Keyboarding Love Or Keyboarding Pain

flyingember writes "Over on Ars, they've done the ultimate review for anyone who sits at a computer more than someone on AOL does, the IMAK Smart Gloves. These gloves are supposed to both prevent and help ease pain associated with conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Read it to see if our code monkey enjoys the gloves or if they're just something for him to throw at the gawking crowd."

Comments

Can it get any nerdier?

[ekrout]

Glasses? Check.
Dorky parted hair? Check.
High-pitched, nasally voice? Check.
Skinny fragile body? Check.
Computer gloves? Check.

Sigh.

So much for useful innovation...

This worked for me

[Anonymous Coward]

I had a moderate case of tendonitis from keyboarding and mousing about 2 years ago, and this thing does work.

I like the fact that you can still bend your wrist as much as you want, but you are gently reminded that you are bending, so you eventually stop doing it. It's not constricting like those braces.

dirty mind

[Twirlip of the Mists]

I admit it. I'm a big perv. But when I read "keyboarding love," I thought it was a new euphemism for cybersex.

Man, that is flagrant false advertising.

Re:dirty mind

[l810c]

I admit it. I'm a big perv. But when I read "keyboarding love," I thought it was a new euphemism for cybersex

It does hide the hair on your palm.

Couple this with Dvorak...

[MattRog]

Also try switching to Dvorak.

You probably won't be any faster, but your fingers *will* travel less. I know I used to have pain in my hands after long coding sessions at work on Querty - after switching to Dvorak I can say I have regained my previous speed (after three months or so) and long coding sessions no longer produce painful fingers!

Of course, you should see your doctor immediately upon RSI-type pain.

Re:Couple this with Dvorak...

[CanadaDave]

Is it tough to go back to Qwerty, once you've mastered Dvorak? I mean, if I go a friend's computer (without Dvorak setting turned on) and start typing, am I going to be able to remember the Qwerty style?

Re:Couple this with Dvorak...

[Steve X]

Early on in my second year at college,my hands had been tingling from too many late nights, days, and afternoons coding and chatting. I started to get freaked out (I mean, really, where's a coder if his hands are dead?). So I switched to Dvorak.

Dovrak is wonderful - much less finger travel and a better balance of the hands (try typing english words with just your left hand vs. just your right hand in qwerty and you'll see what i mean). But Dvorak alone won't help you.

The most important thing I found about switching from Qwerty to Dvorak is that I actually learned to touch type properly. Not having an actual Dvorak keyboard to look at the keys, I simply stopped looking as I typed and started relearning how to touch type. Mind you, I could touch type in Qwerty, but not fingers-on-homerow, actually-using-your-pinkeys typing.

It was the proper relearning that I think really made my hands stop hurting. My fingers move substantially less than my poor Qwerty skills and as such, less strain from long finger reaches.

Many people I encounter say, "oh, i'd learn Dvorak but then i could never use anyone else's computer" or "it'd take too long to learn" Yeah, it's true: it does take dedication. One can't just sit down in front of a Dvorak keyboard, not knowing it, and not get frustrated trying to type in real-time conversations.

I found the best way to learn was to type class notes. That way, not only was I only limited by my own speed (not the speed of the conversation), but it provided good incentive to type faster (more notes).

As for switching between the two: this is also a challenge, but well-worth overcoming. I kept getting confused at first which key was what in which mapping, but over time, I eventually got used to them as seperate layouts and my brain formed a nice distinction between the two. I can still type about as fast in Qwerty as I could before (though, honestly, i havn't tried recently), and I can type as fast, if not faster, in Dvorak.

Re:Couple this with Dvorak...

[MattRog]

Correct, most "Dvorak is faster than Qwerty" claims are not based on fact. Theoretically, though, your fingers travel less so perhaps you can type faster. I haven't coded Qwerty in a long time so I do not know what speeds are, but I am confident I am no slower.

Most RSI help claims are, of course, anecdotal, but from what I have seen virtually everyone who has switched has seen vast improvements in comfort - that I can't ignore.

A short list of pros and cons are here:
http://www.mwbrooks.com/dvorak/procon.html

Note that no claims of speed superiority are made - most speed claims are made by uninformed converts and not by evangelists.

this might seem off-the-wall...

[nido]

...but if your computer is causing you pain, I speak the truth:

1. check your insulin levels (no, it's not about diabetes)
2. learn how to relax (body asleep/mind awake)
3. get some exercise

It's taken me three years to put this puzzle together, and that first point is probably the most important (I learned it last week, and cutting out the carbohydrates has already started to make a difference). email me if you need more guidance, i'll be happy to dish out some knowledge..

links:
on the subject of insulin - invert the frickin food pyramid
why relaxin' is important - and some suggestions for getting started
the exercise one - well, that one's kinda obvious, but is worthless without the other two.

Watch out for medical advice... like THIS advice:

[Anonymous Coward]

Two things:

1. Over in Ars Technica's forum someone named Figa made an excellent point:

Ars Technica shouldn't be recommending medical devices to its readership, even if they're over-the-counter. I hate to think how many people will go out and buy the things instead of seeking medical advice, hoping that their pain will go away.

My doctor warned me to avoid splints specifically because they can weaken your wrists, especially if they're worn 24-7 as the author recommends. Think about what happens to muscles when you wear a cast. They atrophy!

There was a lot of lousy advice in the forum as well, which I can attest to firsthand...

Figa (quoted above) then proceeded to explain why other people's advice was bad and then gave a 15 point treatment plan :)

That said, if you're going to self-medicate with gadgetry, my vote would be to check out Kinesis's Contoured Keyboards

The keys are arranged in lines in pits in the shell of the key board. Your fingers naturally droop into the pits and then move forward and backward (rarely to the sides) to depress the appropriate key.

Claimed to make the activity of typing simulate CTS reducing exercises. I have a co-worker who has one and loves it.

My solution

[Schemer]

My solution to wrist pain has been to use a break reminder program like xwrits to remind me to take a 5 minute break for every hour of computer use. I would use those five minutes to get out of my chair and walk around for a while, so not only was I resting my hands, but my whole body as well.

It's also a good idea to look out the window at something distant while taking your breaks, you can avoid eye strain by not focusing on something 18 inches from your head all the time.

JWZ has some good advice about this stuff on his site which I found very useful.

Not really.

[Chris Burke]

Switching to dvorak is an improvement over qwerty, but it's a very minor improvement compared to using correct typing posture. You'll get RSI typing in dvorak just the same as qwerty if you have your wrists bent while typing, though it might take longer. I type dvorak and have for a good four years, but I still see a pair of these gloves in my future.