
On Office Ergonomics: An Interview with Thomas Levine - of
http://www.arachne.cc/issues/01/ergonomics-thomas-levine.html
======
jacobolus
“I have seen very few input devices that reduce this static loading and are
still as intuitive as keyboards or mice.”

Getting a keyboard split into two independent halves makes a huge difference
to the ability to adjust the workspace to reduce static strain. One of the
best currently available options, with a very easy learning curve, is the
Matias ErgoPro: [http://matias.ca/ergopro/](http://matias.ca/ergopro/)

As for mice: trackpads, trackballs, roller mice, and pen tablets are all
potentially more comfortable. Mice with different shapes can help, e.g. those
ones with the vertically oriented body which requires less wrist pronation.
Even without changing hardware, repositioning the mouse or adjusting desk or
chair can make a huge difference to mousing comfort.

~~~
troydavis
For a vertical mouse, consider the Evoluent VerticalMouse:
[http://evoluent.com/products/vm4r/](http://evoluent.com/products/vm4r/)

Regarding the interviewee's comment about portability, my VM and Kinesis
Freestyle ([http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/shop/freestyle2-for-pc-
us/](http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/shop/freestyle2-for-pc-us/)) traveled 25,000+
miles on a dozen flights in the past few years. Split keyboards are incredibly
portable. Combine with a Crate or Stanton foldable stand to elevate the
laptop.

For anyone choosing a keyboard,
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9605262](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9605262)
has more comments.

------
FrojoS
"TL: One major reason why people experience pain while at work is that they
seek stress and pain in their work; this is often called "work ethic" or "hard
work". If work ethic is very important to you and you manage to make your
workstation more comfortable, you should look for other sources of stress and
pain to compensate to compensate for the new-found comfort. (An easy one is
just to work longer.) Similarly, you probably already work very comfortably if
you value relaxation and health; if that is the case my above recommendations
will probably have only small impacts. ~*"

------
Rockslide
"Kinesis contoured keyboards are nice except they don’t have forearm support
because they’re above the table. ... If these keyboards could be recessed in
the desk rather than rested upon the desk, they could be neat."

1000x this. I recently got a Kinesis and this indeed is my single big problem
with it. Any Kinesis owners here that can recommend a practical setup that
allows to rest forearms and which is applicable to office inventory I don't
own (read: non-destructive)?

~~~
jacobolus
People usually need to rest their palms/wrists/forearms/elbows because they
are either (a) reaching their arms out forward or (b) holding their arms up
with their elbows sticking out to the side. The strain on the
back/shoulders/upper arms from holding the arms up for an extended period of
time then forces the use of some kind of support for relief. The typical
reason for either of these is too high a desk relative to the height of the
chair, and a keyboard which is too far in front of the body.

If you hold your keyboard close in to your torso such that your back is
straight, your shoulders are relaxed, and your upper arms hang loosely at your
sides, then this is not really a problem. If you watch e.g. professional
pianists or court reporters, or look at videos of secretaries from the 60s,
you’ll see no palmrests/armrests in sight. However, you must also make sure to
keep your wrists in a nearly straight, neutral position.

One intervention that might help is raising your chair relative to your desk.
Alternately, if you have a low chair / high desk and neither is adjustable,
tilting the keyboard up at the far end (e.g. by piling a book or two
underneath that side) can help considerably.

~~~
Rockslide
I appreciate your suggestions and will give them a try. One potential problem
I see is that while my desk and chair are height-adjustable, unfortunately the
armrests of my chair are not. That could get in the way of "hanging my arms
loosely at my sides".

