Within a week of making the switch, the pain in my hands made a significant improvement.
For even more ergonomics, get some cushioned wrist pads for your mouse and keyboard, (many ergonomic keyboards come with one built in). That's the second biggest culprit in RSIs.
Try a different keyboard. I'd recommend the Microsoft split keyboard, it has worked wonders for my carpal tunnel.
If it continues, see a neurologist.
I've had something similar off and on the past month. I code on a 13" air 4 or 5 hours per day, regular keyboard the rest of the work day. No previous problems, same routine.
I've woken up with pain in my fingers and hands a couple days per week the past month, I think it's clenching hands in my sleep.
Hope you're feeling better.
I'm 54. At this point, it could be the beginnings of arthritis...
I've had this problem too after spending a lot of time on the computer, even to the point of buying a pair of wrist braces that I wore at night. Some kind of compression with a brace, band, or tape is usually helpful for injuries involving smaller muscles, ligaments and tendons. More importantly though, I'd recommend not getting to the point I was at. I read about many people who injured themselves far worse, requiring surgery and major lifestyle and work-related changes. The complete answer is much more holistic, but sleep and rest will help you the most.
The quickest thing you can do is stretch and massage your hands and wrists every once in while. Make your right hand go limp, put it in the palm of your left hand and use your fingers to gently massage and manipulate the various parts of your hand, then switch hands.
After that, what I would suggest is an ergonomic keyboard and mouse. The Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 can be found for $40-60 online and is a great first step for ergonomic keyboarding. It took me about 2 weeks to get used to using this keyboard, but I credit it with removing much of my hand and wrist pain. I also started using a trackball mouse. With a trackball, you are not using your wrist at all, everything is driven by your thumb, and your hand is generously supported by the bulky mouse body.
I'm ashamed that I debug computer programs for a living but I couldnt figure it out. In the same year, I had started using a machete to chop soft wood pine trees down in my new backyard. I didnt own a chainsaw and it was hilarious to me the method. There was enough delay between the activity and pain that I never figured it out.
My wrists started to feel after a year or so of not doing this ridiculous activity. How did it finally click? I randomly chopped one straggler tree down that I had missed, and a week later was back in agony.
So, really step back and try to look at the big picture. Sometimes we can be blind.
Most people do recover eventually after rest. Please be one of these people and do not power through it until the damage is permanent. No job is worth your long term health.
Please don't get a diagnosis from random anecdotes. There are people who've studied the subject and are qualified to diagnose and prescribe a treatment. Wouldn't it be best to go to them? Also, for posture, an ergonomic specialist might be able to help.
This likely is the equivalent of having sore muscles the day after runnning a marathon.
Phrased bluntly, "don't do that" likely is the way to prevent this from happening.
If there are no other reasons than "I was coding on my 13" MBP for 5 hours straight" to explain your symptoms, and the symptoms really are limited to "tight and sore" (as opposed to painful) I would expect your doctor to tell you just that, but a bit more politely, likely with the tip to take regular breaks.
If your doctor refers you to a specialist, I would hope it to be one on ergonomics, to prevent future problems.
That's exactly the kind of specialist I was thinking of.
Make sure your body position is comfortable and you're not leaning too far forward or backward.
Lastly, stay hydrated! Fluids is key for long hours in front of the computer. Good Luck!
1. Make sure you stay warm! Last episode I had with arm pain was due to being under air conditioner vent. Wearing sweater solved the problem.
2. If you have ongoing problems, get a better keyboard.
3. Stretching and massage are good too.
4. Take breaks, don't work 5 hours straight.
Also, laptop keyboards are horrible. Do not use them for a long time.
Get an ergonomic keyboard and plug it into your laptop.
Went to a massage therapist who massaged my trapezoids, some spots in my back and finally my forearm. After 2 sessions over 3 days, it was gone. But I didn't code during that time.
Side note: pretty sure I got much more programming done during my time off the computer than on.
- Start using IDEs or do more with editor macros.
- Make sure your hands return to a comfortable position when not actively typing.