6 ms·

The elasticity of the brain is incredibly impressive. Very neat solution. My parents are surgeons, and I know they worry at least a little bit about the safety

by arjie 12y ago

The elasticity of the brain is incredibly impressive. Very neat solution. My parents are surgeons, and I know they worry at least a little bit about the safety of their hands. While my hands are definitely very important to my being able to work I know I don't worry as much as they do. That's funny, because for the most part I think about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome as a career-ending condition. I recently suffered some amount of tendonitis in my wrist and it prompted me to make quite a few changes: * Better posture * Better seat adjustment * A nicer (mechanical) keyboard * Practising touch typing more (i.e. correcting myself any time I use the wrong finger) * Resting my wrists evenly I made all these changes simultaneously so I don't know what changed it or if it was a one-time thing and resting fixed it. An interesting thing is that I found that I overuse my right hand. `vim` binds simple movements to hjkl and that's fine because they're on the home row, but it also means that a lot of the time I'm holding down one key while reading code. I've switched to moving around code better now, using larger jumps, and when scrolling a lot I use my left hand. I've also rebound some other things so that they're easier with home row keys. Anyway, learning to be faster at all this took very little time. I am very impressed with how fast we learn new acts if they keep repeating them.

philip1209 12y ago
I found that a standing desk forced me into better ergonomics. While I don't think that most of the purported health benefits are well substantiated, just simply having to stand straight meant better ergonomics for me. Things like keyboard height for wrist alignment and monitor height for eye alignment become static variables. Slouching, crossing legs, adjusting seat height, adjusting seat recline resistance, etc all become non-issues.
jeremiep 12y ago
To me the most important factor is how relaxed your muscles are when working. That is, even while frantically typing on my keyboard my fingers spend most of their time resting. It's very easy to keep your muscle contracted the entire time and that's where the danger is. This is something I learned from my music teachers. I would get nervous while playing and my muscles would get all stiff leading to missed notes and sounding dry and whatnot. Most importantly, I was thinking about how to position my muscles to get the sound I wanted rather than thinking about the sound I wanted and letting the muscles do their thing. They made me realize your muscles needs to breathe and to use the window between impulses to relax them. I could have the best posture, best keyboard layout and everything else but if my muscles stay contracted the entire time I'm working I'll definitely feel it at the end of the day. Be it on the guitar or computer.
- melling 12y ago
  RSI can be caused by many things, and it can originate far from the pain. There doesn't seem to be one magical fix. I've been keeping Emacs org notes on RSI and I publish them here: http://thespanishsite.com/public_html/org/ergo/rsi.html http://thespanishsite.com/public_html/org/ergo/rsi.html
  - TheSpiceIsLife 12y ago
    I haven't read through all of your notes, but did click on a few links. I've studied a bit of nutritional medicine along the way. Have you looked at any research or anecdotes on anti-inflammatory supplements for RSI? Any irritated condition is characterised by inflammation. The most common medicines prescribed for RSI are anti-inflammatories. So it stands to reason that RSI is tissue-damage, caused by repetitive strain, and anywhere tissue damage is occurring immune mediated inflammation takes place. Tenosynovitis is inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath that surrounds a tendon.