My Thumb is locking up and popping..

[Ziroc]

It's irritating, and has been happening more and more when I use the mouse. When its bad, it locks to where I can't bend it sometimes, and when I do, it pops every time.

I'm sure it's arthritis or something. But I am 34. Normal? Is it just because I am working so much on the PC?

What I wanna know, is what stops or lessens it. I'm still gonna work, and would like it to stop. (Doesn't really slow me down, it's more irritating that anything)..

[Seraph]

What you are describing sounds like trigger finger, except that is usually associated with pain when it pops.

[Felix The Assassin]

Track-ball user since 1997. Also seems to negate the 'carpal-tunnel' like symptoms that others feel after several hours of cut/copy-paste type editing.
Also ergonomically speaking, observe the angle of you wrist, thumb and forearm while you are at the keyboard typing away. Adjust your chair arm, desk platform, or what have you to achieve an almost linear form of your mouse arm. The popping could be the gritting of overextended swollen tissue of 'cartilage', or worse, 'tendons' as they attempt to function. I strongly reccomend you take a break, and see if the condition lessens. If so, learn from it. If not, you may have permenately damaged something.
~As the head iron worker, without you, we would be fourm-less.

[Ladyzekke]

You must have a mouse with side buttons that you can use with your thumb? Like a lot of us, you are probably overdoing it LOL. With me, when I use my mouse/keyboard for too many hours, for too many days, it gets me in my right shoulder. As a matter of fact I gotta good crink in my shoulder right now LOL. And by the time Sunday comes after I get the Survivor recap done, looking up and to the right will be a no-no for a few days LOL.

[Ziroc]

Yeh, my shoulder starts tingling and sometimes my hand falls asleep too.. It REALLY pisses me off. I shake if off though. Do Exercises with it, and its all better.. (Angle of my shoulder does cause it.. so I correct)

When I pop it, it does hurt. Its a weird pain too. not a pain I am used to. a Sharp/dull pain when I pop it.

I use a great ergonomic mouse--Logitech Mouse Man optical (I do have a side button, but never use it) [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Bozos of Bones]

At first, I thought you developed some mad finger pop&lock powers, but this kinda worrying. You have tried the standard wrist strain carpal tests, right?
Oh, and a word of advice: be gentle with the mouse and it will be gentle with you [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Iron Greasel]

My wrists sound like mechanical calculators when I rotate them. But not fingers, at least not yet.

I don't think your finger's supposed to do that. My suggestion would be to ask some manner of doctor what causes it. It would be very sad if you lost a finger.

[JrKASperov]

You have a major case of RSI, and you should quit NOW until all symptoms have gone OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES. I'm serious, if you overdo it, you will suffer from total-debilitating pain and unableness to do ANYTHING, except lie down in pain and be fed. Quite some people have spent 3 or more YEARS in healthcare on my university because of this problem.

[SpiritWarrior]

More on RSI here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repetit...#Warning_signs

I have had some carpal-like symptoms in the past from using the mouse. Playing games and doing work on the PC all day does it to me. I bought one of them mouspads with the gel wrist-rest thingy on it and it's awkward at first but prevents pain. It is worth noting though, gaming or things we enjoy doing with the mouse tend to cause symptoms like this alot LESS than monotnous work like repeatedly copoying/pasting stuff or dragging and re-organizing files and folders. Perhaps adrenaline plays a part in the work vs. play issue.

[Ziroc]

Yeh, I've been working 9hrs a day getting this NWN Hak done, and loads of stuff is repetitive. (4000 lines in a database I had to change in one instance.) Hell. [img]smile.gif[/img]