Originally Posted by: NickB I just had surgery on my shoulder, to releve a pinched nerve, now that that is better I am finding that the pinched nerve was masking an Repetetative Strain Injury (RSI) in my lower arm caused by twistting my arm to hold a mouse. A tablet / stylus would allow my arm to not be twisted and is much more natural as it does not force a position, hence my interest.
Nick, I'm very sorry to hear about that. A couple of years back, when I started my degree, I developed a cold shoulder- the pain was like nothing I had experienced before, and I had to hold my arms
above my head, as this was the only way to relieve the pain. I went to all kinds of wacky alternative therapies including a Mctimothy Chiropractor, who literally tapped my back with his fingers, and then charged me $100!!!
Actually what fixed it, after 4 months of extreme pain and discomfort, and hundreds of heavy duty pain killers doled out by my ignorant GP, was the good old NHS physiotherapist, who gave me 2 very basic and easy to do exercises, and the pain simply 'lifted' away!
I learnt much about "RSI" in this period too. So did my wife, who is now a qualified CIPD HR officer. She found that there is actually
no such thing as RSI!! 'Repetitive Strain Injury' is actually caused by poor or bad ergonomic set up. For eg, a chair and a desk is just as important as the software that you use, and if you spend $1000+ on software, really you should spend just as much on furniture, and attention to setting that up properly- like top of the monitor at eye level, and proper amounts of table area, to help support wrists etc.
The problems comes where either employers, or individuals don't pay attention to these guidelines. Laptops for eg, are extremely bad for your posture- I'm typing on one now, while sitting in a "Chesterfield" type chair. I can feel the pain in my arm already, as there is no support for my arms, the monitor is also at knee level, so my head is looking down, and not moving much- producing even more strain. But we carry on doing it, because it is convenient.
I'm sorry to hear that you have had surgery, as you may have been able to avoid it. One guy who worked (he had to retire- at 38!) for the company my wife works for. He had surgery, after having a CAT scan, for minor lower back pain, and he's now permanently disabled, has lost his ability to walk, and this can, and will happen to the unfortunate ones, with and after surgery. Surgery does NOT have a 100% safety record. You were, according to my wife, very fortunate.
The bottom line is, get your ergonomics set up properly. Just having your monitor at the correct height makes a massive difference for you neck, arms and shoulders. A good chair will cost $1000++ but it's worth every penny, because days off work, also, as you already know, will cost you. Make sure that the chair can be fully adjusted, and don't get fooled by those kneeling back chairs either, they are rubbish! (They don't offer any arm or back support, so you end up sitting on them like a normal chair). Your desk also, should be fully height adjustable. My desk is made by IKEA, it's very good- but I wouldn't recommend IKEA's chairs at all. These are really badly made, and offer little adjustment.
I would recommend they above to everyone on this forum, who suffers the same problems. This site;
http://www.tropsoft.com/ergotimer/workstation.htmhas a very good workstation set up diagram, but my wife would also recommend a foot rest also in some conditions.