[1] So, the treatment we were taught was to address the physical injury by removing, retraining, or engineering the problem away, then give nutritional supplements that support tissue repair and help down-modulate the inflammatory response: Omega 3 EPA / DHA (fish oils), Quercetin, Rutin, Vitamin C, Bromelain, B12 & Folate, Magnesium (as citrate or diglycinate, or both), plus Turmeric and Ginger. And also give supplements that target musculoskeletal / connective tissues: Silica, proline, lysine, cysteine, glutamine, Manganese, B5, B6, Iron (as iron amino acid chelate), copper, zinc (as amino acid chelate). Where the condition has progressed to considerable over-all wear and tear of a join the also throw in Glucosamine and Chondroitin. The theory goes: remove the mechanical cause of the condition (repetitive strain causing tissue damage) and the condition will resolve itself. Put in the nutrients the body needs to repair the damage and the condition will improve faster. Sometimes the damage is so far progressed it will respond much better if the nutrients are taken too. Once the condition is under control we then direct the patient to look in to seeking advice to strengthen the affected joint. I don't know about the state of nutritional medicine outside of Australia, but here we have some really good formulations available off the shelf and others as practitioner only formulas - so you need a consult. I'll pre-empt the "supplements don't work" argument and say: yes, taking iron oxide or magnesium oxide doesn't do anything. There are formulations that are poorly absorb and poorly utilised by the body. Have a look in to, for example, magnesium diglycinate and magnesium citrate vs. magnesium oxide. Look in to mixed ascorbates with citrus bioflavanoids (Quercetin and Rutin) vs. pure Ascorbic Acid. High does Turmeric and Ginger work so well as anti-inflammatories and blood thinners they are contra-indicated if a person is taking blood thinners / blood pressure medication, eg Warfarin. Anyway, getting carried away. Thought you might be interested. 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenosynovitis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenosynovitis This does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your physician / nutritionist / pharmacist before taking any nutritional or herbal supplements. Edit: formatting
tracker1 12y ago
I haven't experienced the RSI pains I used to get in my hands since switching back to a mechanical keyboard a few years ago... I use buckling spring model m style boards at home and work, and I like it a lot... some don't like the noise though. That said, keyboard and monitor height properly adjusted probably help for many too... I don't bottom out with a mechanical keyboard.
ansible 12y ago
Learning all the different movement commands in vim is quite worthwhile. For just paging through code, I've also mapped the space bar to be page down in command mode, which I find quite convenient.
maljx 12y ago
I used to have lots of issues in the neck and shoulders. I started going to a gym and focused mainly on training neck, back and arms carefully. It has completely removed all my symptoms in the last 6 years. I also started using a wacom tablet as a mouse replacement. The absolute positioning of the pen removes all these small-dragging-motions.
- melling 12y ago
  The small Intuos tablet? https://store.wacom.com/us/en/product/CTL480/ https://store.wacom.com/us/en/product/CTL480/ Which tablet is most effective as a mouse replacement?
  - detaro 12y ago
    I don't use a tablet regularly as a mouse replacement, but from my experience of using it for image manipulation: 1) Small sizes scale up surprisingly well, but one model bigger might be preferable. 2) One should test the feel of the pad -> there are different surface types (some are very glas-like, others offer more resistance), and different styles of pens, which all feel different. 3) I feel like many of the pens are quite uncomfortable to hold. If I had to use them for longer I'd probably look into finding 3rd party alternatives or a small pen I can embed into a custom grip. Different styles to exchange regularly (every 30 min or so) would also be nice.
mleonhard 12y ago
In my experience, all of these are great except the last one. I used to rest my wrists and now I can't because my RSI progressed. I wish someone had told me 10 years ago to keep my wrists straight when I type. I use an angled keyboard and a vertical mouse to reduce twisting.

