I Need Laptop Ergonomics

June 21, 2007

I always thought the idea of keyboard ergonomics was dumb.  Probably the same way little kids think stretching before sports is dumb or loosening up your arm before throwing is dumb.  But, the older you get the more your muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves need that care from the wear and tear.

So here I am, having tingling sensations in my filanges, a little bit of throbbing and just an overall not very good sensation in my fingers, hands, wrist and sometimes even up to my elbows.  It has to be from being on my computer all day every day.  And since I’m trying to make a future out of computers, I better stop this problem before it gets any worse.

So the long and short of it is, I need ergonomic solutions for my laptop.  I have briefly explored some solutions, but in my opinion, a reference works best for something like this.  Have you had this problem?  What’s worked for you?  Please leave any comments on ergonomic tips and links to products that you would endorse.  You can even toss in your affiliate link… I don’t care - heck, I might even buy the product through it!

Hmmm, I just read that using arm rests while on your keyboard will help with the elbows and up type stuff.  But, I’m having trouble finding much else for laptops.  One product tilts the laptop’s keyboard at a 33 degree angle or so but does this really help?

Comments

7 Responses to “I Need Laptop Ergonomics”

  1. Andrew Johnson on June 22nd, 2007 3:12 am

    The only thing that has worked for me is drastically limited laptop use. I don’t know what your requirements are, but if I needed to use a laptop long term I would plug in an ergonomic keyboard.

    For the past 8 or 9 months I’ve been using an Adesso ergonomic keyboard with touchpad and its made a huge difference, although my hands still can have problems if I do too much repetative work.

  2. Sam on July 11th, 2007 9:13 pm

    Sometimes using a laptop lap desk helps provide ergonomic support. http://www.laptoplapdesk.com

  3. Sam on July 11th, 2007 9:14 pm

    Sometimes using a laptop lap desk helps provide ergonomic support.

  4. Raoul Duke on September 2nd, 2007 9:12 pm

    travelmate machines from acer. their customer support sucks, and there are better machines spec-wise, but they have a curve to the keyboards which doesn’t entirely suck.

  5. emp on September 13th, 2007 2:31 pm

    I have a chronic condition of tendovaginitis, and I can attest that a program called workrave

    http://www.workrave.org/welcome/

    does the trick.
    Be sure to heed the “microbreaks” when they pop up.

    Hope it all goes well,

    ::emp::

  6. emp on September 13th, 2007 2:32 pm

    Forgot to mention:

    WorkRave is freeware and comes with all the features of expensive counterparts.

    ::emp::

  7. Michael Marks on January 27th, 2008 5:39 am

    Thank you for sharing.

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