Preventing RSI?

conJunk asks: "How do you protect against RSI? I try to practice good typing habits, but without the aid of wrist splints, I tend to get cold wrists. The splints are great, but they slow down my typing by a fair bit. What do you all do?"

Comments

Rest and exercise

[Unipuma]

I have made it a habit to take my hands of the keyboard and mouse whenever I am in a conversation with someone, or whenever I'm not actively typing or using the mouse. Have a pen or pencil to play around with also helps to keep your fingers moving around at that time.
I'm also a (not very accomplished :) freeclimber, so I tend to exercise the muscles in my arms once a week, and because you can quickly cramp up while climbing, this has taught me to relax my lower arm muscles whenever I'm not actively using them.

I've been using computers intesively for over 15 years and haven't had any symptoms during all this time.

Go by what you feel

[baryon351]

Go by what you feel when you're using a computer. If you feel something hurting, stop. right away. Then look at what you're doing and what could cause it, and try something different.

12 years ago I worked in a department that insisted on bucketloads of ergonomic tricks to make things easier for people. If we were just using mouse and plain keyboard, we were pushed to try trackballs, wristrests for mouse & keyboard, split keyboards, ergo chairs etc. That made for a culture of workers feeling free to say "this isn't working for me, let me try something different" and most people found their niche setup, using components they didn't know were available to them, or didn't know were an option in the workplace.

As it turns out I tried trackballs and found them cripplingly painful, and ergo chairs were comfy while I sat on them but locked my knees painfully into place. I'm most comfortable with plain old keyboard and mouse, and have been RSI free with that setup for 22 years. It's the best solution for me, and if that works for you too, don't be in too much hurry to change.

Things that work for me...

[zenmojodaddy]

Wrist rests may work for some, but I find that they place pressure on the wrists and forearms right where I don't want it. My recommendations:

1) Posture is important. Have a look on Google for guidance on arranging your workspace on ergonomic guidelines. Also, consider seeing a chiropractor - a competent chiropractor will be able to track down areas of weakness and suggest exercises to strengthen muscle groups which are causing problems. Which leads to:

2) I find that regular light workouts with a set of dumbells help - make sure your arms can support themselves!

3) If I find my forearms are getting a little sore, contrast bathing is helpful. Bathe your arms for a minute at a time in cold water, then hot water, then cold again, alternating back and forth and always finishing on cold. Do that once a night for a week or so.

Usual caveats - I'm a geek, not a doctor, dammit; your mileage may vary; if you're really having problems, see a doctor rather than asking Slashdot...

eyes?

[Chimera512]

this doesn't exactly relate to RSI, but recently I find myself with sore eyes after using either my computer or reading for more then an hour or so at a time; i assume this is just eye strain? will going to an optomitrist or getting glasses help me? My vision is fine, if not good otehrwise, eyedrops don't seem to help so it isn't just dryness.

Dvorak

[Anonymous Coward]

Some RSI suffers report that the Dvorak layout (www.mwbrooks.com/dvorak/) is easier. The layout's arguably more efficient, but it does come with a learning curve particularly if you are already very skilled at typing on a qwerty keyboard.

If you try this, plan to use it for 2-3 weeks before you even begin to feel comfortable. Its absolutely maddening for the first few days, but once you get past that you eventually begin to adjust.

May sound daft but..

[Gaewyn L Knight]

This may sound stupid... but recent studies are showing that most people that get RSI actually get most of the damage from sleeping on their hands at night.

So...
#1 No hands under the pillow/head
#2 No hands between the legs to keep them warm
#3 If you ever have numb hands from cuddling your S.O. that's a no-no also

I changed my sleeping habits just that little bit and now no matter how much I abuse my wrists at work programming or playing Enemy Territory I have no more pain.

Re:May sound daft but..

[superpenguin]

This is quite important. I don't know about the claims of "most people" getting their RSI this way, but it is a factor.

