Hi fellow programmers.
How do you ensure to prevent RSI and/or manage RSI? Especially with your hands and arms.
For those who don’t know, RSI is a disorder that occurs when repeating the same movements too much for a long period of time. This frequently occurs when sitting behind a desk and using keyboard and mouse the entire day.
I personally have a great (but expensive) chair with arm rests and have a slightly ergonomic mouse (it has a curve, to make it more comfortable for my thumb).
Honestly, I dislike having to disrupt my computer activities every hour, because I’m usually quite immersed / invested into whatever I’m doing. Whether that’s watching a movie, developing an app or simply playing videogames. However, I’ll probably have to start taking frequent breaks, in order to prevent RSI from taking a hold in my body. Unfortunately, we only get one body, one chance, so let’s not mess it up with neglecting breaks and acquiring RSI.
I mainly use ergonomics. I got a chair that works for me, I switched to a Kinesis Freestyle Pro, I switched to a trackball mouse, I raised my monitors up, and if I’m going to be doing a bunch of typing, I throw on wrist braces with aluminum stays.
The split keyboard and better posture were the biggest wins for me. The whole mechanical keyboard fad has been terrible for people’s wrists.
Other things I’ve heard worked for some people that are worth trying: warm gloves or compression gloves. Apparently some people get pain in their wrists from typing in cold environments (like an office). Taking breaks, doing wrist stretches, and having hobbies that use your hands differently can certainly help.