4 ms·

Get religion about good ergonomics. First a little story: my wife got carpal tunnel so bad in the 90's, she was barely able to button a shirt for 3-4 months,

Get religion about good ergonomics. First a little story: my wife got carpal tunnel so bad in the 90's, she was barely able to button a shirt for 3-4 months, and had to wear splints for almost a whole year. She worked for a high-tech firm and had to leave the corporate world because of her wrists. Things got a lot better, but she didn't type for 3-4 years after that episode. She can type now for 1-2 hours a day, tops. After that, she has pain. Hackers are like surgeons: worthless without their hands. Your wrists and hands are your bread and butter. Take care of them. Get religion about ergonomics. Read up online about it. There's tons of information, try a lot of things out and see if they help. I use the smart glove: http://www.imakproducts.com/products/smart_glove.htm http://www.imakproducts.com/products/smart_glove.htm Imak ergo beads: http://www.imakproducts.com/Products/WristCushionForKeyboard.aspx http://www.imakproducts.com/Products/WristCushionForKeyboard... The MSFT natural keyboard: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=022 http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productde... I go back and forth between a track ball and a mouse. I also got an ergotron monitor arm: http://www.ergotron.com/Products/DeskMounts/tabid/71/ctl/Product/mid/396/PRDID/1/language/en-US/default.aspx http://www.ergotron.com/Products/DeskMounts/tabid/71/ctl/Pro... It's amazing how much less my neck hurts, and how much easier it is on my eyes, because I can change the monitor's position so easily, I do it a lot more often. And, I couldn't quite afford an Aeron Chair, so I went to OfficeMax, and got a knock-off: http://www.officemax.com/omax/catalog/sku.jsp?skuId=20952042&searchString= http://www.officemax.com/omax/catalog/sku.jsp?skuId=20952042... It makes a world of difference for my back, and a better sitting posture means that I lean on my wrists less, causing less wrist and hand pain.

