My wrists have been hurting me more often than not recently. The pain started over the summer when I was in Oslo. Sitting in front of a computer for eight hours a day is taking its toll. Sometimes I can wake up without pain, but it returns shortly after sitting down at my computer. By the end of the day, it's often too uncomfortable to hold my girlfriend's hand for more than a couple of minutes. This is the type of thing that makes a twenty-three year old wonder if God wants him to take a different career path.
Ian had these same problems, as did some of his friends. To prevent debilitating injury, he picked up a funky keyboard and the Dvorak keyboard layout. Earlier this week, I bought my own Kinesis Contoured keyboard and will switch to Dvorak when it arrives. According to Ian, my wrists will heal not only because of the Dvorak layout, but also because my typing speed will be so slow.
I'm guessing part of the problem is related to my mouse. It's quite small, which causes my hand to grasp it oddly. Finding an ergonomic keyboard was easy, but I haven't found good information on ergonomic mice. Some pages suggest trackballs, but I haven't been a fan of them when I've used them.
I can't wait to get my new keyboard next week and to try out a Dvorak typing class. Pain, pain, go away; don't come back another day!
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Hey brother - so sorry about the painyness. When my (recovered sprained) wrist bugs, I do find that the track pad on my laptop (that is a trackpad, right?) is much easier to cope with than the mouse. It takes a while to adjust to if you're not used to it, but it makes a big difference to me. I've also heard that turning that little wheel in the mouse makes carpal tunnel worse faster. I hope you repair quickly!
My right hand/wrist/arm tends to hurt more than my left. I attribute this to two things: the Backspace key and my mouse wheel. Argh.
Ian also uses a touchpad. I don't really want to use those, since they stink for games. :)
Dude, so don't use it for games, but use it for everything else.
I know that so much of this is personal taste, but I am a big fan of the shift+(arrows)+delete, rather than backspace.
You may also want to fiddle with your seating position/arm chair/arm placement. And your desk is always here when you want to reclaim it.
P.S., I'm sick, and I feel poopy. Pity me.
Touchpad! :D
i pity you both. though, you'll have to forgive me for still being quite giddy... i graduate in less than a week. and be warned that my trackball has just started giving my thumb some random trouble. never really played with a trackpad for too long. and, tim, not that i'm one to talk, but maybe that would be just the thing you need to keep you on task instead of playing games ;P
on an entirely different note, i got your message - ang and i were actually in south cakilaki enjoying the sun and my cousin's company and watching way cool things like this
when are you heading here to natty lite university?
Hope the new keyboard helps. If not, you should switch to Mac... the one-button mouse without scrollwheel should cure CTS in no time. :)
I also got some pains for a while after starting working with computers. I got rid of them by replacing the mouse with a trackball, however. I have used trackballs at home for several years, and after switching to one at work as well, I rarely have problems any longer.
Keyboard doesn't seem as important, I still have a standard keyboard at work, even though I have split ("ergonomic") keyboards at home.
I'm sorry to hear you are having trouble with your wrists, Tim!
I had very similar problems with my wrists and shoulders over a year ago: I had to restrict myself to half an hour of computer time a day to keep the pain in check.
Most of my troubles were solved the moment I bought myself a Wacom tablet, which has been one of my best investments ever. I also installed Workrave, to force myself to take regular breaks and I started doing more sports. It sounds obvious, but it definitely worked for me.
Nowadays I hardly ever have trouble with my wrists, but the moment I feel pains I start taking more breaks and rest regularly. One's health is very important, so take care :)
Weight training
I too have this problem, except that I can completely make it go away by doing regular (2x week) weight training. In particular, exercises that challenge grip strength are fantastic for solving wrist pain. The deadlift is absolutely the very best friend a computer geek can have. It makes you develop grip strength, and works your back, thus counteracting all those hours in the chair.
The deadlift will help you more than the most ergonomic keyboard/mouse/chair combination.
When I get to Oslo, I'll prob
When I get to Oslo, I'll probably get a membership with the fitness club across the street from the Opera office. Thanks for the tip.
Try Accupressure
A couple of years ago I was experiencing the onset of RSI related wrist pain, being unable to work for more than 10-15 minutes at a time. I consulted an acupressure book and started treating a pressure point on the arm (for a couple of minutes several times a day). Within 2-3 weeks it cleared and has never returned.