Aiming for Ergonomic

I am heading to my second appointment at the Center for Neuromuscular Rehabilitation. Last week John asked for me to take some pictures of my work area, so that they could better diagnose why I am having pain in my hands and arms after using the computer for a long time.

My computer setup has evolved over the past 6 months or so towards being a more ergonomic setup, as I have figured out things that were bothering me while I work.

I created the desk out of salvaged hollow core doors, to replace a small desk I had been using that was too high to be comfortable. This desk not only has a lot more work area and can fit two people, but I created it at exactly the right height for me to work at.

The mouse is an Evoluent Vertical Mouse. I have only had it for a couple of weeks, but it seems to be working well. It certainly feels better not to have my arm rotated so my hand is horizontal. My only complaint is that it is design to keep your hand completely off the desk, but for precision work it usually helps to have a pivot point near the mouse.

The keyboard is an old Microsoft ergonomic keyboard. It was helping with typing, but started to make my shoulder hurt. It was not designed with mouse usage in mind, so it was very wide and forced me to keep my arm extended out far to the right. So I cut it in half, chopping off the arrow and numeric keys. I folded the contact sheets over since I didn't want to sever any of the etched wires that may also be used on the left side. I had remap some keys that have no equivalent on the left side of the keyboard. Now it works much better, and I can use may mouse where the keypad used to be.

My chair is a Hayworth Zody, and I have had a love-hate relationship with this piece of furniture ever since I got it. It is very comfortable for sitting, but I think it is the cause of most of my hand troubles. The armrests were not designed for someone as tall as I am, and stop a inch short from what I think I need. I will probably need to bite the bullet soon, and find a replacement.

The one other thing I really like about my workstation is facing the large windows. It is nice to be able to look out every couple of minutes and not only see what is happening in the word, but probably reducing eye strain as well.