pmjordan 19y ago
+1 for sound advice. A few years back I could start feeling the strain in my wrists. I immediately cut back my computer usage and got myself some ergonomic gear. (specifically: natural keyboard, good mouse) The pain was very light at that stage, so it didn't take long (a few weeks max) to subside. With the ergonomic equipment, even with high usage, I don't feel a thing.
watmough 19y ago
There's one thing you haven't mentioned, which is buy the fastest possible computer you can afford. I find that crappy, slow, unresponsive interfaces (I looking at you Windows XP networked folders) actually make my hands hurt just by being slow. I'm not saying that buying a faster computer will fix your wrists, but a responsive interface should be considered ergonomic.
- chandler 19y ago
  That's interesting--I'd never thought of it in those terms. I know that with video-games, the force I use to press the buttons varies _dramatically_ from game-to-game, even though the controller stays the same (depends on personal stress, responsiveness of the on-screen UI, etc). I suppose a case could be made that unresponsive interfaces tend to make a person type/click more deliberately (i.e. forcefully) than is technically required by the input device.
- mechanical_fish 19y ago
  This idea makes my inner cheapskate cry: I don't want to spend the money on a Mac Pro! And, yet, your argument is compelling. Holding my hands over the keyboard or the mouse is tiring. I've found that, when the machine is unresponsive, I spend more time with my hands hovering over the controls, because when you have to make five clicks in succession -- waiting for the machine between each click -- you don't want to have to keep reaching out, making one click, reaching back and resting, then reaching out again... that's really slow. So you hold your hand there and wait. And if you have to wait two seconds between each click... Well, darn it, now I've got to buy an eight-core Mac Pro! For my health!
  - watmough 19y ago
    Actually, the most responsive machine I have is my iMac 20". The iMac is the 2.16 Core 2 version with the ATI graphics, and it wipes the floor with any other machine I've used, including my MBP and my work Dell (some kind of C2D Precision)
    - mechanical_fish 19y ago
gregwebs 19y ago
I second the gloves. Whenever I start to get any pain, I just put on these gloves http://www.ergomall.com/store/shop.html http://www.ergomall.com/store/shop.html and I feel fine. Just in case you are true nerd without fashion sense - don't get the teal colored ones!
mechanical_fish 19y ago
Getting serious about ergonomics is an interesting combination of large up-front expense and cheap little hacks and exercises. Budget $2000. I'm serious about this. The things you buy will last you for years, and $2000 will pay for itself if it saves you two weeks of sick time or a couple of doctor visits. You may not actually have to spend all of that, but you are going to want: * An excellent chair ($800 range. Feel free to try the cheaper chairs... I have an Aeron but frankly have no idea if it's worth it. I bought it after using one at work for six months, and discovering it was okay. Testing chairs is difficult and expensive, so I recommend starting out in the midrange rather than spending months working your way up from the $50 OfficeMax chairs. If you find that the more expensive ones are 5% better for you, spend the money.) The goal with chairs is adjustability. I recommend a chair with adjustable arms, because sometimes when my shoulders get sore I move them up to brace my elbows during rest periods. * An excellent keyboard. MSFT natural keyboard is a great value, but I switched to the Kinesis Advantage Pro six months ago, and it kicks butt: http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/ http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/ ). It costs something like $350. It looks like it was designed by aliens. You will feel like an idiot for the first week as you relearn all your typing and gradually remap all the keys to your favorite locations. If you don't know how to touch type... you will learn. But then you will experience the joy of feeling like you are typing while barely moving your hands. * I concur with the Ergotron monitor arms. Being able to adjust the monitor to exactly the right position is important. * A proper keyboard drawer. You want the kind with the arm that lets you adjust the keyboard to arbitrary angles and heights, and slide it in and out. If you use the mouse, you want to be able to mount the mouse at one side. Something like the ones on this page: http://www.ergoindemand.com/keyboard-tray-adjustable-shelf.htm http://www.ergoindemand.com/keyboard-tray-adjustable-shelf.h... . I would tell you the brand I use, but I picked mine out of the trash by the side of the road. (Arlington, MA -- there are real advantages of living in a startup hub!) Then you have to hack. Once you've spent money on the raw materials, ergonomics is a game of inches. I have one of those damned expensive Aeron chairs, but just this year I discovered that it doesn't provide enough upper back support, so I strapped a cushion to the top with a bungie cord :). Cost: maybe $20, and the pain is gone. My right arm got sore using the mouse. I discovered that if I took my mouse support off the keyboard drawer and reattached it using a different bolt and some homemade washers, I could raise it by four inches. And, just like that, the pain went away. See a physical therapist. If you do nothing else, do this. The good ones are amazingly smart. Don't wear wacky gloves or wrist braces without consulting one. It turns out that most of my own occasional wrist pain is caused by nerve pinches in my neck, and treating the wrists is mostly a waste of time... Oh, and of course: don't type on a laptop keyboard for more than an hour or two every week. Laptops are ergonomically terrifying. Sorry to have to break this one to you. :)
kirubakaran 19y ago
Smart Glove is just $17 here: http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000NBX0PS/ http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000NBX0PS/
oditogre 19y ago
I love the MS 'Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000'. It feels a bit goofy at first, but it's really nice once you get used to it (There's this riser thing that goes on the front, so it puts your hands in a position where they fall down from the wrist instead of angling up). I work IT for a small city government, and the dispatchers in the police department -love- them. Hit up newegg (or your preferred hardware seller) and search for fa6-00010. The included mouse isn't too bad either. Another recommendation that may sound stupid but is actually great: get a gamer mousepad...one of those gigantic ones with a nice wrist rest. I use a Razer eXactMat, and I love it. The bigger mousepad makes it much easier to get in the habit of mousing with your arm, not your wrist.

pmjordan 19y ago

+1 for sound advice. A few years back I could start feeling the strain in my wrists. I immediately cut back my computer usage and got myself some ergonomic gear. (specifically: natural keyboard, good mouse) The pain was very light at that stage, so it didn't take long (a few weeks max) to subside. With the ergonomic equipment, even with high usage, I don't feel a thing.

watmough 19y ago

There's one thing you haven't mentioned, which is buy the fastest possible computer you can afford. I find that crappy, slow, unresponsive interfaces (I looking at you Windows XP networked folders) actually make my hands hurt just by being slow. I'm not saying that buying a faster computer will fix your wrists, but a responsive interface should be considered ergonomic.

