Any keyboard and/or mouse recommendations for wrist / hand pain?

Question

I've been working on a start-up type of website, which means I've been coding for about 18 hours a day. My wrists and hands are starting to hurt. Any suggestions for keyboards, mouse or other tecniques to increase my comfort level?

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Exact Duplicate: What is the best keyboard/mouse for ergonomics or to prevent wrist pain?

Answer 1

To alleviate repetitive stress, simply stop repeating a motion, try:

Switch mouse hand, use the mouse with your left hand instead of right. It takes a while to get used to but it rests your wrist.

Change keyboard layout to Dvorak, this is a bit more of a challenge but it works. Investigate alternate input methods, speech, eye tracking, you can go as far as your budget will take you.

Answer 2

I had a problem years ago with just my mouse hand. I switched to using my left hand for the mouse. It helped a lot.

You should probably investigate other things like braces or see a doctor/physical therapist.

A pad under the wrist for the mouse hand also helped me. I did not need it for typing but I suspect a pad like that would also be good for both hands. You want to reduce the angle of the hands when typing/mousing and you need to give your wrists a break.

Taking a break from the work or taking breaks during the day is most likely a good idea.

Good luck - I hope you solve the pain problems.

Answer 3

I was actually having trouble with my wrist and shoulder (more shoulder). Switching to a track ball has helped significantly. I also keep a hand grip exerciser at my desk to use when I take a break.

Answer 4

Is this for your own company or a company you have a share in, or are you a salaried employee for someone else? If the latter, quit. If the former, unbridled development without stopping is very unhealthy. You should limit your coding to 8 hours a day. I don't mind if you project plan, or analyse marketing for your other waking hours. Make sure you take regular breaks away from the keyboard - 5 minutes every hour, and at least 30 minutes at lunch.

Don't screw your joints up for a few quid now. It isn't worth it for 40+ years of pain.

Answer 5

Get an ergonomic Keyboard (I've heard good things about the Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, which is what I want to get for the office)

Also: get a good chair, and make sure to adjust your desktop properly. That means: Keyboard at a good height, Monitors at a good height and distance. Have a look at this article. Seriously, this is not some esoteric women stuff, I learned that Desktop ergonomics are REALLY important.

Answer 6

I use a mouse mat like this one and a keyboard wrist support like this one and they make everything 20 times more comfy :)

Answer 7

Try different models with and without a wrist rest, a mousepad with one, different-sized mice, ergonomic keyboards, etc. People have very different preferences and reactions in this regard, and it might even help to switch between different models regularly so your hands aren't always in the same position.

Personally, the only two times I've had problems is when using mice from Microsoft, so I avoid those. And "ergonomic keyboard" are unusable to me.

Answer 8

Pay attention to how you're moving and see if there are any obvious improvements you can make. For instance I often use only the right shift key, and always with the same finger, causing it to get sore after a while.

Also consider that if you're using a right-handed mouse, you have to move your right arm about 1ft from the home position over the numpad to the mouse. That's bound to cause fatigue after a while.

Answer 9

You should investigate using a modal editor like vi - I find that keeping my hands in the proper touch-type position rather than moving between keyboard, mouse and arrow keys is a big help. I also have a SafeType keyboard that I bought from safetype.com after I tore a ligament in my wrist kayaking, and it's a lot easier on my wrists and elbows.

Answer 10

Apart from the obvious suggestion to take frequent breaks (and get some sleep, because the code you write in 18-hour coding sessions unfortunately tends to look like it was written in such a session), you'll probably need to address the whole set of ergonomic issues.

Namely, desk height, monitor height, are you sitting right in relation to your desk etc.

Keyboard-wise, I had a nerve injury in my left arm several years back and returning to a full-time programming career looked rather grim as I wasn't (and am still not really) able to use a standard keyboard for more than a couple of hours a day.

What saved my career was that I discovered the Kinesis Ergo contoured keyboard. These are a tad more "extreme" compared to, say, the MS Ergonomic offerings but they are miles ahead in comfort stakes once you get used to them. Getting used to them takes a little while (shorter if you can already touchtype, otherwise you'll learn that very quickly) and I'm not a big fan of the squishy row of function keys a la ZX Spectrum from the mid-eighties, but they work well enough for me that I now own several for the various machines I work on - and they're paid for out of my own pocket, which given the price should give you an idea as to how highly I rate them.

Answer 11

I'm shocked at how many companies disregard ergonomics.

I've had wrist pain off and on, and I keep it at bay with the following techniques:

• Stretch wrists before a stint at the keyboard.
• Take hands off keyboard when I pause to think. I had gotten into the habit of holding my hands poised over the keyboard.
• Use pen and paper for taking notes or sketching out designs, to give hands a break from keyboarding once in a while.
• Wear wrist supports while keyboarding. I've tried many velcro-based models, now I use SmartGlove.
• Use workstation with proper ergonomics. Chair/keyboard at correct height to keep my forearms level, sit up straight, monitor in good position to keep head straight.
• Don't use laptop keyboard and touchpad for day-to-day work - get a proper keyboard & mouse. Use laptop inputs only at coffee shop or on plane. Even then, bring a portable mouse.
• Don't code for 18 hours a day. I don't care that it's a startup, that's unhealthy for a variety of reasons.