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 had been struggling with severe RSI for a few years and no one thing helped. I would try something out and the pain would return in a few weeks. What eventually completely solved my problem is variation. I have several working spots using different devices (traditional mouse, vertical mouse, thumb balls, trackballs, pen tables, touchscreens). I’ve made sure to just change posture and devices every few weeks. Ever since doing that, my problems have completely gone away. A mobile standing desk that you can adjust for squatting to slouching to sittin to standing and walking is great adds a ton of variation.