RSI from typing too much: What do you even do to reverse it?

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > RSI from typing too much: What do you even do to reverse it?

Ham Equity: Apr 16, 2013; i hosted a great goon meet and all i got was this lousy avatar; Grimey Drawer

I started having some pretty serious wrist pain about a decade ago. Didn't go to the doctor or anything, but I was doing a lot of typing both at work and at home, and playing a lot of Guitar Hero.

I ended up replacing my keyboards both at home and work with ergonomic keyboards (the type with the split down the middle), haven't had a problem since. I had a coworker who was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel, and she would have problems off and on. I kept recommending an ergo board for her, she kept declining. Then, she came in for a week solid with wrist braces on, and I finally just insisted, and said "listen, I'm gonna hook this up for you for a week; if you still hate it, tell me, and I'll never mention it again." She used it for two days and didn't need the braces anymore, and then said "I should have listened to you sooner."

Obviously, two data points is still anecdotal, but it's really not as hard to switch as you think it will be, and it does seem to help significantly.

# ¿ Jan 28, 2016 23:59

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 23:07

Ham Equity: Apr 16, 2013; i hosted a great goon meet and all i got was this lousy avatar; Grimey Drawer

NeilPerry posted:

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-L5V-00001-Ergonomic-Desktop-Keyboard/dp/B00CYX54C0

Would something like this suffice? It's the easiest one for me to find.

I currently use the earlier version of that:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA9N63KK5580

I'm a big fan, I haven't used the newer version. There are also ergonomic mouse pads that some of my coworkers use, but I doubt that's going to have nearly the impact of an ergo keyboard, given the volume of typing you do:

http://www.amazon.com/Wrist-Rest-Gel-Like-Ergonomic-Mouse-Blue/dp/B000YTR3XE

I haven't used them much, so I can't comment on their efficacy.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2016 17:21

Ham Equity: Apr 16, 2013; i hosted a great goon meet and all i got was this lousy avatar; Grimey Drawer

Che Delilas posted:

This is the loving best keyboard. My normal keyboard was starting to give me trouble at work, then a dude with one of these got fired and I scavenged it. That very day, wrist and hand pain went away and they haven't been back. Can't recommend it highly enough.

It's very odd at first; it's an aggressive layout and the center keys are really high. You'll hit the wrong keys and probably be annoyed. That will last about a day and then you get used to it, I promise. Force yourself to acclimate and then see what it does for your hands. It may not be a magic bullet but that inward-kinked wrist position that normal keyboards tend to promote is just terrible for you.

Yeah, soldiering through the first few days is gonna be difficult, especially as a transcriptionist. That being said, I just took a typing test on a normal, straight keyboard, and it felt so goddamn weird. You do get used to it, and faster than you would expect.

# ¿ Feb 2, 2016 07:54

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > RSI from typing too much: What do you even do to reverse it?