Home Forums General Discussion RSI (a.k.a Repetitive strain injury)

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    • #7045
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Been getting a few pains in my wrist lately while typing, I’m not the only one on our course either; one of the many ‘hazards’ of being a programmer I guess :). It’s becomming annoying though and really starting to slow down my work.

      Has anyone any suggestions about how to reduce / eliminate pains due to RSI ? I know about sitting at the correct height from the desk etc. (elbow at 90 degress etc.) but what about other measures such as ‘ergonomic’ keyboards etc ? Do they actually help at all ?

      Cheers guys.

      Together we must fight this menace! :P

    • #42979
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Drink more water!

    • #42980
      Anonymous
      Inactive
    • #42982
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      I had it for a long time, though over the last year I’ve made significant improvements that have make me far better off. The basic advice Ive adopted includes:

      1. Posture – 3 main things to make sure:
      – your upper arm is by your side
      – your wrists do not bend upwards at any point
      – your lower arm is properly supported.

      2. Use a soft touch keyboard. I use an office keyboard that is slightly angled inwards, but mostly only because it helps touch typing, not because its angular or anything. I had bad RSI in my fingers for a long time as a result of a dodgy dell keyboard.

      3. Exercise/stretching of the arms – over time computer work can round the shoulders forwards, building up the muscles in the back can offset this and better support stressed muscles. Stretching, swimming and weights can all help here.

      Dave

      Dave

    • #42983
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Also, for a fairly quick aid, try fish oil capsules. I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous, but I had the same problem and after a few days of them felt much better. Something to do with them having some property that helps joints.

    • #42987
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Drink more water![/quote:f8ba27d194]
      Genuinely – rock climbers also do this to mitigate tendon problems when training.

      Get a good keyboard; keep trying different ones till you find one that works for you. This is a great keyboard:
      http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=043

      +1 to everything skyclad said too…
      good desk, chair, working environment, stretches, exercise etc.

      Be super paranoid about solving this as quickly as possible; under no circumstances continue to work with it as it slowly deteriorates and gets harder to solve.

    • #43003
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Thanks for the advice everone. I do drink a lot of water and that (gone off coke and minerals for a long time now) but I could definitely work on some of the other suggestions mentioned there.

      Get a good keyboard; keep trying different ones till you find one that works for you. This is a great keyboard:
      http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=043 [/quote:3e8d2d8fcd]

      That keyboard looks good, I may well consider getting one. I’ve got a logitech G11 at the moment which is fairly comfortable, but it’s definitely not designed with ergonomics in mind. Might miss the macro keys though if I do switch to something else.. :)

    • #43012
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Drink more water![/quote:80ef5d4b81]
      Genuinely – rock climbers also do this to mitigate tendon problems when training.

      Get a good keyboard; keep trying different ones till you find one that works for you. This is a great keyboard:
      http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=043

      +1 to everything skyclad said too…
      good desk, chair, working environment, stretches, exercise etc.

      Be super paranoid about solving this as quickly as possible; under no circumstances continue to work with it as it slowly deteriorates and gets harder to solve.[/quote:80ef5d4b81]i’ll endorse everything feral says here – i have one of those keyboards at work, and it is truly awesome when it comes to typing quickly and for prolonged periods of time. find a keyboard and mouse setup that works for you. and make sure you put in the work to fix this now. otherwise it will kill your career before you even get going.

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