RSI hates the pc user

[B1nary]

So my shoulder is wrecked and i have pain in my hand and arms, thank you bad pc ergonomics a few hours of pleasure and a week of pain.

Anybody else around here ever have or still get Repetitive strain injuries because of their pc,this is just wrong.

Im hoping i can find a copy of dark souls tomorrow so i can create some kind of man nest in my pc room and play .with my xbox controller at least that doesn't require any kind of shoulder muscles.

This is obviously a ploy by console manufactures working with mouse developers and furniture manufactures to injure people to force them to use consoles

[Pooky]

I get terrible pain in my upper neck which I suspect is from sitting at the PC.

[James]

I used to get very stiff shoulders, especially on the right side (mouse hand) from sitting at a weird angle while browsing. Since I started exercising a lot this year, these problems have gone away. I'd say a good stretching routine is important regardless of whether you exercise or not; take 5 minutes every hour to touch your toes and stretch out your back and arms

I've also upgraded my chair, and now my ass doesn't get numb and my posture has improved greatly. As a PC gamer, I'd say it's an area you can't afford to skimp. A quality chair investment pays dividends immediately, and for the years to come.

I never experience RSI in my wrists, although my right hand can cramp a little after many, many hours of non-stop gaming (but I believe this is due to an old injury). I do make sure to use gel pad wrist wrests for both my keyboard and mouse and they help immensely.

Having a high DPI setting on your mouse reduces the amount you have to move your arm, and I only need to make small, smooth wrist and arm movements to control the mouse; that may be worth trying if you haven't already.

[Lycanthrope]

I'm unfortunately guilty of leading an agonisingly sedentary lifestyle and spend a lot of time in front of my PC. I'm fortunately yet to experience any sort of repetitive stress injury, however.

I think the trick is in being comfortable and maintaining a modicum of correct posture.

I do find that if I drive a car with crappy seating or start moving furniture around (read: heavy-lifting), that my lower back hurts like a bitch for a few days.

As James says--a quality chair is important and so is your posture. You're going to do all sorts of damage to your back and self if you slouch or don't sit comfortably or don't use your gamepad/keyboard/mouse/whatever comfortably for long periods.

I need to exercise more but unfortunately I'm terribly self-conscious so gym is out and I don't like just walking around for the hell of it if I don't have anyone to do it with. Fortunately all that should change in a few months when... THE WORLD IS MINE!!! MUWAHAHAHAHA! (Read: reunited with my significant other).

[Graal]

Every once in a while I'll get these strange pains in my right arm that only make themselves felt when I try to grip something or pick something up. It's a strange, really painful feeling that shoots from my thumb up my lower arm. I strongly think it's early symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Probably need to get it checked out sometime.

[James]

Every once in a while I'll get these strange pains in my right arm that only make themselves felt when I try to grip something or pick something up. It's a strange, really painful feeling that shoots from my thumb up my lower arm. I strongly think it's early symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Probably need to get it checked out sometime.

Sounds like an alien infestation. Please report to you local disease control centre where a "cure" will be administered.

[MalicE]

I have permanent shoulder pain the past... probably year now, but I've just been writing it off as shitty mattress pain

[ViperGTI]

Every once in a while I'll get these strange pains in my right arm that only make themselves felt when I try to grip something or pick something up. It's a strange, really painful feeling that shoots from my thumb up my lower arm. I strongly think it's early symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Probably need to get it checked out sometime.

I also started getting pains in my wrist and arms. I have quite a distance between the edge of my desk and the keyboard, so I've put something soft in that space for my arms to rest in. For my wrists (which was partially due to a "squash injury") and lower arms to get well again, I got myself a powerball and it seemed to do the trick.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyroscopic_exercise_tool
They are sold at Mantality and I've seen some at Sportsman's warehouse as well.

[Murph]

I have permanent shoulder pain the past... probably year now, but I've just been writing it off as shitty mattress pain

Ah yes, Shitty Mattress Pain (SMP) :P
When Diablo III came out my elbow and shoulders were screwed for about month, probably from not being used to gaming at my PC. I called it Dielbow. And it hurt.

[czc]

When I saw the thread title I was trying to think what kind of company RSI is that they hate PC gamers. :/