RSI @Lee

[Jamoe]

@Lee: powerballs are suppsoed to be good for RSI, might be worth investing in one. About £15 each, £8 with no digital display.

http://www.play.com/Gadgets/Gadgets/6-/Search.html?searchstring=powerball&searchtype=GADG&searchsource=0

Just to show you what it's about

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQPESY-pndw

Obviously you won't be going for high RPMs, more endurance. That Akis gets around 20k RPM, my top score is about 10,500. Its good fun and works muscles/joints throughout your hands, wrist, arms, shoulders and chest.

[Blunt]

not bad for RSI.

however, changing your posture is probably the best course in the long run.

Try changing your chair, look at the height of you desk, consider the angle of your keyboard and try an adjustable wrist support.

all depends where the rsi is though, and I've not seen you complain, so don't know the details.

[Gone_Away]

is lee dead?

[Blunt]

is lee dead?

No M8, that's RIP

[Lee]

Lol. Funny you mentioned this actually, i do have a powerball hanging about, i haven't been using it recently, but i tried it yesterday. However i can't help thinking that this is a repetitive action itself, but then again doing it 10 minutes a day is more beneficial than not doing it at all or excessively i guess.

No idea how that guy gets such a high RPM either! I'm about even with yours too Jamoe.

not bad for RSI.

however, changing your posture is probably the best course in the long run.

Try changing your chair, look at the height of you desk, consider the angle of your keyboard and try an adjustable wrist support.

all depends where the rsi is though, and I've not seen you complain, so don't know the details.

I've kept it quite quiet really, i'm sort of assuming it's RSI, it's leaning towards it, also worryingly i tend to rely a lot on my hands as i play guitar quite a lot too (i'm 99% certain it's come due to computing rather guitar as i'm careful with guitar) so it's on my mind at the moment, it doesn't necessarily hurt, but if i do a typical "holding mouse" position then the pins and needles seem to start to come, i'm definitely noticing pins and needles when i didn't used to. It seems to be in both hands but more in the dominant hand, maybe i'm fussing over nothing, but i'm going to get it checked out nevertheless. My mom has gone through a fair ordeal herself, she has had carpal tunnel syndrome for ages and has had to have surgery, but still lives with it now really.

Generally, i'd say the chair height is pretty good, i think my problem is i tense up a bit unwittingly during gaming, it could also just be because of the long hours i tend to spend on it. Another factor maybe my new mouse from x-mas, i had read reviews about it not being the most ergonomic mouse, i'd kind of agree with those to a certain extent.

[Le Rouge]

not bad for RSI.
 
however, changing your posture is probably the best course in the long run.
 
Try changing your chair, look at the height of you desk, consider the angle of your keyboard and try an adjustable wrist support.
 
all depends where the rsi is though, and I've not seen you complain, so don't know the details.

or you can play less CSS :-)

[DuVeL]

I agree on the setup that Blunt is saying. Deskhight, chairhight etc is really important. If your arm has some sort support so it can lean on the desk works for me.
For my left arm I'm using a Nostromo N52 instead of the keyboard which is really comfortable.

[Jamoe]

I figured you would have tried all the best practices for positions etc I started getting problems with playing too much a few years ago, and by using a wrist rest it seemed to cure everything up.

As for the powerball cuasing RSI, well like you said, you would only do it for 10 minutes or so, I imagine you sit at your PC for hours on end. Might be worth asking a Doctor about the powerball claims first.

I know what you mean about getting tense, you can get so engrossed in a game that you don't notice the pain until you stop. My back and shoulders are always knotted up after a good session on MH.

[Zootoxin]

RSI is something I worry about although I haven't had an attack of it im sure at some point my arms will drop off.

I work on a computer and sit at the most uncomfortable chair on the planet, go home Play on my computer if im not playing games I'm on Photoshop or dreamweaver, if im not on the computer im either drawing or learning guitar!
Oh and I use my PSP on the tube.!! Quite scary now I have written it down.

Maybe I should spend more time lifting pints?

[DuVeL]

About your chair at work, tell your boss about it.
I've sometimes got backproblems because of my height and a decent chair is the least thing your boss can arange for you.
To me it comes a bit from both sides, your boss want you to do a decent job, you want a decent working envirement. You can allways point to him out that if you have to stay at home because of backpains or such, your work wont be done (offcourse depending on the kind of work you do).
 
What I also pointed out to my boss was my mouse, as I've got large hands they wouldn't fit properly on my mouse and my hand was a bit in a cramped position. I got to order a new one which suited me fine (got the exact same mouse now at home).
 
I also work +8 hours each day behind the computer and when I'm home the computer goes on again aswell. I'll have a look if I can find the "workingsafe behind a computer" brochure again...
 
EDIT;
For typing;

 
Laptops;

 
For gaming I allways look for support on either my wrist on the mouse or my elbow on the desk but this is how I prefer it at long gamingsessions.

[Jamoe]

I had the same thing regarding chairs, I had a bad chair and it gave me back problems, told my boss and she replaced it with a nice s****y new one.

[DuVeL]

Maybe next time you should pick the chair?
 
Or as a previous boss off mine did, hire a professional consultant who looks at these kind of things at your workenviroment. (Although most things you can adjust yourself).
 
Interesting thread as you can see, sorry that I keep replying but in my line of work I came upon alot of worksituations.
Sometimes just asking your boss for something is the best way. Otherwise, keep stretching your back/arms/fingers alot untill they notice and ask what the problem is. :flirty:

[delanvital]

is lee dead?

No M8, that's RIP

:roflmao: ... Just made my day. Oh, that, and also watching This is Spinal Tap again.

Hope you are not too bad there Lee mate :thumb:

[Blunt]

Read this article today

[Lee]

Will have a read of that link after Blunt, thanks.

At college, unfortunately as i'm doing sound engineering it's all based on instruments and computers, the main factors of RSI. The computer desks we use atm are so ergonomically poor at the moment it's unbelievable. A wrist support could be a good idea.