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Preventing computer-related RSI

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Today  new type of  computer related workplace injuries are on the rise, and one of the most commonly reported injuries is elbow pain from computer use. Which is often called mouse elbow.  The second, less frequent disease is Carpal tunnel syndrome

When you work with mouse and keyboard eight hours or more each day it can cause problems for your health, especially for people after 40. Many people develop RSI in their mouse hand. This is a choric condition that restrict your activities. Pain typically is limited to certain movements. But the danger should not be underestimated.

The rules of avoiding computer-related RSI are very simple: Pay attantion to your tendons health by doing simple exersized during the day, do not overuse  computer, use optimal posture, improve your technique, use ergonomic equipment to the max, while limiting the load. 

Learn to use alternative hand as even a week of rest often produce dramatic ostive effect. Swimming also often help. Ping-pong also might be useful.  Tennis and gold are not: they can produce similar symptoms on their own.

Try alternative input sources such as speech recognition. But all of those advices are easier said that done, especially if you work in a stressful environments Unis system adminitrators and some categories of programmers often do.   Don't be afraid to ask about better accommodation. For example 1" think memory foam mats on which you can rest you elbows can be helpful, at least psychologically (and it is very important that you elbows are rested on a surface and are not "in the air" ).  Elbow support strip is also useful and does provide some relef id wered correctly. If you boss is scregy buy a pillow made from memory foam and cut appropriate slices yourself.

It is also important that computer should not be you primary hobby outside of work. So more healthy habits can help.

Here is a relevant quote from Repetitive Strain Injury How to prevent, identify, and manage RSI

The three primary risk factors are poor posture, poor technique, and overuse. These topics are discussed in depth in the section on prevention. In addition to these, there are several other risk factors to be aware of. While they may not cause RSI on their own, they can increase your risk if you already possess one of the three primary risk factors. The following list (adapted from Pascarelli and Quilter) lists several risk factors. You may be at risk for developing an RSI if you:

Consult Pascarelli and Quilter for further information.

At the same time RSI is  a catch-all term that applies to several medical conditions including Mouse elbow (or golf elbor -- Medial Epicondylitis ) and carpal tunnel syndrome:

See some interesting discussion at Anyone else here have killer tendonitis in your mouse arm

One basic measure to reduce tendonitis pain  is to reduce the amount of work performed by affected hand. Those reduction can include amount of typing, mousing, playing video games,  and playing games like tennis.

There two standard path that help to prevent and reduce computer-related RSI:

Changing work habits

In many cases RSI is self-inflicted wound. For example cradling telephone between the shoulder and the ear so that you can talk while you work with your keyboard and mouse is "a recipe for disaster". Working with mouse only when  your elbow is firmly positioned on your desk or on the arm of your chair if it is level with your desk is also important.

Improving your equipment

As for improving your equipment there are several areas where you can get positive result with minimal investment:

Behavioral changes

 


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[Jun 21, 2013] No More Mouse Meet the Future of Computer's Oldest Sidekick

Anyone with a smartphone or tablet, of course, can tell you that the end of the mouse is nigh. Consider Mycestro, the new Kickstarter-funded "3D mouse" from entrepreneurs David Greenspan and Nick Mastandrea. The Bluetooth-enabled device clips onto your index finger, letting you control your cursor with simple gestures. Imagine Tom Cruise in "Minority Report" flipping through screens with a flick of his hand; that's essentially what you would look like giving a presentation on your laptop or an Internet-enabled TV. Setting up the Mycestro isn't much harder than setting up a wireless mouse.

It's also extremely mobile. Even people who prefer not using trackpads are loath to bring a mouse into their local coffee shop. The Mycestro, which weighs about as much as a wireless earpiece, solves this problem by fitting easily in your pocket. Yes, it's convenient, but will consumers want to look like they're conducting an invisible orchestra while web-browsing? Early signs are positive: the Kickstarter project looks poised to smash its goal of raising $100,000 by Friday, March 29.

At only $79 during pre-order, it's in the same ballpark as a high-end wireless mouse - not cheap, but easily affordable for the motivated early adopter.

... ... ...

Mycestro is only one of the many nails in the mouse's coffin.

The Kinect, a motion-sensing device originally sold as an accessory to Microsoft's Xbox 360, has found robust demand among computer researchers and roboticists. It's not hard to imagine a variation of it interpreting voice and motion commands for all PCs in the future.

Tobii's Gaze technology wowed reporters at CES as they controlled an asteroid-blasting spaceship - with their eyes. Just attach a small bar to the bottom of your Windows 8 PC monitor and shift your gaze, stopping to concentrate on whatever you want to open or enlarge. Currently selling for $995, the Tobii Rex is meant mainly for developers, but that doesn't mean a more-affordable version isn't on the horizon.

[Mar 15, 2012] 9 Tips for RSI Prevention

May 30, 2010

You've read a dozen times about good posture & wrist position, but else can I do? We put together a short list of [creative] tips.

  1. Swap out your keyboard & mouse 3 times a day. This one comes from some Google engineers who have a daily rotation of peripherals. This forces your hands into more of a variety of hand positions which is quite beneficial. Remember, we're trying to make what you do all day less repetitive.
  2. Stretch more than just your forearms. A lot of problems higher up in the arm & shoulder areas manifest in other areas like your wrists (think about how acupuncture needles are placed in other parts of the body than the area in pain). A full range of stretching [yoga is excellent] in the upper body can make a big difference.
  3. Non-smoking smoke breaks. You don't have to be a smoker to have an excuse to step outside!
  4. Pay attention to your posture when you go to sleep. Are you curled up into a ball or stacking 3 pillows for your head at night? Good posture increases circulation, which [in theory] helps you extremities heal. Sleep accounts for 1/3 of your day, so give it thought around the clock.
  5. Create macros for two-key keyboard combinations. The fewer keys you press, the less stress on you fingers right? For example ctrl-C [copy], ctrlX [cut], ctrl-V [paste] can all be made single keystrokes by various keystroke macro programs out there, or by specialty keyboards such as the logitech g13/g15. We did a writeup on using the g15 to consolidate key combos to a single button here.

[May 30, 2010] The Handshoe Mouse - First Impressions

The buttons are very solid and have a nice click to them. If you have severe 'trigger finger' then you might want something with a softer click. I will say the right button is softer than the left, so it might be a manufacturing inconsistency. The scroll wheel is the same story. While it's has an excellent feel and is very high quality, it doesn't exactly glide like butter like some mice. This is a mouse oriented towards relieving wrist pains & hand aches more so than trigger finger. For people with both trigger finger and wrist problems, you might consider this mouse in conjunction with perhaps a foot pedal for the mouse click.The verdict? I like it a lot. The build quality is excellent and it has a nice weight to it. The downside is that it costs $130

... ... ...

Update: It's now been 3 months since I initially wrote this post. So far I think this mouse takes the crown in effectiveness against RSI. My wrist pains have mostly subsided and my fingers aren't cramping like they used to. It strikes a great balance between a vertical & horizontal mouse. I'm starting to think there's something concrete here, like this mouse might be the magic bullet. It's pretty funky & gets a lot of comments from my coworkers, but if you're not afraid to be different and you're serious about your RSI, then this mouse should be near the top of your list.

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Last modified: March 12, 2019