This is turning out to be a consistently hot summer, isn't it!
... and the chairs in this college are awkward, not properly adjustable (i.e., you can only adjust their height, not the back cushion height or angle), so I get warning signs in my back more or less as soon as I sit in them! And all the monitors are sat on the desktop machines, meaning they're all about 8" too low too, which is pretty bad going for people who use computers a lot! I stole some catalogues from a drawer to prop up my monitor so it's more bearable!
Anyone who uses computers should study some ergonomics and learn how to keep things comfortable and safe... the disadvantages of not doing this (I learned) are too great to ignore.
ok I'm in a tetchy mood!
Summer & Ergonomics
July 15th, 2003
I had a serious spate of RSI a few years back. I eventually solved it by changing keyboard and installing a footrest, and have never looked back.
Fortunately, I'm I.T. Manager, so I was able to buy a dozen or so keyboards and choose the one that suited me best, then put the rest in stores for use as spare parts. I ended up with a Keytronic, though I know plenty of people hate them.
I was Senior Programmer and lead of the web development team, so I got us all Monitor raisers and proper mice/stuff.
This taught me two very important lessons, before they became relevant to me. Firstly, if it hurts, stop. Stop at once. What you're typing is not important enough to be worth crippling yourself over. Secondly, subtle changes to workspace ergonomics can make a very large difference.
Armed with this knowledge, when I got bad RSI myself (a ganglion forming on the carpal tunnel in my left wrist), I treated the matter sufficiently seriously, with the result that I solved the problem in less than a fortnight. I dread to think what might have happened otherwise.
Another thing that messes with my typing ergonomics is thinking consciously about it, however, so I'm going to go away now and try to distract myself onto some completely other topic before returning to the keyboard. (-8
As soon as I started doing stretches and correct excercises, the pain immediately transfered to my upper back (which was the cause of my displaced arm pain), and now I recognize the warning signs within ten minutes whenever I sit at a PC that isn't layed out properly.
They said if I left it longer, I'd have ended up a cripple, potentially losing control of my whole body below my fourth vertebraae (which had slipped out of position due to posture & ergonomics ignorance). My shoulder blade had also slowly been pushed down 1 inch by bad posture & tense computing positions.
I was lucky in that now I do the stretches and take care, I know I wont have a problem again, but until I took those steps I was doing myself increasing damage!
Re:
and i get it from typing, writing, holding a phone, holding a book up to read...sewing etc etc etc
i have had tendonitis for 10 years, and ganglion on and off for about 3 years and it affects most of my arm adn hand these days ho hum, atleast i now can semi-touch type ;) which helsp lots