by arjie 12y ago

philip1209 12y ago

I found that a standing desk forced me into better ergonomics. While I don't think that most of the purported health benefits are well substantiated, just simply having to stand straight meant better ergonomics for me. Things like keyboard height for wrist alignment and monitor height for eye alignment become static variables. Slouching, crossing legs, adjusting seat height, adjusting seat recline resistance, etc all become non-issues.

jeremiep 12y ago

To me the most important factor is how relaxed your muscles are when working. That is, even while frantically typing on my keyboard my fingers spend most of their time resting. It's very easy to keep your muscle contracted the entire time and that's where the danger is. This is something I learned from my music teachers. I would get nervous while playing and my muscles would get all stiff leading to missed notes and sounding dry and whatnot. Most importantly, I was thinking about how to position my muscles to get the sound I wanted rather than thinking about the sound I wanted and letting the muscles do their thing. They made me realize your muscles needs to breathe and to use the window between impulses to relax them. I could have the best posture, best keyboard layout and everything else but if my muscles stay contracted the entire time I'm working I'll definitely feel it at the end of the day. Be it on the guitar or computer.

melling 12y ago
RSI can be caused by many things, and it can originate far from the pain. There doesn't seem to be one magical fix. I've been keeping Emacs org notes on RSI and I publish them here: http://thespanishsite.com/public_html/org/ergo/rsi.html http://thespanishsite.com/public_html/org/ergo/rsi.html
- TheSpiceIsLife 12y ago
  I haven't read through all of your notes, but did click on a few links. I've studied a bit of nutritional medicine along the way. Have you looked at any research or anecdotes on anti-inflammatory supplements for RSI? Any irritated condition is characterised by inflammation. The most common medicines prescribed for RSI are anti-inflammatories. So it stands to reason that RSI is tissue-damage, caused by repetitive strain, and anywhere tissue damage is occurring immune mediated inflammation takes place. Tenosynovitis is inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath that surrounds a tendon.[1] So, the treatment we were taught was to address the physical injury by removing, retraining, or engineering the problem away, then give nutritional supplements that support tissue repair and help down-modulate the inflammatory response: Omega 3 EPA / DHA (fish oils), Quercetin, Rutin, Vitamin C, Bromelain, B12 & Folate, Magnesium (as citrate or diglycinate, or both), plus Turmeric and Ginger. And also give supplements that target musculoskeletal / connective tissues: Silica, proline, lysine, cysteine, glutamine, Manganese, B5, B6, Iron (as iron amino acid chelate), copper, zinc (as amino acid chelate). Where the condition has progressed to considerable over-all wear and tear of a join the also throw in Glucosamine and Chondroitin. The theory goes: remove the mechanical cause of the condition (repetitive strain causing tissue damage) and the condition will resolve itself. Put in the nutrients the body needs to repair the damage and the condition will improve faster. Sometimes the damage is so far progressed it will respond much better if the nutrients are taken too. Once the condition is under control we then direct the patient to look in to seeking advice to strengthen the affected joint. I don't know about the state of nutritional medicine outside of Australia, but here we have some really good formulations available off the shelf and others as practitioner only formulas - so you need a consult. I'll pre-empt the "supplements don't work" argument and say: yes, taking iron oxide or magnesium oxide doesn't do anything. There are formulations that are poorly absorb and poorly utilised by the body. Have a look in to, for example, magnesium diglycinate and magnesium citrate vs. magnesium oxide. Look in to mixed ascorbates with citrus bioflavanoids (Quercetin and Rutin) vs. pure Ascorbic Acid. High does Turmeric and Ginger work so well as anti-inflammatories and blood thinners they are contra-indicated if a person is taking blood thinners / blood pressure medication, eg Warfarin. Anyway, getting carried away. Thought you might be interested. 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenosynovitis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenosynovitis This does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your physician / nutritionist / pharmacist before taking any nutritional or herbal supplements. Edit: formatting

tracker1 12y ago

I haven't experienced the RSI pains I used to get in my hands since switching back to a mechanical keyboard a few years ago... I use buckling spring model m style boards at home and work, and I like it a lot... some don't like the noise though. That said, keyboard and monitor height properly adjusted probably help for many too... I don't bottom out with a mechanical keyboard.

ansible 12y ago

Learning all the different movement commands in vim is quite worthwhile. For just paging through code, I've also mapped the space bar to be page down in command mode, which I find quite convenient.

maljx 12y ago

I used to have lots of issues in the neck and shoulders. I started going to a gym and focused mainly on training neck, back and arms carefully. It has completely removed all my symptoms in the last 6 years. I also started using a wacom tablet as a mouse replacement. The absolute positioning of the pen removes all these small-dragging-motions.

melling 12y ago
The small Intuos tablet? https://store.wacom.com/us/en/product/CTL480/ https://store.wacom.com/us/en/product/CTL480/ Which tablet is most effective as a mouse replacement?
- detaro 12y ago
  I don't use a tablet regularly as a mouse replacement, but from my experience of using it for image manipulation: 1) Small sizes scale up surprisingly well, but one model bigger might be preferable. 2) One should test the feel of the pad -> there are different surface types (some are very glas-like, others offer more resistance), and different styles of pens, which all feel different. 3) I feel like many of the pens are quite uncomfortable to hold. If I had to use them for longer I'd probably look into finding 3rd party alternatives or a small pen I can embed into a custom grip. Different styles to exchange regularly (every 30 min or so) would also be nice.

mleonhard 12y ago

In my experience, all of these are great except the last one. I used to rest my wrists and now I can't because my RSI progressed. I wish someone had told me 10 years ago to keep my wrists straight when I type. I use an angled keyboard and a vertical mouse to reduce twisting.