Caveat Lector

Because this came up elseweb…

The medieval torture device arm-massage gizmo called the Armaid is back in active production. Based on my own experience, I can endorse this thing, odd though it does look. It gets at a lot of the muscles whose tightness tickles up my nerves in bad ways. It’s better with the lower arm than the upper, but it can do some upper-arm work.

It’s not a substitute for a real physical therapist or trigger-point massage expert. If you’re in serious pain, find one of these folks to straighten you out. For keeping yourself in good trim afterwards, though, it’s a decent investment. I keep mine at work, for the occasional bad day.

My cubie at work is unmistakably a geek’s cubie. The Huge Shelf o’ Computer Books is a dead giveaway, of course. (I am slowly corrupting my colleagues in the liaison office—let one borrow my copy of Google Hacks the other day. They’ll come over to the Geek Side yet.)

The equipment is even geekier-looking, though. Trogool Itself is geek-drool material, but what really draws the eye is my sleek black Kinesis keyboard with its depressed key-bowls and freaky thumb-keys. I have a regular Mac keyboard handy for when my boss drops by to look at something with me—quite a neat setup, really; we can both type at once. I don’t use the thing myself, though. Kinesis all the way.

Nobody seems quite to understand that I don’t have the Kinesis keyboard because I’m a geek. I have it because I’m a gimp. Pain is bad. I don’t like pain. The Kinesis keeps a lot of pain away. QED.

The adjustable keyboard tray in my cubie (which I quite like; some of my colleagues hate theirs, but I’m happy as a clam about mine) has a pull-out mouse drawer that’s been driving me crazy. It’s lower than the keyboard, so putting the tray at the right height for keying means I have to bend my wrist in exactly the wrong way to mouse. It’s also too far out from the keyboard, which means more bad wrist-twisting.

So I bought myself a Logitech Trackman and brought it in to work today. Still getting used to it, but I can tell it’ll be a huge improvement.

What’s fascinating is how easy it really is (for me, at least) to change input devices. I’ve used horizontal mice, vertical mice, and a couple different trackball designs. I can type on ordinary keyboards (much though I hate it) as well as my Kinesis. I never did cotton on to foot-pedals, but it could just be I’ve got big clunky feet. Otherwise, I adjust—though clicking-and-dragging with a thumbed trackball is going to take some practice.

Dream has been limping for several days now, without any obvious reason. He still gets around, and he doesn’t cry or otherwise complain, but he’s limping and I don’t know why and it bothers me. There may be a vet visit in his future.

As for me, I could stand to find a competent massage therapist locally. The left arm, while stressed, is doing all right, but I’m getting some ugly nasty pain in my right arm and hand that I’m having trouble deactivating with the usual methods.

With luck, it’s just that I’ve been sleeping on that arm, which I’m going to stop doing. We’ll see how it goes.

When I first mentioned checking out the Armaid massager gizmo, I got a skeptical email to the effect of “You don’t really think that thing will work, do you?”

Well, you know, maybe not, but…

The manufacturer doesn’t appear to be making them any more, so if you want one of these things, you’ll have to hit an auction site as I did.

I tell you what, though. I spent a lot of time on IRC tonight, and my wrist was giving me grief about it. I grabbed the Armaid, tooled about with it, found and excised a couple sore spots, and I feel better, wrist pain gone.

I’m not sure this is a tool for somebody who doesn’t understand the basics of the musculature and where the nerves run in the arm. But you can learn the basics of that from massage therapy; just pay attention to what the therapist is doing. I’m also pretty sure it’s not a replacement for a professional when you’re just getting started with treatment.

But—for me—it seems to be a good maintenance tool. Take this anecdote for what you think it’s worth.

“Well, this is a bad day to go to physical therapy,” I thought to myself with mild annoyance as I waited for the bus west. “I’m not in any pain!”

My physical therapist agreed with that assessment, so much so that she discharged me. My arm’s as normal as she can make it. The rest is up to me.

The plan hasn’t changed, really. I’m going to find myself a massage therapist (there’s a small knot of them within walking distance of my house; with any luck one of them will do), keep going with the exercise and self-care, and try my best not to mess myself up again.

I hope my guarded optimism isn’t discouraging for people who wanted a miracle cure. As badly as I managed to hurt myself, improved functioning and (much!) less pain is as much as I could reasonably hope for. I’ve got that. Now I have to keep it.

I’m kind of tempted to pick up a recorder again, though. Maybe I can play for longer than ten minutes now.

I have another physical therapy appointment for Monday morning. Apparently when I missed last Monday’s, my PT left word with the receptionists to call me and reschedule. (Otherwise, the delay would have been considerable, as she would have had to get my phone message when she gets back from her holiday on Monday and then have the receptionists call me.)

Damn. That woman is the best. I am pondering holiday nicenesses I can reasonably offer her.

Won’t forget to take my calendar to the physical therapist again, as I did last time. Because my memory played tricks on me, and an appointment I thought was for today was actually for two days ago. Oops.

Fortunately, though I could stand to have my shoulder worked on, I’m in pretty fair shape, all told. I can do a full day’s work. Elbow hurts on flexion, but doesn’t seem to mind extension any more. Some wrist ickies, but only after a lot of work, and I suspect a PT session will get rid of them.

So I’m damn thankful. I’m clearly healing. Definitely something to be thankful for.

I was feeling good this morning. Pain-free.

Fifteen minutes after I sit down in the office, the elbow starts complaining.

I hate this chair I hate this chair I hate this chair.

Seven more weeks until this project ends and I am free of this evil chair forever. Seven weeks.

I am not obviously disabled. In fact, I’m not really disabled at all. Sure, some days (like today) I hurt. But I get by, even then.

So I really haven’t any objective justification for the growl I am about to unleash. Nevertheless.

The SLIS computer lab has one workstation with an adjustable-height desk, designated as accessible. It is the only workstation on which the back-of-CPU ports are easy to get to, such that I can plug in my Kinesis keyboard. It is also the only workstation whose desk lowers (yes, lowers) far enough to offer ergonomically-correct seating. (Though nothing in here is really ergonomically correct; the monitors ought to be raised further. Can be lived with, however.)

And yet the workstation in question is first-come-first-served. More often than not, I either forego my Kinesis altogether or end up crawling on the floor to reach up to the ports.

It didn’t bother me when a notice appeared on the said desk asking that it be left raised for accessibility purposes, even though my particular issue needs it to be lowered. You know, whatever; I don’t mind cranking it back up when I’m finished. But I am just selfish enough to wish my fellow SLISters would let me accommodate my gimpy arm more easily.

Going home yesterday, I knew the elbow was getting cranky. So was the wrist, for that matter.

Waking up this morning hurt, rather. I got things to quiet down some with those loathsome shoulder exercises, but quiet doesn’t equal pain-free today.

Always seems to happen Tuesdays and Wednesdays, after two long sessions at work. This damnable chair. Eh, well, means I have something else to look forward to when the project ends next month—less stress on my healing arm!