Re: LUG: Ergonomics of Computer use - Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:37:44 -0400

Subject : Re: LUG: Ergonomics of Computer use

From : Jim Tuttle <jim_tuttle@ncsu.[redacted]>

Date : Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:37:44 -0400

I recently sought advice about RSI. I frequently spent long hours on a
small laptop and found myself with the same symptoms you described
below. I had a look at the NCSU ergonomics guidelines and scheduled a
consultation visit. The visit was marginally useful. See
http://www.ncsu.edu/ehs/www99/right/handsMan/office/ergonomic.html

I did upgrade my keyboard from a Microsoft Natural to a Goldtouch (
http://tinyurl.com/l337m4 ), which I really like. I also bought the
wrist rests ( http://tinyurl.com/ltf3h7 ). I have a 3M Ergo Mouse that I
love, too ( http://tinyurl.com/lx5j4b ). If I were you, I'd look at
this as an investment in your health and future earning ability.

I went to an orthopedist at Duke who specializes in RSI (
http://tinyurl.com/mfdgga ). He described the progression of damage and
scheduled me for a (very expensive) elecro-nueral evaluation that showed
that I was in the early stages of carpal tunnel damage. When you catch
it early you can avoid the serious damage that leads to surgery. I hear
the surgery is often successful, but I'd rather not find out.

The doctor explained that many people fold their wrists in hyper-flexion
while sleeping. That's bad. So, he sold me a couple of wrist supports
similar to these http://tinyurl.com/nxdpla to wear to bed. I wore them
daily for a couple of months, got a new keyboard, raised my monitor,
worked less on my laptop, take regular breaks, and now have little or no
problem with my wrists. Now I wear them occasionally to bed.

Someone else mentioned Workrave, which I also highly recommend. I take
the timer very seriously. You may not be able to afford an expensive
ergonomically correct chair, but you can follow the guidelines from NCSU
to better understand ideal posture and position and affect it where
possible.

Best of luck,
Jim

Alexander Ray wrote:
> Hey Guys,
>
> I'm throwing this out there cause I know I'm not the only one thats on
> the computer a lot. I'm working ~60 hours a week on my laptop now,
> and just a few weeks ago I was hit with wrist weirdness. Now I'm
> starting to get strained from just looking at the laptop screen for
> long periods at a time.
>
> So, what are your issues, problems, ideas, or solutions to ergonomic
> programming.
>
> I'll start off with a few of my own.
>
> Wrist Weirdness: I'm avoiding the use of the term 'carpal tunnel'
> because I know I can't spell that well, and I'm also refusing to admit
> it. I went out and did some homework for this one, doing research
> online and talking to therapists. At Ed's suggestion I looked at
> buying a more ergonomic keyboard, but man they are EXPENSIVE.
> I finally settled on a completely new typing position, interestingly
> based off of the old 'set' position I had in high school marching
> band.
> In addition, I really should be using a mouse instead of a trackpoint.
> I've been told its more ergonomic (and I'm not a point-and-click guy,
> so I wouldn't use it that much). For now its the little red nub in
> the middle of my keyboard.
>
> In the spirit of full disclosure I should say that I'm in
> colorguard/winterguard, and being a member of the rifle line is
> actually MORE strain on my wrists than programming, so I'm dealing
> with the combination of the two.
>
> Eyestrain and stress headaches. Man these can be killer. When I'm
> writing my own code (or een composing this letter ) I can type with my
> eyes closed. I try to do this as often as I can to just give my eyes
> a break. My problem now is that I'm constantly reading (I'm porting a
> whole slew of someone else's code), so I don't have that luxury. One
> of the things I've considered is seeing if I can get my hands on a
> projector (so I can read off a wall 12 feet away instead of 12 inches
> away.
> In addition, try to keep the brightness of your screen close to the
> amount of ambient light; this means both turning on the lights
> above/behind your computer and turning down the screen brightness.
> I've also been told that its best for your eyes if you look at
> something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes (20 20
> 20 rule), but I'll admit its hard for me to keep to that.
>
> Seating/Back stuff: I haven't found a good solution to this. I am
> constantly varying my seating position, but its variations on what I
> think are 'bad posture'. I'll admit I rarely sit up straight, so I'm
> trying to do more of that. I go from seat to floor to medicine ball
> and back again. I love the seats they have in the library, but I dont
> quite have $500 to drop on an ergonomic chair (my chair is from
> surplus and I had to fix it up a bit). Again, I'm taking what little
> 'posture' I know from marching band, and try to achieve the upper body
> that hornline members are supposed to get. An open, lifted upper body
> with the back straight.
>
> Cheers, and I look forward to hearing what y'all have to say.
> ~Alex
>
> Also: Ashtanga yoga for the win.

--
----------------------------
Jim Tuttle
Digital Repository Librarian
Digital Library Initiatives
NCSU Libraries
XXX.513.0651

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