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Many years ago I suffered nearly life-changing RSI pain. It happened in the middle of an extreme project where I found myself coding and running CAD for 16 to
by robomartin 13y ago
Many years ago I suffered nearly life-changing RSI pain. It happened in the middle of an extreme project where I found myself coding and running CAD for 16 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week for months.
The first good decision I made was to stop all work.
Next, I sought medical opinion. I was horrified to learn medical professionals were all over the place. I got recommendations spanning from surgery to vitamins.
I concluded that I'd do my own research and come to my own independent conclusions.
I focused on two areas: understanding the physiology or mechanics of the damage and taking a deep dive into ergonomics.
I came out convinced that the root cause was poor ergonomics. I had not caused enough damage to require surgery. I set out to test out various ergonomic products. Nearly all of them sucked. Gimmicky crap.
The ultimate solution was to design my own desk. The goal was to promote a fully relaxed posture with proper alignment and support.
The standard 29 to 30 inch high desk was designed in the dark ages for writing. Placing a keyboard or laptop on it throws your entire body out of alignment. Your fingers, hand, wrist, arms and shoulders end-up operating in tension as opposed to from a neutral stance.
My desk featured a dropped (about three inches) front section for the keyboard and thumb-operated trackball. I ditched the mouse as it caused too much tension. I found a thumb-operated trackball to flow naturally and comfortably.
A dropped keyboard shelf wasn't enough. The front edge got a solid piece of wood, 2x2 inches in cross-section with generously rounded edges. This created a forearm support across the entire width of the keyboard shelf. The net effect was that my hands very naturally drooped onto the keyboard and trackball. My shoulders were not unnaturally pushed up or pulled down.
I played with monitor height and settled for looking slightly down at the monitors (24 inch). I tend to alternate between sliding down in the chair and sitting up, which means that at times I am looking straight at the screens.
The end result was that all pain was gone and I could get back to work. I also took regular breaks every two to four hours based on flow.
- stiff 13y agoI second this, the only time I ever had wrist pain for prolonged amount of time was from having the desk too high. Ergonomics is not about buying different five different mices, but about making sure the position of your body is such that it can work effectively. There is a good basic description here: http://www.ergonomics.com.au/pages/400_useful_info/420_how_to_sit.htm http://www.ergonomics.com.au/pages/400_useful_info/420_how_t... I don't think you have to go as far as to design your own desk (although the effect is probably great). Just avoid "computer desks" like the black plague and go for a simple large table top on regulated table legs - the keyboard drawer is the worst invention ever in terms of ergonomics.
- maglos 13y agoJesus, you didn't think working 16-18 hours per day could be the cause? I bet slaves live better then that.
- robomartin 13y agoLaunching a self-funded challenging hardware + software startup is not for the weak hearted. I am not saying it is smart. Sometimes you have no choice.
- johnx123-up 13y agoCan you please share photo or video of your setup? That will be of much helpful. Thanks
- Neepy 13y agoMy RSI wasn't very bad, but each day it was getting slightly worse - it was reaching the point of being that bit too painful to sleep comfortably, the chronic dull pain was distracting, I was occasionally forced to take breaks when coding. I started using a standing desk for back health and my RSI completely went away after about 2 weeks. I was doubtful at first and didn't let myself believe it would last (it makes that fall that much worse). But I'm happy to say it's been just under 6 months now and it's still completely gone. If I were to guess I'd attribute it to the angle of my wrists when typing. Knowing you're not forced to change from a career you're passionate about is one of the best feelings I've had, and I hope at least someone on here can experience it by leveraging the advice in this thread :)
- SiVal 13y agoWARNING: Watch out for laptops. Since they are so portable, people don't tend to do the careful ergonomic adjustments they often do with immovable desktops. You can end up regularly using a laptop for long periods in dangerous postures that feel quite comfortable (until the pain gradually emerges). I gave myself a nasty case of tennis elbow, for example, with a few hours a day of 2-finger "natural direction" (pushing away from you) scrolling on a MacBook when I wasn't at a desk. Just be careful with a laptop and doubly careful if the laptop is actually in your lap.
- skriticos2 13y agoI agree with the table design. I had the lucky hunch to buy a desk with keyboard on an embedded shelf. Another important thing is to buy a mechanical keyboard (I have a DAS Keyboard). If you are using it all day, the $150 bucks are really not all that much and the typing experience is worlds apart to the cheap rubber crap found all over the place. I also moved to Dvorak layout and vim, but that takes time and determination to do. The hardware part is where you should start.