Yes, I am afraid rest is the best thing you could provide for your
fingers and/or wrist. Once you get RSI it is rather difficult to get rid
of it. But immersing the areas affected in hot water does help recovery.
One question though? What is this 2 inch thick slab of wood to elevate
and rest your wrists on? This might very well be the cause of your problem.
Is your keyboard angled? New laptops are unfortunately used in a flat
position which puts strain on the arms and fingers. My solution to that
is to raise the back of the laptop by around 1 inch which gives a 10
degree slant to the keyboard.
Ideally you should be seating in a position (by adjusting the height of
your chair) so that your arms is angled slightly downwards from the
elbow to the wrist. Try holding your arms in a sort of typing position
with your forearm slanted slightly downwards and then repeat this with
your forearm slanted slightly upwards and hold your arms still. If you
try to time yourself from the start of each exercise, you will soon
realize that the elbow to wrist angled downwards is far more comfortable
to maintain for a longer time than when your forearm is slanted upwards.
This is how all workmen work. Their forearms are always angled slightly
downwards. It does not matter what you are doing, whether you are a
carpenter, or using a spanner on a car engine. This is what nature demands.
Another important point is that the muscles have got to be trained and
trained gradually to strengthen the muscles that are in play. But this
is obviously NOT relevant with you.
But DO get rid of that silly block of wood. I think that is the root
cause of your problem.
And do make sure that your shoulders are relaxed too. RSI which is a
misnomer is caused by tension not by repetition. Tension that is not
followed by relaxation. You tense one finger when hitting a key, then
you tense another finger for hitting another key etc. And, here is the
important bit, you immediately relax each finger after you've used it.
Of course you do this subconsciously. And DO remember to hold your arms
in a natural position as I have tried to explain above. And do make sure
that your keyboard is slanted. Relax your arms from the shoulder down.
And make sure you sit at a height relevant to your keyboard so that your
forearms are slanted slightly downwards.
Whoever said you need a wrist rest need their heads examined. I bought a
gel one but only use it to raise the back of my laptop to give the
keyboard around a 10 degree angle.
Believe me I know what I am talking about.
And in the meantime, DO keep your arms and fingers warm. Dip your hands
and wrists in warm water, as warm as you can stand it and give them a
rest though you can still do a bit of typing but not much.
I hope this helps. But you will not be able to get rid of the pain in
less than two weeks. It takes time.
))))