I had similar problems. In my case, the solution was a combination of: ergonomic (split) keyboard, ergonomic mouse (a pen-mouse) and a break program. The most important component was the break program - regular breaks and stretches/exercises is great.
It's the first time I've heard about a pen-mouse! How long did it take you to get used to it? I switched from Apple Trackpad to MX Vertical and the first couple of days were challenging due to the mouse profile, but then I got used to it and I enjoy it
It didn't take long at all - maybe a day or so. I've been using one ever since, I really like them. It's a very natural grip for the hand (unlike for a regular mouse).
The first time I was exposed to the idea of stretches specifically for computer users was from Day9.tv. One of his earlier videos has a few hand and wrist exercises that seemed to help me.
I have a similar story, started having wrist pain/numbness in 2020, switched to a tilted keyboard/pointer, and the problem went away.
With the relatively large market for boutique keyboards, I think it's bizarre that the focus is largely on mechanical switches, rather than actual ergonomic issues. It would have been nice to have more, cheaper options for tilting.
I had a similar experience. The important components of getting back to where I could work comfortably were:
- Kinesis Advantage 2 LF
- Apple trackpad mounted in between the wells of the keyboard
- Wear wrist braces while sleeping
- Stretches
- Massage gun on my forearms, neck, and shoulders
To learn to use the Kinesis Advantage 2 while recovering I also had to relearn how to type and for the first month I could only type very slowly (even in beloved Vim).
It's been two years since I nearly had to stop working. I'm still not 100%. Using a regular mouse quickly becomes uncomfortable and if I don't keep up with my stretches I end up in a bad place. I'm looking forward to the new Kinesis keyboard that comes out later this year since it will allow be to put more space between my hands.
I'm on 27 years without any wrist problems which I attribute to my typing style. I am self-taught and don't use any known position like home row. My fingers don't have designated keys, instead choosing a finger depending on which is closest or which fingers are best suited to do a combination of keys or a pattern. My elbows are usually outside so that my wrists are not normally bent on the side and lay straight, think < > but not so extreme. If possible I keep my seat high so that my arms are in a downward slope so that my wrists are not bent upwards. It's harder to do this when using a laptop w/o an external kb. Home row puts incredible strain on wrists and find it to be a horrible way to teach people to type. Similar to when they teach you to learn piano, the elbow positioning is important to reduce wrist pain.
Since he talks about wpm, I'll elaborate on mine. When I was 13 my keyboarding class instructor in 7th grade tried to force me to learn home row, but was nice enough to make a deal that if I could beat him in a typing test I could type my way. I scored a 96 versus his 88 and won. In my 20s I was in the low 150s on my best days in a DOS-based typing software. I have an official 136 wpm score with 95% accuracy at our state job agency back in the early 2000s, they said their highest recorded, which included tests with paragraphs in nothing but symbols. I know the method works but I haven't figured out a reliable way to teach it to others and I don't know if it works for short fingers or if shorter fingers would possibly make it work better.
I did that, 4 times a week, lots of curls, deadlifts, etc. Regular exercise, it's a bandaid, you feel really good after a session but wake up the next day and it's back. The underlying issue is the pressure you put on your wrist and the time spent doing so.
You're right, it could have been. I didn't really consider it back then, but maybe part of the reason my pain came back was because I stopped going to the gym (due to lockdown)
Yeah, I brought it up because my wrist pain completely disappeared after I started getting serious about calisthenics. My theory is that having strong wrists and grip makes keyboard and mouse strain a joke.
I also believe squats and deadlifts heal back pain faster than the fancy chairs that get shilled on this site too. :)
What worked for me is mainly the Dvorak layout and a small keyboard. I can code quite comfortably and for a long time on a MacBook.
That’s the cheapest solution but be sure to install and train with a touch typing software (i believe i used Klavaro on linux). You will be productive again more quickly.