chandler 19y ago
That's interesting--I'd never thought of it in those terms. I know that with video-games, the force I use to press the buttons varies _dramatically_ from game-to-game, even though the controller stays the same (depends on personal stress, responsiveness of the on-screen UI, etc). I suppose a case could be made that unresponsive interfaces tend to make a person type/click more deliberately (i.e. forcefully) than is technically required by the input device.
mechanical_fish 19y ago
This idea makes my inner cheapskate cry: I don't want to spend the money on a Mac Pro! And, yet, your argument is compelling. Holding my hands over the keyboard or the mouse is tiring. I've found that, when the machine is unresponsive, I spend more time with my hands hovering over the controls, because when you have to make five clicks in succession -- waiting for the machine between each click -- you don't want to have to keep reaching out, making one click, reaching back and resting, then reaching out again... that's really slow. So you hold your hand there and wait. And if you have to wait two seconds between each click... Well, darn it, now I've got to buy an eight-core Mac Pro! For my health!
- watmough 19y ago
  Actually, the most responsive machine I have is my iMac 20". The iMac is the 2.16 Core 2 version with the ATI graphics, and it wipes the floor with any other machine I've used, including my MBP and my work Dell (some kind of C2D Precision)
  - mechanical_fish 19y ago

gregwebs 19y ago

I second the gloves. Whenever I start to get any pain, I just put on these gloves http://www.ergomall.com/store/shop.html http://www.ergomall.com/store/shop.html and I feel fine. Just in case you are true nerd without fashion sense - don't get the teal colored ones!

mechanical_fish 19y ago

Getting serious about ergonomics is an interesting combination of large up-front expense and cheap little hacks and exercises. Budget $2000. I'm serious about this. The things you buy will last you for years, and $2000 will pay for itself if it saves you two weeks of sick time or a couple of doctor visits. You may not actually have to spend all of that, but you are going to want: * An excellent chair ($800 range. Feel free to try the cheaper chairs... I have an Aeron but frankly have no idea if it's worth it. I bought it after using one at work for six months, and discovering it was okay. Testing chairs is difficult and expensive, so I recommend starting out in the midrange rather than spending months working your way up from the $50 OfficeMax chairs. If you find that the more expensive ones are 5% better for you, spend the money.) The goal with chairs is adjustability. I recommend a chair with adjustable arms, because sometimes when my shoulders get sore I move them up to brace my elbows during rest periods. * An excellent keyboard. MSFT natural keyboard is a great value, but I switched to the Kinesis Advantage Pro six months ago, and it kicks butt: http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/ http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/ ). It costs something like $350. It looks like it was designed by aliens. You will feel like an idiot for the first week as you relearn all your typing and gradually remap all the keys to your favorite locations. If you don't know how to touch type... you will learn. But then you will experience the joy of feeling like you are typing while barely moving your hands. * I concur with the Ergotron monitor arms. Being able to adjust the monitor to exactly the right position is important. * A proper keyboard drawer. You want the kind with the arm that lets you adjust the keyboard to arbitrary angles and heights, and slide it in and out. If you use the mouse, you want to be able to mount the mouse at one side. Something like the ones on this page: http://www.ergoindemand.com/keyboard-tray-adjustable-shelf.htm http://www.ergoindemand.com/keyboard-tray-adjustable-shelf.h... . I would tell you the brand I use, but I picked mine out of the trash by the side of the road. (Arlington, MA -- there are real advantages of living in a startup hub!) Then you have to hack. Once you've spent money on the raw materials, ergonomics is a game of inches. I have one of those damned expensive Aeron chairs, but just this year I discovered that it doesn't provide enough upper back support, so I strapped a cushion to the top with a bungie cord :). Cost: maybe $20, and the pain is gone. My right arm got sore using the mouse. I discovered that if I took my mouse support off the keyboard drawer and reattached it using a different bolt and some homemade washers, I could raise it by four inches. And, just like that, the pain went away. See a physical therapist. If you do nothing else, do this. The good ones are amazingly smart. Don't wear wacky gloves or wrist braces without consulting one. It turns out that most of my own occasional wrist pain is caused by nerve pinches in my neck, and treating the wrists is mostly a waste of time... Oh, and of course: don't type on a laptop keyboard for more than an hour or two every week. Laptops are ergonomically terrifying. Sorry to have to break this one to you. :)

kirubakaran 19y ago

Smart Glove is just $17 here: http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000NBX0PS/ http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000NBX0PS/

oditogre 19y ago

I love the MS 'Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000'. It feels a bit goofy at first, but it's really nice once you get used to it (There's this riser thing that goes on the front, so it puts your hands in a position where they fall down from the wrist instead of angling up). I work IT for a small city government, and the dispatchers in the police department -love- them. Hit up newegg (or your preferred hardware seller) and search for fa6-00010. The included mouse isn't too bad either. Another recommendation that may sound stupid but is actually great: get a gamer mousepad...one of those gigantic ones with a nice wrist rest. I use a Razer eXactMat, and I love it. The bigger mousepad makes it much easier to get in the habit of mousing with your arm, not your wrist.