I am a musician, and musicians, especially string players (I play cello) are notorious for wrist problems. Our problems tend to be more in the line of tendonitis than carpal tunnel (that's what the pianists get), but a lot of the general preventative measures are pretty much the same.

I've had wrist problems on and off for the past several years, and one of the string faculty at my college mentioned this sort of thing when I asked him about my wrist problems. He suggested wearing a brace at night, and it really does help. I actually use two different braces on a fairly regular basis. One is just a wide elastic band that wraps around the wrist. It provides a little support, and keeps me from extending my wrist too far (which is what gives me a lot of problems), but still provides a pretty good range of motion (enough that I can play with it). This one I wear quite frequently. Always when I play and frequently just for a little extra support. The other is more heavy duty and fits more like a fingerless glove with a wrist extension. This one has a metal insert that runs along the underside of the wrist and the palm. I use it whenever my wrist is really bothering me and I need to keep it relatively immobilized and also whenever I'm lifting weights or doing any other kind of heavy lifting. It's okay for mousing, but it limits the range of my thumbs, so it's no good for typing.

So I often wear one or the other when I sleep, and I have changed my sleeping habits a bit. I actually sleep with my hand under the pillow, but that's because my main concern is keeping that wrist straight, as my problem is tendonitis, not carpal tunnel.

As far as general ergonomic guidelines, I've also learned a good bit about that due to hurting myself by playing my instrument (I had a lot of back trouble a couple years back, which is mostly gone at this point, thanks to some changes I made). One of the main things to keep in mind is that any tension, especially in your spine, will spread to the rest of your body. One of the most common places for tension to start is in your lower back. The reason for this is that the human hip is not designed for a 90 degree angle between your torso and your upper leg. If you actually have that angle, it's because the last couple degrees are coming from your lower spine. This sort of static loading will kill your back. Unfortunately, most chairs aren't designed with this in mind. Your best bet for a chair is something with a relatively straight back and either a flat seat or one that tilts slightly forward rather than back. My chair of preference is an old swivel chair that my mom pulled out of a dumpster with the intent of reuphostering the seat. I stole it and used it as my computer chair for several years before college, and I still use it. During my undergrad, it was the only chair on campus that I ever found that was truly comfortable. It has a flat seat and an adjustable back (which I keep low for lumbar support) and can be adjusted to be pretty tall (which is important since I have very long legs).

Static loading on the lower back basically means that even though you don't look like it, you're actually hunched over forward. Obviously then, that tension travels up to the shoulders and neck, and if your shoulders aren't relaxed, your arms and hands can't be. So reduce static loading on your lower back and you're already helping yourself.

The other component to my ergonomic computer setup is a desk I built for myself. I designed it with my ugly chair in mind, so that the keyboard tray is just above my lap (although for long typing sessions, I still prefer to just pull the keyboard off and put it on my lap). One thing that departs from conventional wisdom, but that works pretty well for me is the fact that my monitors are fairly high. I built the desk primarily because I needed something that I could have my computer and my

Mind Over Matter

[Anonymous Coward]

Isaac Asimov typed 90 words per minute for most of 50 years, and he did not get RSI. Why? I distinctly recall reading something to the effect that he actually enjoyed the typing process. Thus the "Subject" of this message. I think it would be interesting for the psychologists to study a large group of typists, to see how many of them don't like typing, and how many of those have RSI. Me, I learned on a manual typewriter approx 1968, and while my speed is only 40wpm or so, I've done lots of typing over the decades since, mostly liking it -- and I don't have RSI.

RSI overblown

[TheSkepticalOptimist]

I have been programming for over 10 years, 8 - 12 hours a day, 5 - 6 days a week, and have never suffered RSI. I am a touch typist and can type 50 - 80 wpm, never really bothered to measure it.