For the extra comfort, I bought an EZ plank (i used a typematrix before). Small ortholinear keyboards are great. Split keyboards seems fantastic but i like the small thing on my desk.
I use both a master mx mouse and an apple touchpad. That’s my only pain right now. I switch from one to the other or occasionally use the keyboard’s mouse feature to avoid hands travel and change the repetitive movements. This part is not perfect but the pain is really low.
Lastly, I cut a piece of wood to serve as a palm rest and put the the touchpad below the keyboard. Very comfortable.
My solution is to use an L shaped table, siting at 45º in the internal angle of it, so each of my elbows rest on the table and not on the arms of the chair.
Having the elbows more appart have a similar efect as rotating the wrist in an ergonomic keyboard. It also releases neck and back tension as I am forced to sit more straight.
This is a thing basic for me. I couldn't sit in the standard way perpendicular to a table with my elbows in the chair arms for half an hour and not feel strain, but I've never seen this option discussed in any ergonomics guide ever.
I've had to change things up a few times over the years mostly related to the mouse. Dude, are you left-handed? No, switched hands with the mouse because my right elbow hurts. Listen to your body. Adapt.
I find kinda funny how the article states "the first week are rough".
My first week with the ergodox I changed the layout something like 10 times per day, I had to look at the keyboard often, I made so many typos. Writing a sentence would take minutes and finally I had to rebind the backspace to be under my thumb, because how often I had to correct typos (it's still there by the way).
That being said, I do love the ergodox, but I still use qwerty.
Highly recommend the "Alternative finger positioning" as mentioned here: https://typingsoft.com/typing.htm. It works with any qwerty keyboard! Simple solution, don't bend you wrists, change your home position and keep them straight.
I think this is really interesting. Are you using this typing style by yourself? If yes, how fast can you type with it? Touch-typing? Do you know some courses or further writeups etc. to teach this method, or is it really completely diy to learn it as mentioned in the link?
Also, a standing desk and monitor pole mount helped in order to lower the desk to a more equitable height to my arms while allowing my monitor to be at eye level.
Now, I don't have any wrist pain or issues, and the big thing I think is the wrist braces.
Very similar situation. It started a few years ago and I ignored it until it got really bad last year. I couldn't work more than a few hours a day and any gaming, forget that.
If I were to describe the pain it would be 100/100. Here's how I got it down to 5 and sometimes 0 on a good day.
1. I did 5 weeks of shock therapy on my wrists, I didn't notice much after the first two weeks, just some slight alleviation, maybe to about 85/100, the third week I noticed incredible differences, my hands felt like new.
2. I stopped using my wrist rest as I found it added to the pressure on my right wrist and the keyboard hand rest the same on my left and started a bit of more hover typing (no contact with my wrist or hands on the desk), takes some getting uses to but no press point really helps.
3. I invested in an ergonomic mouse, I used the logitech mx ergo [1] with the trackball, took about 2 weeks to get used to but once you do there's no going back (your hand doesn't move and sits in a comfortable spot). If i'm gaming or doing anything time critical I might switch back to a regular mouse but I make sure to move my arm and not my wrist, I also want to try a vertical mouse one day as well.
4. I got a massage gun [2] and heated glove that I use a few times a week as well as exercising my hands frequently, stretches and curls with light weights.
I'd say the biggest turning point was shock therapy however, when I did the actual reading on it and what my physical therapist explained to me, there is a median nerve that gets pinched [3] and that's the cause of the majority of the pain for most cases. Sometimes it originates from the shoulder and neck area but that's where the massage gun comes in handy in not letting my upper body muscles get too tight. Shockwave therapy is expensive and I will likely do it a few times a year just because but the massage gun with the jolting is a close alternative.
I really hope this post helps someone because the above did wonders for me and I preach it to everyone I can. It took only ~4 months to basically nullify years of pain and improve my QoL.
https://henrikwarne.com/2012/02/18/how-i-beat-rsi/