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Tuesday 17 August 2004

How to beat RSI [Shedir]

OK then, how do you do it effectively?
Been doing IT shit for a living for 16 years now and it's finally caught up with me. Right wrist / thumb is a bit fucked. So thought I'd try some preventitive measures now, before it's too late altogether.
Step one, had a DSE done. So top of monitors are now level with my eyes when seated. Neck problems vanished in a day or two.
Step two. Put a timer on my desktop for breaks, Twitch!.
Step three. Relearn to type. I never bothered with the proper way to type. The way I'd taught myself on the Dragon 32 gave me high speed n accuracy. Now it would appear to be causing problems. Trying to undo 20 years of bad habits is hard!
To help I got an atype keyboard from Dabs. The keys are a bit squinted but it feels like it'll be a good one in the end. Wrists are nowhere near as crooked as when using the MS Natural keyboard.
Step four. MEDS! Doc gave me Movelat gel to help with the swelling and pain. Works a charm.
Slim has recommended one of these Dyna-Flex things. So I'll nick down to a sport shop and try to get one of them.
Anyone else got any top tips on how to keep your wanking hand in good working order?

13 comments:

  1. I've been suffering quite bad RSI lately, but it's improved for me recently. First, get a physio. A session shouldn't cost more than 30 quid, and will be well worth it. Next try to eliminate the cause, dodgy posture and taking breaks will help. If its right hand and not left, isn't it more likely to be mouse and not keyboard? I've swapped the pissy little mouse I had at work for the fuckoff large logitech one, and that's been a huge improvement for me. Finally exercise helped me, some light weights and the wrist excerciser you mentioned worked. I've still got aches, and I'm going to do a few more sessions at the physio but I'm hopefully on the mend.

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  2. Numero Uno if it's not mouse would be what's your wrist position (narf). If you're resting it on the table before the keyboard and not floating in the air (which let's face it most of us do) then you're exacer....making it worse. The correct position (watch a secretary is arms in teh air over the keyboard.

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  3. Slim, whats the model of this logitech one? I'm looking at loads of mice the now, never a pied piper when you need one, but nothing is leaping out as ideal.

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  4. I'm not sure what one Slim's got, but I've been using an MX700 for just over a year now - easily the best mouse I've ever used. Feels like it's custom moulded to your hand. If you're too tight to go cordless (not that we'd ever think that of an upstanding Jock such as yourself), the MX510 is the exact same mouse, but corded. I believe Lurker is using one of these?
    It should be pointed out, however, that neither of these are of any use to south-paws.

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  5. "Of no use to a southpaw"... Oooooh hark at him! I'm a "southpaw" and my mx900 is fine - so keep your unsolicited prejudices to yourself about peeps that happen to use their left hand as a clear sign of their higher intelligence! (IĆ¢€™ve grown a sixth digit to use the thumb switch..hehe)
    p.s. I've found wanking with your other hand helps relieve RSI (and other things!)
    p.p.s Muz you know I luv you really - even if you are right handed!

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  6. I refuse to believe it can be of that much use when your thumb is on the wrong size to use the cunningly named 'thumb buttons'.
    p.s. Freak!

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  7. The MX500 is the same as the MX700. The 510 has a higher resolution, faster sensor and a blue marble finish.

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  8. Those powerball things are available for 25 quid (woa !) from gajits.biz. I too am preparing to beat RSI, i don't fancy being crippled later on in life. Personally, i find the new MX500/700 mice to be quite heavy, but they are definitely shaped well.

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  9. Look at dat, it's lazer guided or summat.
    click me
    One of you gadget pods has gotta snap it up.

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  10. I'll have one early next week, I'll report findings later but Logitech are certainly on a roll.

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  11. I like the sound of the laser tracking system - if it basically increases the tolerance of the mouse for operation on rubbish surfaces, then that's a big improvement for me. Do they do a version with a cord or a bluetooth version, though? I can't find one on their site, and while wireless mice are great for desktops, they're an utter faff for laptops...

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  12. Immunity from tracking errors on reflective surfaces is the big one, yes. The 1000 is the only model at present - shame, I'm also hankering for a wired one. Bluetooth mice are fine for notebooks and a number of wireless ones have dongles so small you just leave them jacked in. I'd rather not an extra device with batteries though, I agree. I use the logitech wired optical mouse for notebooks which has a cord which perfect wraps around the base of it when you pack it away. It's diddy and nifty.

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