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Subject:Ergonomics--mice and chairs From:Elizabeth Babcock <lizbab -at- RIDGECREST -dot- CA -dot- US> Date:Tue, 9 Apr 1996 11:22:51 -0700
I used to be bothered a lot by wrist pains, neck and shoulder pains,
etc.--not anything I thought was serious enough to see a doctor about,
but pain that sometimes kept me awake at night and that worried me
during the day.
During this time, my "significant other" (who became my husband toward
the end of his life) was very ill, in fact dying, and we purchased a
nice wheelchair ("Breezy" was the brand name)--lightweight and
comfortable to sit in.
After my husband died (about a year and a half ago), I was planning on
donating the wheelchair to somebody who could use it, but (unfortunately
for the potential donees) while I was deciding what to do with the chair,
I began using it as a computer chair. Guess what? My wrist problems have
almost gone away, and my neck and shoulder pains are much better. I
attribute that to the greatness of the wheelchair as a computer chair.
It makes me sit up straight, with my feet flat on the floor, and
with my arms supported by the wheelchair arms.
Well--it makes sense, doesn't it? I'd imagine wheelchairs are designed
to be among the most comfortable of chairs for longterm sitting.
I don't know that anybody would want to afford a wheelchair just to get
a great computer chair (well--maybe if you're a motorcycle rider or a
skier!), but I mention my experience because I think it points out the
importance of having a really excellent computer chair.
On the subject of mousing vs. keyboarding--just to throw in my .02--the
wrist that has always bothered me the most was the left one, the one
not using the mouse. I attribute that to the fact that the left hand
tends to stay on the keyboard, whereas the right hand moves around more.
At least for me, that moving around more seems to be healthier for
my wrists.
Liz Babcock
lizbab -at- owens -dot- ridgecrest -dot- ca -dot- us
(619) 375-7900
