Fixing/Relieving RSI?

[snevok]

Hello geekhack forums.  I've been on the forums quite a bit, but never posted.  Today, that changes    ; however, it isn't really on a good note. 
I've always been extremely into computers and technology in general.  Being surrounded by tech can be beneficial in certain respects, like letting me type up to 90wpm on a good day, 75-80 on average.  However, there are obviously drawbacks, keeping up with the latest and greatest is expensive, forcing me to get a job to pay for the expensive hobby.  Of course, this job turned out to be in the graphics department of a company, so hooray for that  .  Constantly being on the computer for hours and hours on end, whether it be in school taking notes on my laptop, at home typing or gaming on my MX Reds, or at work on the Apple chicklets, the constant repetitive typing motions have begun to take a toll on my hands.  My wrists crack when I tilt them outwards and inwards, and my fingers always ache.  It isn't bad pain, but it has definitely gotten worse over the past year, and it is at the point where I am starting to worry.  I've just started to learn Dvorak to see if that would help relieve any pain, but it could take months to learn and I only started yesterday.  The problem is, I'm only 15, and I don't want to have to live the rest of my life typing with bad wrists and fingers.  Are there any ways to help fix/relieve my (what seems to be) RSI before it gets worse?  I was thinking about getting an ergonomic keyboard and mouse, but the Ergodox is pretty expensive for me, being only 15 and making minimum wage.  Any feedback is greatly appreciated, and thanks in advance!

[trees]

I have started to develop Carpal Tunnel from computer use myself. I Went to my doctor and he did 2 things:

1. He told me to change how i do things. Get a good wrist wrest to rest on when you are typing, and find a better way to use a mouse, using my arm to move the mouse instead of just my wrist.

2. He gave me a brace to wear, as often as possible, to keep from moving my wrist too much during the day.

These have helped immensely, but on top of that i took his #1 a step farther and got a Logitech M570 trackball for work. This combined with a mouse rest has made my wrists feel 100x better. The cracking of my wrists has started to go down, and i find that my hands are in less pain after being at work all day now.

[snevok]

Sounds simple enough, I'll see if me mum can get me an appointment with a doctor. 

[davkol]

Have you read any of the jacobolus' or Oobly's walls of text yet?

[Sc0tTy]

Afaik a wrist rest are a big no no.

The best thing you can do IMHO (I have RSI/CANS and I wish that somebody told me this 15 yrs ago):

Hardware
Get a good split keyboard and if possible without a numpad so that the mouse you use is closer to your body. Best to avoid cheap dome switches. I myself have a TEK on which I can move the CTRL on the same row as the ASDF keys and have no issues with my pinky since then.

Get a good mouse, a mouse that's tilted a bit is already a lot better.
IMHO you shouldn't go for a trackball, I tried several (still own one for server management) and they just overloaded my thumb and they stop you from moving your arm. Instead if you have the money a Bamboo Pen & Touch is what you want (except for gaming).

Make sure your desk height is right for you and that your chair is also ergonomic and at the right height (though chairs in general are bad for you in the long run but that's another topic).

Body posture
Make sure that your hands hover above your keyboard while typing, don't put them on a wrist rest. And try to lay them down at the side when not using (specially your left arm, which kills me at the end of the day if I forget).

I don't think sitting at a 90 degree angle is good for your body but that's what most chairs only allow, I can't even do that anymore with my Sciatica.
Try to increase that angle if possible but without loosing support for your back.
And yes body posture matters because its all connected and puts strain on other parts of your body, the best Hardware can only do so much for you.

Software
Install WorkRave (http://www.workrave.org/) or another software that makes you take breaks. It took my a couple of years to find the right timing in which I don't get annoyed but still get enough rest. Without this I'd be in pain the next day.
My settings are 3m break every 18m30s and a 6m15s break every 37m30s, though you probably wont need such aggressive timing.

This is my advice as somebody who is been suffering with different kinds of RSI/CANS symptoms, I am no expert (doctors IMHO aren't either) but speak from experience. And remember medicine is not a solution to the problem its only a solution to the symptom.

Own and doing something like Yoga is really great too, it makes sure it stretches all the stuff that gets stiff and short from all that sitting.

[Melvang]

I would have to agree with Sc0tTy here.  Wrist rests are usually very frowned upon for wresting on while typing.  If you want to get one, you should only be resting on it when not actually typing.  Also, if you could post pics of your setup with you sitting at it in a typing position.  Camera position directly to the side with the camera close to the elevation of your keyboard usually seems to work best. 

Also, keyboard height in relation to your body plays in largely into the angle of your keyboard.  The relative height to your body isn't that critical, so long as your hands are parallel with your forearms while typing.

Also, try and slow down your typing and focus on NOT bottoming out.  From what I have seen here though, that is usually very difficult with reds, and impossible with rubber domes and chiclet keyboards due to having to bottom to register a keystroke.

[VoteForDavid]

http://www.amazon.com/Pain-Free-at-Your-PC/dp/0553380524

^this

but also, I couldn't do all day with a straight keyboard and a mouse.  Split/ergonomic keyboard and trackball are required for me to do data entry for more than a few tens of minutes at a time.

[tp4tissue]

You need a split keyboard..

it doesn't have to be mechanical..

But a split keyboard that can Tent in the middle will go the greatest distance in alleviating wrist pain.