The problem I find with most people that have RSI caused by typing is that they tend to keep their wrists in a rigid locked position and they tend to pound on the keys with their fingers. This WILL cause RSI because you are constantly straining your tendons unnaturally. My brother-in-law types fast, but he does it in short bursts, his wrist and arms go rigid and he types blazingly fast, fingers pounding on the keyboard for about 30 seconds, then he has to stop and rub his wrists because they are sore. RSI is repetitive STRAIN injury, and by keeping your wrist rigid and tendons strained, this is how you cause the condition.

My typing style is relaxed, and I am not measuring or care how fast I type. By not keeping my wrist rigid and only applying enough pressure on the keys to depress them enough to register a press, I quite honestly that this prevents me from the kind of RSI problems most people suffer from. I find that relatively slow and steady will beat out the productivity and discomfort of trying to type blazingly fast for short bursts. I can maintain a consistent typing rate for hours that will exceed someone typing in quick short bursts and having to stop because the pain becomes unbearable.

Another thing I believe in is that your company or boss has to give you the right tools to do the job. I will refuse to program if I don't use Microsoft's Natural Keyboard. I have used one almost my entire programming career, and before it, in the early days of using those straight unnatural keyboards, I did feel I was starting to suffer some strain in my wrists. Since then I have found this keyboard layout to cause no undue strain on my wrists. If your boss is too cheap to buy you the right equipment then it will pay in the long run for you to invest in your own equipment. If your not allowed to bring your own keyboard and/or mouse into your office, then quit. You work to live, you don't live to work, and any company that doesn't recognize that they must cater to your personal comfort and safety at work is not a company you should work for. This goes too for the kind of desk and chair you sit in. A chair without adjustable height and adjustable arms so that you can position your arms appropriately to the height of the keyboard is essential to proper typing technique that does not involve RSI.

Another important factor is to simply take a break, at least 5 minutes every hour. Get up and walk around, get a drink from the water cooler or something, go to the washroom. I rarely spend more then an hour of solid typing without giving my body a break. Even if your boss ties you to your desk, just stop, drop your arms and take a rest for 5 minutes.

Most people assume that typing causes RSI, that there is no way to avoid it because the motions of striking fingers onto a keyboard is the fundamental definition of RSI. Bullsh*t! If you are suffering from RSI then you significantly underestimated the importance of ergonomics in your work environment. Change that keyboard and change your typing habits, pay attention to how your holding your wrists, if rigid learn to loosen them up, stop trying to go for speed records typing as many words per minute as possible (its not a competition) and realize you don't have to strike your keyboard with a lots of force in order to move those keys. If you can't touch type, then learn to, its more efficient the the 4 fingered speed hunt and peck that most people do when they don't know how to type. Your wrist splints are probably more of a hindrance then they benefit, and the fact you mentioned they slow down your typing suggests you feel quantity is better then quality.

There is no one single thing you can do to prevent RSI, its a collection of habits and the tools you are using that are causing it. But I can safely say with the right combination of both, you should experience no pain or RSI symptoms, period.

Agree:Take breaks.

[blueZ3]

I was getting RSI in my hands from too much mousing and typing. After a couple of months of ignoring it, things got bad enough that I was feeling some low-level discomfort all the time, not just when at the PC. It got to the point where my wife would ask me to open jars and I couldn't seem to grip them tight enough to get the lids off. Bad. (Sometimes I'm sure that's the only reason she married me :-> )

Anyway, I did some research and started taking breaks. I get out of my chair for at least 5-10 minutes every hour. I walk down to the break room and grab a bottle of water, wander over to visit the developers (I'm a writer), or walk around the outside of the building. This has helped immensely, and at this point the pain is pretty much completely gone.

If you use the mouse a lot and the pain is mostly in your right hand/wrist, you might think about trying to use the keyboard as much as possible. It seems that squeezing the mouse tightly (which is something that's easy to do unconsciously) and holding your arm out of line from your body (since the mouse is too far to the right because of the keyboard) are common causes of RSI in the right hand. Switching to keyboard shortcuts is a way to limit the amount of mousing you have to do.

YMMV, of course.