Stick Shift & Carpal Tunnel?

"ZHP Sparky, the 5th" (e30s2k)
10/17/2019 at 11:36 • Filed to: None

On the spectrum of things to complain about while getting older this is pretty low down the list, but anybody else had trouble shifting their manual transmissions? Any tips?

This past week I’ve noticed some pretty bad pain in my wrist when shifting between gears. Almost has me thinking I need an automatic commuter again to deal with rush hour stop and go (and hopefully keep the E46 as a fun weekend car if we can swing it budget-wise).

Over the past 6 months or so I’ve been having pretty bad pain with my dominant wrist. Of course, I’m at a computer all day so that’s a huge driver. I got myself an ergonomic upright mouse and have a wrist brace at home (that I’m really bad at remembering to wear when I go to bed)…next step is try an ergonomic keyboard. Any evidence that a standing desk might help? I doubt it? My desk does go up and down but I rarely use it standing up.

Thankfully I am on vacation for 1.5 weeks after tomorrow, so that break should help rest my wrist a bit.

DISCUSSION (41)

Nibby > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 11:43

get an automagic, manuals are for wannabe enthusiasts.

MarquetteLa > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 11:46

What shape is your shift knob and how do you grip it with your hand? Might be able to fix the wrist pain by switching to a different knob style, and thus changing how you grip it.

Some people really enjoy ball-type knobs and gripping it with their palm down on the top of the knob, but I swear by upright-type knobs and gripping them with my palm on the side. Much more natural for me.

Captain of the Enterprise > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 11:46

I’ve driven stick but never owned one but have some wrist issues and find that I have a tendency to grip everything super tight. Maybe layout are too and a lighter grip might help.

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 11:48

Trade it for something RHD.

Tripper > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 11:52

My chiropractor cracks my wrists in this weird way when I go for and adjustment. It’s instant relief, I can’t manage to do it myself.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 11:53

I’ve had the onset of carpel tunnel before and the solution for me was manual therapy , improving ergonomics, rest and stretching of the affected parts. It sucks but if you get on it right a way it should get better soon. Ironically I had no issues riding bikes or driving when I had my issues but t he computer was terrible.

HoustonRunner > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 11:56

Since my daily is an auto I haven’t had this specific issue, but I have been battling back wrist / elbow issues for a bit. A couple of things that help me:

-Regular breaks (ok, this is obvious, but it helps me ; just stand and stretch for a minute every hour)

-You mentioned it, but w hen I feel it start to get bad, I sleep with the wrist braces on. The doctor I went to pointed out when you are sleeping there is a chance for your wrist to get in a “bad” position for hours on end. Those hours can add up just as much as the working hours . When it was really bad for me I slept with them on for a couple of months. Now I probably sleep with them on an average a day a week. (I was VERY resistant to this at first, but it got bad enough for me to try it, and for me it definitely made a difference.)

-I switch hands that I mouse with 2-3 times a day. I’m left handed in a right hand world, so the switch is easy for me.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 12:00

Perhaps consider a lighter knob and longer throws? Shifting my Saturn is much easier than the Golf since there’s basically no resistance to moving the knob. It feels like a cheap racing sim accessory.

bob and john > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 12:10

when on the PC, consider moving to a trackball mouse. its a bit weird to get use to, but they help with CTS like you wouldnt b ele ive.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja:
10/17/2019 at 12:11

LOL – I was actually thinking this. I grew up driving RHD, so am quite used to it and agree would be a great solution to share the burden of shifting & computer work.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > HoustonRunner
10/17/2019 at 12:13

Thanks for the tips!

I really need to find that damn brace and start using it seriously. I know this is a factor because I actually wake up with a sore wrist sometimes and know I clench my wrists when I sleep sometimes. I don’t think I’m particularly stressed as alarming as that sounds…or maybe the stress has just become normal?

Maybe I’ll try going back to a regular mouse (upright is RHD specifically) and give the left hand a try too.

Grindintosecond > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 12:15

their weird, but the ergo keyboards with the raised center split in the middle keys are wonderful. Dad’s a journalist/historian and writes like a gatling gun. for the last 25 years he has sworn by them.

Friends dad had a manual sn95 mustang years back and after a tendon injury, just couldnt manual anymore. Ditched it for that sporttrack thing the ranger should always have become.

Maxima Speed > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 12:28

Hire a guy named Manuél to shift for you? That’s all I got.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 12:33

Just drive a VW and then you wont feel like you are shifting anything because of how easy it is! Same goes for my Miata, especially when the gear oil is nice and warm. Ive found in general with a manual though that it is more strain on the shoulder than wrist for sure. Like if I messed up my shoulder somehow, I would be totally donezo trying to drive my Subaru.

