are increasing and I'd like to turn it around before I
have to stop doing things with my hands.

Does anyone have a pointers to good advice and therapies?

I use a:

MacBook Pro with that pad for cursor movement/clicks (Assistive technologies?)
iPhone 11 Pro Max which has tricky button requirements (looking into "Voice Over" and Shortcuts)
Casio PX-560 with heavily weighted keys for the "haptic feedback of a Real Piano"

I'm sure there are other sources of these pains. I used to bowl a lot and have fractures from
doing what I always do: Using way too much force for every task that should be controlled and NOT percussive.

I used to play some hand drums too and realized that needed to be "out of bounds" due to the
bone fractures.

I'm considering taking piano lessons that focus on slowing down, playing softer and using better
ergonomics.

I will also entertain some typing lessons for similar benefits.

I heard an interview with Guitarist Robben Ford and he mentioned finding relief with Tai Chi stretching routines and he already had impeccable technique. He just played too much. It turned around with some attention to stretching and mastering his "Chi". That's where he lost me. He's a bit of a California mystic. I'm a California skeptic. I need more evidence.

1. use a thumball mouse as a regular mouse is pretty bad for your wrists if you are on the computer for hours at a time in the same position. Once i stopped using a regular mouse, i alleviated a huge strain. Never play "through" pain. Always stop right away or switch to a riff or style of playing that doesn't hurt at all. This easier on the guitar than on the keyboard....however the main rule of thumb is the same...if it hurts, stop it. 2. take frequent 5 minute breaks, at least 1 every half hour. 3. warm up before you jump right into fast or difficult stuff that is hard on the hands. Just like in sports, make sure you ease into things.
2. on cold days, run your hands under hot water first for a couple minutes.. 5. Music is multi faceted. Break up your practice into different things, some of them not even requiring you have an instrument in your hands, ie ear training using your voice or watching theory tutorials....either way, it's about developing habits that give your hands frequent breaks but dont stop doing stuff altogether either. there is a lot to learn. For instance you may be a great musician but how are your engineering skills? mastering skills? genre variety? Knowledge of current musical trends and charts? Your secondary instrument skills? haven't picked a secondary instrument yet? why not? I'm not talking to any one individual...I'm generalizing. One thing I know for sure is that a lot of my musician friends have had issues with pain and having to sometimes stop playing altogher, whereas I have never played while in pain and have never had any issues.

bedheadproducer

@McD said:

@InfoCheck said:
Siri and microphone dictation rather than typing or pressing a screen or keyboard.

If I can figure out how to dictate Mozaic scripts I'll be in heaven. But I wouldn't have the
patience to insert "character by character". It would have to recognize word tokens.

I also want to be able to drive and perform all my usual activities without even touching or looking at the phone.

Being an addict and driving without that capability is dangerous to me and others.

I love Podcasts and my podcast app "Overcast" has a nice selection of Shortcuts implemented already.

Has any IOS Music Production Developer added similar Shortcut features or do we have to start coding our own and hopefully sharing the effort.

I recall the AudioKit "Metronome" does have some voice input features... so this could be
a nice direction for IOS Users.

@bedheadproducer created a nice video covering "voice control of Garageband with ios 13".

https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/35181/new-bedhead-producer-tutorial-on-how-to-voice-control-garageband-with-ios-13

thanks for the mention. I use it sometimes while driving, but only in between stoplights, not when I'm moving.