Last year I had severe pain and burning in my fingertips. I thought for sure it was nerve damage from diabetes that I might have acquired. I finally went to an orthopedic surgeon who gave me tests and found a)I had no nerve damage, and b) I didn't have diabetes.

But he warned me about "excessive use of the fingertips." It could lead to permanent damage over the years. And, my "over the years" time period was up around now. For the last few years I've been typing more than usual, playing the piano more than usual, and even working my GPS inappropriately. Fortunately, I don't use an I-phone.

It's starting up again now, but I've learned how to control it. I bought a Logitech K750 computer keyboard which allows me to use the flat part of my fingers to type. On my keyboard, I use the tabs as much as possible and not the screen.

Thought I'd mention this if anyone else is getting pain in their fingertips.

Mark

It's called repetitive motions syndrome.

I would think that the touchscreen on a keyboard would be WAY less stressful than typing, playing keyboards, etc. And you could even use either the fingernail or the pad of your finger. I generally always use the "fingerprint" area on my PA.
Still what you have is no doubt better than having nerve damage or diabetes!

Thats right, you can even use a touchscreen by barely touching the screeen, modern screens are not pressure based, bu just act based on proximmity.

Fingernail however does not work on these new touchscreens, you ned to touch it with your skin..

Mark.....Why don't you switch over to a a stylus pen?

When I know I will be working on the keyboard for a while - making a playlist for a certain gig, editing styles for certain songs, etc. I will use the eraser end of a pencil ... works fine and saves the finger tips ...
In live mode, I will most often use the inside tip of my index finger, right where the fingernail and skin meet ...

Yes works on old screens, they where pressure sensitive... The newer ones arent..

I have had this repetitive strain / motion syndrom too since 2012, but not at my fingertips, but in the tendons below the ellbow, first right, then partly left (after I changed to the left hand for using the computer mouse).
It occurs no matter how minimal the movements are, it has little to do with how hard a button has to be pressed, but just the thousands of repetitions are what causes the problem.

There are special stylus pens for capacitive touchscreens with a soft end, I would use one of those, I use it for my iPAD sometimes.

Rosetree, I suspect you are suffering from Renaud's Disease, which is not uncommon for individuals that perform many repetitive motions. There are tests for this, but the tests are quite uncomfortable. One utilizes the placement of your hands in a bucket of ice-water for five minutes, then measuring the nerve conduction of your hands. The other involves the insertion of a very thin needle into the muscle, then firing an electrical impulse through the needle and measuring the transmission of the stimuli with attached electrodes. Your doctor can provide you with the details and where to go to have the test performed.

Good luck,

Gary

Thank you for your hint, Gary. However, if you are referring to this

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raynaud%27s_phenomenon

I think it doesn't fit, as I never have any symptoms of lacking blood circulation or pale looking fingers, and none of the orthopedists and doctors I've consulted ever referred to this syndrome.
I've obtained some tips I haven't tried out yet, most of them recommend consulting an osteopath instead of an orthopedist.