Nick Has an Exocet > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 12:49

Ergonomics are everything. My mom has awful carpel tunnel from years of handsewing (she’s a seamstress and started her career around age 16 - now almost 60 ). Try moving your seating position to change the angle of the shifts, wear a brace - especially at night, figure out which activities make it worse (usually it’s ones involving the thumb), and consult a doctor.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > MarquetteLa
10/17/2019 at 13:06

It’s a ZHP shifter, bro! Best in the world! (JK, just making fun of the BMW fanbois who think it is).

I do grab it more on the side closer to my thumb, so maybe I should try to change position and make sure I grab it from top and with the center of my palm instead.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
10/17/2019 at 13:07

Yeah that would certainly fix it, but quite a bit of work (the throw part). Going to actually start using my brace for a start and see how things go from there.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Nibby
10/17/2019 at 13:08

truck nuts, lift kits, and manual transmissions...really all just for people who are trying to overcompensate and prove something!

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Grindintosecond
10/17/2019 at 13:08

Yeah I used to have one of those keyboards a long time ago and liked it, going to have to get one and try it out again.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
10/17/2019 at 13:09

Yeah it’s really the rubbery notchiness of the BMW shifter that is ruining things. I would kill for a miata shifter, pretty much perfection.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Captain of the Enterprise
10/17/2019 at 13:10

Yeah I find myself gripping the wheel super tight sometimes too, and have a tendency to clench my wrists when I sleep (no idea why)...so definitely something I need to work on fixing.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > bob and john
10/17/2019 at 13:11

Yeah I switched over to one of those sideways ergonomic mice, but maybe I need to go all the way to trackball.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Maxima Speed
10/17/2019 at 13:13

But I hear he’s used to a different shift pattern? He’ll blow my transmission!

Grindintosecond > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 13:24

MS’s sculpt series, I have one in a drawer I got at a university surplus store , I used for a while and it was really nice. I’m on a classic mechanical DAS keyboard for now and like that too but when I start really writing a lot more soon, I’ll probably put that back on line and use it because I felt nice and relaxed on it once I got used to the key split.

Future Heap Owner > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 13:36

Go to this page: https://www.uhs.umich.edu/computerergonomics

Follow everything in the diagram on that page about adjusting your workspace.

Take breaks every few hours. Maybe get an ergonomic split keyboard.

I had a carpal tunnel episode six years ago, but I was typing 10-12 hours a day. Not typing so damn much helped a lot, but now I also take care to make sure my work desk setups follow the instructions in that diagram (primarily, that my elbows are supported, my arms are angled slightly down (or flat) , my wrists are straight, and the top of my monitor is close to eye level ).

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Future Heap Owner
10/17/2019 at 13:47

Thanks, going to bookmark this. Just went through the diagram and actually paid attention to it and found a few things I had been ignoring. Hopefully it helps!

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 14:00

Stop jerking off 5x /day and the wrist pain should go away

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
10/17/2019 at 14:11

Someone finally willing to speak the hard truths!

Sovande > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 14:47

Change your hand position on the gear shift.

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 14:51

After 3 decades of typing FURIOUSLY on keyboards as well as playing my fair share of click-heavy games, my hands are destroyed. My arms and shoulders are ok lifting heavy things still, but my fingers give out quickly. My wrists are ok for now, although they are developing callouses. I don’t know if all the advice I used will carry over effectively, but here’s what I suggest:

Carpal Tunnel and Repetitive Strain Injury and Tendonitis are different issues. https://www.henryford.com/blog/2017/10/carpal-tunnel-vs-tendonitis-identifying-symptoms so if you haven’t seen a decent doctor yet do that to get an accurate diagnosis.

I put my hands into buckets of ice water when they are really bothering me, although at this point I should do it every day. Soak them for up to 15-20 minutes tops to reduce inflammation and pain , longer and you risk tissue damage. It stings a bit. Do not use ice packs unless you have protective padding, I gave my pinkie frostbite.

There are also finger, hand, and wrist stretching exercises which reduce the tension on the tendons as well, which should help with range of motion and physical therapy techniques. You might want to consult a professional Physical Therapist for more help, but some of these are pretty easy to do (and I also should do more of them)

https://www.healthline.com/health/chronic-pain/wrist-and-hand-stretches#takeaway

Go easy and don’t overdo it, the regularity means more than the severity per attempt. I just live with pain now.

Ounce of prevention is worth of pound of cure. Good luck.

