Best products from r/Ergonomics

I'm 25 -- a programmer by day and a gamer by night. I developed really severe tendonitis 2 years ago. Imagine a line of fire from the top of your hands all to the way up your arms and over your shoulder...yeah, that was me. It started with pain on the top of my hands and crept up due to misunderstanding the causal mechanisms. Don't be me.

• Absolutely get an ergonomic gaming mouse. This is the one you want. I love it, it's my favorite mouse I've ever gamed with, and I've gone through quite a few, and the others weren't even ergonomic.
  
• For work, I like this mouse. It's not completely upright but it's in-between upright and horizontal. It also comes paired with a keyboard sometimes, which I also recommend.
  
• Start doing yoga. I know you're 18 and not feeling pain at the moment, and yoga is probably something you regard as kinda goofy and maybe a little feminine and overall not interesting to you, but trust me, it's the fucking bomb. I used to go to a chiropractor for my pain and one day we were talking and she mentioned that if everybody did yoga she wouldn't have a job...so I started doing yoga the next week and now I don't need a chiropractor anymore. Yep. It has the added bonus of making you feel amazing afterwards, too.
  
• Get your monitor up higher. If you have a 27", aim for your eyes at 1/3 of the way down from the top. With a 24" it's ok to be closer to the top of the monitor.
  
• You probably don't have money yet, but when you eventually do get money, invest in this. This is just the base -- you can buy your own tabletop and put it on top so it doesn't feel like you have a geeky sit/stand desk at home. While it's true you can get away with sitting in its entirety if you take long frequent breaks and reset your spine and hips, I found that just having the option to stand was a more efficient way to solve the problem, just in terms of time spent at computer. For work, you can swap it up on an as-needed basis. For gaming, you can do things like sit during your 45 minute LoL game (or whatever you play) and pop it up to standing between games or while in queue. This also encourages you to walk around your room, etc.
  
• So far I've mostly thrown solutions at you, and solutions are good, but what's even better is understanding the problem. Nobody has the same body as you, and nobody lives in it as much as you. Consult doctors/specialists to build your knowledge base, but understand they won't solve your problems for you. Think of the body as a physical system like any other and reason about it. Realize that everything is connected, and that when one part of the body hurts, it's probably because another part of the body isn't doing its job, or that you're setting that part of the body up to fail by not giving it everything it needs to succeed. One pretty common problem (and my problem) is that your shoulders and head will pull forward over time, and this causes curvature in the thoracic spine which compresses nerves that go down your arms, causing pain in the hands. That's just one example of how weird and interconnected this stuff is. I was stupid and didn't know this, so I kept trying to ice my hands or do other things to them, when the pain started appearing there. Don't be me, look at the big picture.
  
• Last thing. Stretches can be useful too, and these are the kinds of things you can actually start doing pre-injury. There are two stretches I find useful. First, this stuff from Day 9 is good for opening your forearms. This doesn't get at posture, but it's good for gaming. For posture, you want this. In particular the hands up the wall stretch where you contract and pull your elbows down to level is the money stretch, though the others are definitely useful, too.
  
  Feel free to DM me if you have questions. Love to help

Hey there! The malm might work if you take it apart and just use the top. IKEA reinforces the edges of their cheapo Linnmon table tops, and they work perfect for it. I would imagine the Malm would be done the same way, or maybe even better if they use something a little more solid than the honeycombed cardboard inside the Linnmons. (although, the Linnmon ones are pretty good. I weigh about 120 lbs and have stood on my Linnmon several times without any issues).

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B009S750LA/ <- that's the monitor mount I use. One arm has been shortened to fit my setup a bit better though. It works really well and I've been using it for years on various Linnmons without any sagging issues. My monitors are 23" each, not incredibly heavy but not super light either.

I actually have a photo of it on a Linnmon right now, but its on a VIVO motorized frame instead of OLOV legs. (I had to move my desk in a rush to get natural lighting for a Skype interview - please pardon my mess! lol)

https://imgur.com/79y5esY


If you do get the mount, just make sure you use the clamp, and not the optional grommet. I tried installing it on a corner Linnmon using the grommet... and it just folded in on itself, since it was installed pretty far from the reinforced edges of the desk.

It wasn't a complete loss though. I just painted some wood to match the mount, and used it to reinforce the area. It just gave me a little place to put my spooky forest spirits lol

https://imgur.com/P8X9Ckg

There are some notebook stands that can elevate your laptop's screen without raising the keyboard too high. The Goldtouch Go Travel Notebook stand is popular for this: https://www.amazon.com/Goldtouch-KOV-GTLS-0055-Travel-Laptop-Aluminum/dp/B003YKSRT4

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Wireless keyboards are much more portable. The Kinesis freestyle 2 comes in a bluetooth option: https://www.thehumansolution.com/kinesis-freestyle2-bluetooth-mac.html

Adesso makes a "floppy" travel keyboard. Definitely less bulky, but the shape is similar enough to a traditional keyboard it may not be what you're looking for: https://www.thehumansolution.com/adesso-akb-210-220-230-waterproof-folding-usb-keyboard.html

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While equipment is being made better for our bodies all the time, we cannot discount the value of good old fashioned stretches! Just like with any activity, a little stretch at the beginning of the day, and at the close, will go a long way to keep your limbs healthy. the following video is from a gym, but you could definitely do these in an office setting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWtvCGCYbYc

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Sorry if any of this is review! I hope it helps.

