Ergonomics advice?

[n12]

Hello everyone,

Let me preface this by saying I'm a 23 year old CS student and I have spent almost half of my life using the computer during almost all free time I had. Now knowing that I will be working on or with computers for the rest of my life(hopefully), I have become more concerned with ergonomics and making sure that I don't end up looking like the Hunchback of Notre-Dame in a few more decades. I have invested in a new keyboard, but I realize that there's a lot more to ergonomics than just your keyboard. Is there any advice that I should know when shopping for a desk or chair, such as height of the keyboard, where the monitor should be in relation to my eyes or field of view, or any other general recommendations? Even if it isn't something involving desks or chairs, I'd be happy to read any advice that you guys may have on this subject.

I appreciate your help in advance!

[Lanx]

you could use the standard 90/90/90. your legs should be 90 bent at the knee, your back straight into a chair with lumbar support, your elbows bent in a 90 degree.

I believe your monitor should be head on and with enough distance to see the whole screen w/o moving your head, try extending your arm like your punching your monitor, your fist should just touch your monitor.

then we get into the debatable areas like is a footrest necessary for circulation, should you/not have a headrest, does it promote lazy viewing.

Lots of these are subjective imo and your not really going to find definite answers.

here's an old crappy vid i took of my workspace a while ago
http://www.youtube.com/user/lanxkai#p/a/u/0/B1leKAi-LRQ
, also i'm pretty much making my second mech ergo keyboard too, this ergo thing really can go on forever, just depends on how much you can tolerate vs. how much you need change
for instance.
I really can only use the microsoft ergo4k keyboard but since trying out mech boards i've come to hate the way it feels, and since there really aren't "normal" ergo options available, mod my own.

[bionicroach]

Certainly, having a decently supportive, adjustable chair and a desk or keyboard tray at the right height to keep your wrists neutral is important, but I cannot stress enough how critical it is to take regular rest breaks during which you stretch and walk around.  I tried out a couple of very expensive desk chairs with no noticeable improvement in my back pain until I realized that the issue was not so much a lousy chair as the fact that I was just plain sitting in one position for far too long.

I now use an excellent free utility called Workrave to help me keep track of when I need to take rest breaks.  It will run on Windows or Linux and can be found here:

http://www.workrave.org/

The default settings are a good place to start, but the app is pretty flexible if you want to tweak them to suit your work style and physical needs.  I find that a break reminder every 50 minutes of solid computer use is enough to keep me from having any soreness or RSI issues.

Regarding desk chair advice: My current favorite chair is the Zody by Haworth.  It's certainly not cheap, but very adjustable and well made.  The reason I like it is because it has the ability to provide excellent support in either a reclining position OR a forward leaning tilt position.  I often like to lean forward into my work, and most chairs do not support my back properly in that position.  The arm rests are also highly adjustable and well padded.  The seat depth is adjustable as well, which is a must with chairs for me because many chairs hit the back of my legs in the wrong spot and cut off the circulation.

http://www.haworth.com/en-us/Products/Furniture/Seating/Desk/Pages/Zody.aspx

Also, I have found that many chairs do not have arm rests that adjust properly, particularly if you like to use a keyboard tray.  I will actually remove the arm rests if I am stuck with a chair that won't adjust properly.  Not having arm rests also forces you to sit up and not slouch, so that's not necessarily a bad way to go if you can get used to not using them.

BTW -- Congrats on your excellent choice of majors.  In hindsight, I certainly which I'd pursued CS when I was your age.  I got into the field late and I feel like I'm always behind the curve these days.

[microsoft windows]

Just a few simple things can help you avoid RSI. First off, keep your keyboard flat and do not use the legs. Using your keyboard with the legs up causes you to bend your wrists in an unnatural way. I did that for a long time and it caused pain.

Second, don't ever rest your wrists while typing. A good way to do this is to put the keyboard at the very edge of the table. When you rest your wrists, rest them by doing other things.

Third, you can use a few differently-shaped mice with both hands. Use a trackball or two, along with some mice if you want. The variety will keep you from keeping your hand in the same position all day, which can help avoid RSI.

[n12]

Thanks for the responses. This is exactly the info I'm looking for. That Zody executive chair looks amazingly comfortable.

[NamelessPFG]

I sometimes ask myself this very question, but have a very different setup that needs to be considered. One with a hell of a lot of specialized input devices that all should be within comfortable reach, with more to come. (As it currently is, I have to move them around way too much, and the mouse is mounted a bit high for my liking due to the chair height, which just happens to be about right for the monitor height.)

Finding the ideal chair is just part of it, albeit a big one. I still have to think about how I'm going to place it and what arm rests or mounts I'll build around it. (I'd prefer not to have existing arm rests because they'll get in the way.) Furthermore, it has to sit high enough to keep my eyes level with my main monitor, but low enough that I can reach foot pedals. (This is why a 90-degree angle for the legs would NOT work with me.)

But the desk is also part of the problem. It's certainly wide enough for my purposes...if not for the drawers on both sides squeezing up precious space in the middle. Can't be bothered to replace it, though.

In short, if you're using more than a basic keyboard/mouse/single monitor setup, things are going to get very complicated, very quickly, even moreso than it already is. Take that into consideration if you need specialized peripherals.

[chimera15]

Looking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame is a badge of honor for a computer scientist.  Embrace it.