Maxima Speed > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 15:02

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 15:24

I thought something was broken on my Subaru when I first got it. I had only ever known shifting my Miata and a couple of VWs that I had learned on. So notchiness or difficulty was a foreign concept to me. Same thing happened to me when driving a Mini cooper s rental too. I would miss shifts just because of how different it was. But eventually I get used to it and can switch between cars without TOO much trouble. But if I drive the Miata for a whole week, I definitely am in threat of stalling the subaru or missing a shift at least once.

wkiernan > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 16:40

So a BMW shifter feels sloppy? That doesn’t sound right for “the ultimate driving machine.”

I bought two used Miatas with 5-speeds, and then I got a used ‘04 with the 6-speed. At first I thought, “wow, these 6-speed transmissions sure are loose and sloppy,” but then I got on the miata.net forum and found out about the shifter bushings. It wa s an easy job to replace them, and the difference was amazing. M aybe you just need new shifter bushings.

I just goggl ed up “BMW shifter bushings” and I see that BMWs with manuals sometimes have a similar problem, and the parts needed to fix the problem are cheap too . However, depending on the model the repair might not be as easy in your BMW. In the NB Miata you can do the whole job sitting in the driver’s seat, whereas in some BMWs (specifically the E60) you have to jack it up and remove the entire exhaust system to get at the shifter linkage!

wkiernan > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
10/17/2019 at 16:47

When I was around 10 or 11 years old, my father got a bad case of bursitis in his right shoulder and he couldn’t gear- shift without lots of pain, so for a year or so he had me sit in the passenger seat and shift for him. It was lots of fun, except he didn’t ever tell me whether I should shift up or down , I was supposed to just figure it out from context. A nd when I guessed wrong, how he’d curse!

So unlike most kids who learn to drive in a car with an automatic, I learned to operate a stick shift years before I even started to drive a car. E xcept I learned with the wrong hand . I’m sure this will do me good if I ever visit England or Japan and rent a car with a manual transmission.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > wkiernan
10/17/2019 at 16:56

My grandfather did this with me as a five or six year old (pre-airbag days, so little kids sat in front seats). He had a red late 80's Jetta, and when we went places he would push in the clutch and I got to shift the car.

wkiernan > Nibby
10/17/2019 at 16:56

Get a Mac, Windows machines are for wannabe hax0rs.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > wkiernan
10/17/2019 at 17:10

I found that adapting to RHD was not anywhere near as difficult as I thought it would be on my trip to England. Shifting lefty is a bit weird but its something I adapted to within 5 minutes or so of driving. It was not as bad as trying to throw a ball righty or swing a bat righty (as a lefty in both of those). Or trying to write lefty (as a righty there, yeah I know I am backwards). Shifting opposite handed was no problem at all, its the clutch work that matters skill wise anyways.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > wkiernan
10/17/2019 at 17:22

My other miata was a 6 speed. I dont find the 5 speed in my newer miata to be significantly different. But then again I had the miata roadster shifter kit in the 6spd car and have put the same in this car as well. Plus changing out the gear oil makes both work far better to begin with. Either one is great when maintained properly, even with over 200k on the transmissions.

Even properly maintained, a lot of other shifters just arent as good. Honda shifters are the only real worthy competitors.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > wkiernan
10/17/2019 at 18:07

Nah there’s nothing “wrong” with my shifter, and I wouldn’t call it sloppy. It’s just very notchy and has a rubbery feel going in/out of each gear. It’s pretty well documented and common amongst BMWs. The “Ultimate Driving Machine” tag surely is thrown around an awful lot but very few people have anything specifically good to say about BMW shifters themselves. The best I’ve had was my S2000, that was pretty damn amazing. Then I drove an NA Miata and was surprised to find that felt equally good, if not even better. I’d say it’s damn near the top of the list.

SmugAardvark > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
10/17/2019 at 18:10

I f eel your pain, quite literally . I’m still mending a hairline fracture in the hamate bone in my hand (thank you, beer league softball) . Luckily, it’s on my left hand, so shifting is not an issue. But for quite awhile, I had almost zero grip strength in the inju red hand.

Essentially, I had to just rest my left hand on the wheel, take my right hand off to shift, then put it back on the wheel quickly. Made spirited driving all but impossible.

As for work, ergo keyboards are horrible. My typing speed and accuracy goes out the window, and I don’t even find them any easier on my wrists and hands. If your work can swing you a standup desk, I say give it a try. I loved having one at my old job. Not only helped my wrists, but my neck and back as well.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > SmugAardvark
10/18/2019 at 16:01

Yeah I do have a standing desk already, I just never use it in that mode...should probably make a conscious effort to try. Hope your hand recovers quickly, sounds horrible!