First off, thank you so much for your detailed answer, I did not know about any of these ergonomic tips and will definitely try to adjust my seat to it.

For "lumbar support", I meant a lumbar support pillow, such as [this:] (https://www.amazon.ca/Premium-Memory-Lumbar-Support-MemorySoft/dp/B011MTPXE0).

Reading your comment about putting a pillow or tower at the peak of my lumbar curve, and having actually tried it out (with my fist) it felt..good, like my low back is being supported and I am not really slouching, like I'm automatically having a good posture by it. Not sure if this makes sense...

And your comment regarding the seat pan and pelvic tilt is exactly how my car seat felt like. The seat pan is tiled with an upward slope...

I think I will be buying the lumbar support pillow as well as adjusting the seat pan angle to make sure it's not sloping. Again, thank you so much for your time and research, I really do appreciate it!

The cutout is to bring you closer in, so your work surface wraps around you. Usually, it means the mouse is within easier reach. I gather you can't adjust your armrests down or back? If not, your options are:

(1) replace the work surface on your desk

(2) find something to fill in the gap (like https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072HW8B7J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 if it fits, although you could steal the hardware and attach to anything you wanted. I actually have this and am generally happy with it).

(3) remove the chair arms

(3) remove chair arms and add elbow supports that clamp to your desk ( something like https://www.amazon.com/Packs-Rotating-Extension-Elbow-Armrest/dp/B00QMMMFU8/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=elbow+support+desk&qid=1571165216&s=office-products&sr=1-1 although I've never tried them personally)

Good luck!

My recommendation to you is to buy your own chair and bring it to work. That sucks, I know, because I'm doing just that this weekend. My chair is technically fine but it has very little adjustment and is uncomfortable to sit in for long periods of time, plus I have RSI in my neck and shoulder and I've been doing everything possible to remedy it. I have recently switched to an mx ergo trackball, got an under the desk keyboard tray, bought monitor stands (so i'm not looking down all day), all on my own dime.

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I haven't even contemplated asking them because I know they'll come at me with excuses, so fuck it, save my dignity and buy it myself. Good luck.

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This is the chair I'm getting.

Nice, I'm glad I was able to get your advice. However I have some <20$ pc mice in mind, could you rate them 1-5?

https://www.amazon.com/Ergonomic-Precision-Vertical-Adjustable-Computer/dp/B016MXPQMA/ref=pd_sim_229_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=TB3ANGZGH7DEFW64K4NJ

https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Ergonomic-Vertical-Adjustable-Computers/dp/B06X99MG3Z/ref=pd_sim_147_9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=X9EYHNEZSDD9AWP1GM8P

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X99MG3Z/ref=psdc_172487_t2_B00JJEC31C

https://www.amazon.com/J-Tech-Digital-Endurance-Adjustable-Sensitivity/dp/B00TJ4ZD28/ref=pd_sim_147_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=NA9PHABYTYKB07C6H1BG

I would use it for gaming so maybe that becomes a problem for some of these? If you have another suggestion that fits the same budget, feel free to put the link. My category would be <25$, wired optical mouse, preferably for gaming. Thank you very much!

Urbo, the company I work for, has a seat-rest which is made of elastic polymer.
https://www.amazon.com/Urbo-Ergonomic-Seat-Rest-Long-Term-Discomfort/dp/B07F8N7CQ6

Feel free to check it out. It is not a 'regular' cushion, as you can see. But the structure is pretty comfortable.

https://www.amazon.com/Bovize-Ergonomic-Footrest-Anti-Slip-Clearance/dp/B07CQSDKM4


The perfect footrest cushion for under desk in your office money can buy. I love mine :D

Pretty much, you don't. It's one of my major complaints with Aeron. They come in S, M, L sizes. You can tell the size by counting the number of bumps (1,2,3) on the inside of the ridge at the top of the backrest. You can put a cushion or something similar like an Obusforme (https://www.amazon.com/Ergonomic-Backrest-Wheelchair-Cushion-Comfortable/dp/B01720GFAE) to effectively push the backrest forward.

I use this one for my three monitors: https://www.amazon.com/Planar-Monitor-Stand-Black-997-5253-00/dp/B003LD8XMA?th=1

It's worked great for me and it's quite stable.

Foot stool! I just bought this one and I love it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07N1QCJGZ?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

I actually used that one for a while and had to stop using it because it was putting a lot of stress on my thumb and causing me new pain. I like ones like the Kensignton Expert but it does take some time to get used to. It did take a while to heal up with that through. And although I can't speak to your particular case of RSI my biggest helpers in relieving my pain was through chiropractic care and trigger-point massage.

Does a trackball mouse help significantly? like this

Arkstore Lumbar Support Cushion

MEDesign Backfriend Back Support