colin dellow's bln

So last week I had this tingling feeling in my hands.

And occasionally my fingers felt kinda numb.

And typing was difficult -- my fingers weren't as nimble as they should have been.



Do you know how scary that is? You do -- great! Now imagine you're me. I exist through my computer. It's how I communicate, how I learn, and how I do my work. It is probably the most consistent source of joy in my life. Call me a nerd, but I love seeing what technology can do. I love how it connects people. My computer, but more so my ability to type, is largely, horribly, irreversibly tangled up in my definition of self.

Now picture this scenario if you were me: the one tool that has defined you since you were 5 and you cannot use it. Even though you have the knowledge within your brain to make great things happen, you cannot force your hands to make real the impulses you have. The nerves just aren't doing their job. Sorry, Colin: no love for you today! Try sleeping... maybe tomorrow the problem will just magically go away!

And for a week, I did just that. I slept, and I hoped. I slept, and I hoped. I slept, and I hoped. I slept, and I hoped. By the time I got in to see the doctor, the problem had (mostly) gone away. The doctor told me I had aggravated my ulnar nerve likely based on how I sit. Nothing to worry about, just pay more attention. And today, I feel mostly back to normal.




But for a week, I was silently scared shitless. Know the feeling you get when you whack your funny bone? That's because you've pissed off your ulnar nerve. So, while it was great to hear that I probably don't have RSI, I was, to repeat myself, absolutely scared shitless. Living with a lifelong buzzing in my arms is NOT what I envisioned when I was young.

So I'm treating this as an enormously lucky break and the world's loudest wake-up call. I've done a lot of research into RSI and ergonomics. I'm ditching my $10 existing keyboard for a $130 ergonomically happy keyboard. The benefits:

• Less force to depress individual keys
• Much more neutral pronation in the wrists
• Non-alphanumeric keys are distributed equally over left/right hands (e.g. function keys, arrow keys, page down/up, home/end)
• Narrower profile on desk, enabling mouse to be closer to body

I'm also going to pick up a $10 gel mousepad with wrist support. My mouse is a moderately ergonomic one, and I think with wrist support and being that much closer to my body due to the new keyboard's reduced profile, it'll be just fine. Plus it was a Valentine's day gift from Jenn -- it's got sentimental value!

As well, I've installed Workrave. It's a free program for Windows, Mac and Linux to remind you to take rest breaks as well as micropauses throughout the day. It'll even lock your computer to encourage recalcitrant people to take breaks.

Lastly, I'm doing research into daily stretches I can do strengthen the weaker muscles in my hands, wrists and arms.

If you're a computer nerd and you've had any of the symptoms of RSI -- weak grip, tingling, numbness, clumsiness, difficulty sleeping due to your wrists/hands, pain in the upper arms, pain in the forearms -- go see a doctor! And start doing research on typing injuries! And if you're not in pain now... remember this blog post just in case something happens in the future.