HEALTH, EQUIPMENT

How I'm dealing with my RSI

Like a lot of people working in tech, I’ve developed repetitive strain injuries (RSI) over the years. These symptoms emerged in 2015 when I started working as a UX designer. Since then, I’ve run the gamut of RSI pain, which was sometimes scary, but has mostly subsided as I learned more and consulted medical experts. So! I wanted to share my findings here in case it might be helpful to someone.

Caveat: I’m not a medical expert. But if you’re reading this and you’ve wondered about whether you have RSI symptoms - please see a medical expert!

💪 RSI symptoms I’ve experienced over the years

  • Ulnar neuropathy (cubital tunnel syndrome), which can result in:
    • Numbness and tingling in the pinky and ring fingers
    • Elbow pain
  • Wrist pain
  • Neck and back pain (especially between the shoulder blades)
  • Bad posture / stooped shoulders

🙅 What DID NOT work (or yielded mixed results)

Pushing through the pain - ugh, just don’t do it!

  • Bad idea. Luckily, I have a fairly low pain tolerance threshold, so this didn’t last long haha. Just remember - stop when you feel pain!

Mushy membrane or butterfly switch keyboards

  • Absolutely terrible on the hands, wrists, and arms.
  • The worst offender was the 13-inch Macbook Pro I used for work around 2018-2019. The butterfly switch keyboard has almost no travel and you’re constantly “bottoming out” on the keys, which sends painful shocks up the lengths of the forearms. The worst pain I’ve ever felt in my hands and arms has been when typing on that keyboard.

Digital drawing tablet

  • For a few months in 2019, I tried and failed to use a drawing tablet instead of a traditional mouse. Although it offered temporary relief from the repetitive clicking and elbow movements with the traditional mouse, I eventually developed a pain in my wrist that was far worse. As soon as I started feeling pain, I dropped using the tablet immediately.

Standing desk

  • I’ve tried these with mixed results over the years. In general a standing desk is a good way to make sure your blood is circulating. But ultimately, I could never get the setup quite right for my monitor height, desk height, arm rest angle, posture, and leg fatigue. It was a lot of constant realignment that was too much trouble for me in the end.

Vertical mouse

  • This was OK. Definitely better than a traditional mouse, providing relief for my wrists and fingers, but it still required me to make somewhat frequent elbow movements that worsened my elbow pain.

🎉 What DID work

Actually seeing a physical therapist

  • In early March 2020, pre-quarantine, I saw an orthopedic doctor who referred me to one of their in-house physical therapists. This physical therapist changed my life! Not only did she identify where the pain was stemming from, but she also provided me with a set of great stretching exercises and advice.
  • Nearly all of the bullet points below are related to what I learned from her. Remember, if you’re experiencing pain that you feel could be RSI-related, please see a physical therapist. They know what’s up!

Pomodoro timer

  • I set up a digital timer when I’m working on my PC to take a short break every 25 minutes and a long break every hour.
  • During this time I stretch, walk around, drink water, and do some of the exercises prescribed by my physical therapist.
  • This has been a game changer.

New office equipment

  • Smaller mechanical keyboard (tenkeyless) - Below: My current home office setup, with keyboard at a slight angle when I don’t need to do a lot of typing. Maybe one day I’ll upgrade to a split keyboard! On the left is a little black notebook that serves as a wrist support haha.
    • After my physical therapy visit, I realized that I was experiencing elbow pain whenever extended my right arm to reach for my mouse. When I angled my office keyboard slightly to more closely position my mouse, there was significantly less elbow pain.
    • I dusted off my 2012 Cooler Master QFR mechanical keyboard, which is a tenkeyless model (87 keys vs. the 100+ keys of traditional US keyboards) and started using it again. It occupies much less horizontal space, which allows me to place my mouse right next to it, within easy reach. No strain and no pain! This is now what I use regularly and it’s been working great for me.
  • Kensington Orbit Trackball Mouse with Scroll Ring (amazon link)
    • Speaking of mice, I ultimately ditched traditional mice altogether. I did a lot of reading about trackball mice and took the plunge on a Kensington model with a scroll ring.
    • Using the trackball means that I don’t have to flex my elbow to move the cursor around. It also means that I can use four fingers to push it around, which is really comfortable.
    • The scroll ring has a soft “inertia”, or a feeling of momentum, when used. This is great, meaning I don’t need to scroll repetitively as I would with a traditional mouse wheel.
    • Going on 7 or so months now, this is the comfiest damn mouse I have ever used. It has a learning curve, but now I will never go back to using traditional mice (except for gaming I guess haha).
  • Removing the arms of my office chair
    • My physical therapist advised that if possible, I should remove the arms of my office chair. When I asked why, she explained that the arms were probably keeping my elbow flexed in a tense position that was exacerbating my condition.
    • When I got back to the office, I got the arms of my chair removed, sat down and got to work. Lo and behold, immediate elbow pain relief :0
  • Tall desk + armless drafting chair with good lumbar support
    • In the new Covid world, I had to get a new chair, as my home office chair was simply too short (I needed like three different cushions to be seated properly at my desk haha).
    • For my home office, I got an armless drafting chair from home depot with excellent lumbar support. The adjustable height allows me to minimize the distance between the tops of my thighs and my arms at resting level.
    • The back of the chair tilts with pressure, which allows me to sit in a slightly leaning back position, that’s really comfortable.
    • Again, not having arm rests on this chair has been fantastic. Highly recommended!
  • Monitor height raised
    • I’ve raised my monitor quite a bit so that the top of it is roughly aligned with the top of my skull. This allows me to sit comfortably and slightly leaned back, so that my neck does not crane downwards.

Playing classical guitar again

  • This is kind of atypical but maybe relevant to mention.
  • Since quarantine, I’ve picked up classical guitar again (after not playing for many years). I’ve noticed that the regularity of building muscle and playing exercises to increase the flexibility, control, and precision of my hands has also positively impacted my comfort during work at the computer.

Phew, well that’s everything I think! Hopefully this can help someone else down the line :)