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I'm just getting back into Starcraft 2 after taking about a year away from the game. Now, I was always a scrub at the game, but ended up spending a couple weeks/months playing the game A LOT... and by the time Christmas 2011 rolled around, I was hurting.
My job is a lot of quick computer work (if only my in game APM could be like my work APM) so my wrist doesn't really get a break.
Would spending some time at the gym specifically devoted to wrist strength training work? I already do stretches for my wrist/forearm.
Not only do I play Starcraft 2 and make similar movements at work, but I also play counter-strike competitively, which involved a lot of twitch mouse movements and fine aiming.
TL;DR - HOW DO I PREVENT CARPAL TUNNEL THIS TIME AROUND?
in before get your arm rebuilt a la Flash
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stretches. lots. I just got into the habit of doing a lot more pushups, a bit closer to my stomach to really get that angle. Nice and slow. Or you can just go to youtube and search "stretches, Day9" and you'll find his video
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You need to make sure the position of your arms and hands are ideal, if they aren't. Elbows at 90 degree angles, close in to your side. Forearms parallel to the ground- you don't want a table that is too high. You can really find a bunch of stuff online about ergonomic sitting positions and computer form. But that would be the basics on how you want your hands and arms. Also, stretch like you said. And participate in physical activities every day etc etc.
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You have to cut down on all that stuff for a while. Having been through a wrist injury before, trust me that it isn't worth it to play a few hours of CS or SC2 each day. Both those games will still exist in 2 weeks or a month, so just stay off the computer when you can and do things that are neutral (ie reading a book) or good for your wrist (going for runs did wonders for me). Anything that puts your wrist in an unnatural position for an extended period time is bad.
Ice your wrist each night before bed while watching TV or something. Keep your wrist in a natural position while you do it and don't do anything wristy afterwards because you'll be more injury prone while it's cold.
Don't automatically assume the root of the problem is in your wrist either. Everything is connected and pain can be 'referred' to weird places. You should visit a physiotherapist or masseuse so that they can check you out and tell you what the actual problem is. I highly recommend massage if you can find somebody good.
Whatever you do, don't play it down. Wrist injuries are the worst because you use your wrist for literally everything. Get it sorted before it becomes a long term issue (that's what happened to me!).
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Going to the gym and exercising your wrist when you have chronic wrist pain will likely only worsen the problem. You should not be training your wrist vigorously if you are suffering from an overuse injury, or any body part for that matter. As somebody who has a lot of experience in this department as a longtime kick boxer and gamer with now pain-free wrists I suggest to you the following:
1. Do not focus on stretching the wrists forcefully, focus instead on joint mobility exercises wherein you move the joint through a range of motion that can be achieved without manipulating your wrist by grabbing it with your other hand or placing it on a solid surface and pressing. A simple and effective exercise involves clasping your fingers together and simply rolling your wrists about while keeping the fingers intertwined. A quick google search will reveal a variety of others, but the main point is to keep the range of motion to what you can achieve under the muscular power of the wrist in question and rely little or not at all on forcefully stretching the muscles or ligaments with some outside force. If you find your range of motion limited in specific dimensions then be patient and slowly work at it, you will eventually improve your mobility.
2. Do not overwork the wrists, and develop a sense for when to back off based on early symptoms of discomfort. Simply "playing through the pain" might seem like a tempting option, especially if you really want to play a specific game or feel like a macho man, but in the long run it is a losing strategy and will greatly lessen your potential to play in the coming weeks and months. Your best bet is to only play as long as you are able without significant discomfort, and to stop as soon as you notice the pain interfering in any significant way with your ability to execute actions in the game or focus generally.
3. Though many people and even many doctors are unaware of it, the levels of certain hormones in your body can greatly influence the resilience of your ligaments and tendons. This article focuses on the ankle, but the information regarding the influence of hormones on ligament and tendon health are equally relevant to your situation. You can dramatically influence the levels of these hormones through lifestyle changes, primarily through diet and to a lesser extent through exercise such as weight lifting. There is a pretty solid section on nutrition in the site that I linked if you would like to experiment with it. Anecdotally I have greatly lessened the incidence of wrist injuries since switching over to such a diet.
4. Work on your body mechanics, and pay attention to the positions that your arms, wrists, shoulders, spine, head, and hands are stuck in for extended periods of time. It is entirely possible to develop a much keener sense of how the hand and wrist function, and how to use them in less stressful ways than what we would do out of habit. Simply studying diagrams of the skeleton and exploring the motions that your wrists can make, in what positions it is strong and weak, and so on can greatly improve your capacity to engage in strenuous work while avoiding injury. The angle of your arms as they rest on the desk to use your mouse and keyboard can also be important, and generally an angle of 90 degrees or greater is thought to be less stressful over time.
5. Some supplements hold promise in dealing with conditions of this nature. I have personally used Serrapeptase, a relatively inexpensive proteolytic enzyme, and noticed considerable improvement after a few weeks of use. Controlled clinical trials on the substance have been conducted in Europe and Japan in a variety of contexts (such as post-surgery) and it has shown some serious promise as an anti-inflammatory and general aid to the recovery process. Some athletes have been known to use this particular supplement when recovering from injuries. Peruse the literature for yourself before deciding to try it; I wouldn't recommend taking the hype you will find on manufacturer's websites as the basis for your expectations.
If it gets really bad you can alternate hot and cold presses as well as compressing the area with an ACE bandage or something similar. However, if it gets to that point you likely overworked it already and made the situation a lot worse than it has to be.
I hope this helps, best of luck to you.
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Wow, thanks for all of the information! I'll definitely start being more aware of my posture and listen to my body. And continue to do my day9 stretches! :D
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EPT
