Ergonomic workstation set up!
My shipment of ergonomic computer supplies arrived today, and I just finished setting up. My workplace, the SJSU Research Foundation, allowed me to buy whatever I wanted up to a limit of $500. I was able to buy everything I need for much less then that. Here's what I got:
I had a very hard time deciding on a keyboard. According to the Cornell University recommendation, I should have gotten a keyboard tray with a mouse tray over top of the number pad. However, my desk is rather low, and a keyboard tray would really crowd my knees, so I decided to go with the Goldtouch keyboard with a separate number pad on the side, in order to keep the mouse close to my typing position. Cornell suggests "Don't use a wrist rest," because it increases pressure on the carpal tunnel, but as I purchased a vertical mouse, I determined that with a sliding wrist rest (consisting of the IMAK micro bead wrist rest sitting on top of the Mouse Bean), there is no pressure on the carpal tunnel. In fact, this setup lets me mouse with my hand more vertical or more horizontal in order to achieve the ideal relaxed wrist position, and forces me to mouse from my elbow instead of my wrist. The main problem with the Goldtouch keyboard is that the key layout is kind of strange: most notably, the delete key isn't where it should be. For this reason I seriously considered getting this left handed keyboard or the Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 2000. However, I wanted the flexibility of the adjustable keyboard angle. I find that from week to week I like to change the keyboard angle slightly, for a bit of a change.
The mouse was also a difficult decision to make. At home we use the 3M Vertical mouse with great success. However, I find that sometimes I "cheat" with that, holding my hand horizontally over the mouse instead of using the proper joystick grip. With the Evoluent moust, it is impossible for me to cheat in that way. Now I just have to go to the office supply store and buy a chair.
Prevention of RSI and carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as long-term treatment, is crucial to anyone who works on a computer. The following links I found most useful for prevention information, and I recommend to anyone with a desk job to read the following links:
- Gold touch adjustable keyboard
- Evoluent vertical mouse
- Mousebean sliding wrist rest
- IMAK keyboard wrist rest
- IMAK mouse wrist rest
I had a very hard time deciding on a keyboard. According to the Cornell University recommendation, I should have gotten a keyboard tray with a mouse tray over top of the number pad. However, my desk is rather low, and a keyboard tray would really crowd my knees, so I decided to go with the Goldtouch keyboard with a separate number pad on the side, in order to keep the mouse close to my typing position. Cornell suggests "Don't use a wrist rest," because it increases pressure on the carpal tunnel, but as I purchased a vertical mouse, I determined that with a sliding wrist rest (consisting of the IMAK micro bead wrist rest sitting on top of the Mouse Bean), there is no pressure on the carpal tunnel. In fact, this setup lets me mouse with my hand more vertical or more horizontal in order to achieve the ideal relaxed wrist position, and forces me to mouse from my elbow instead of my wrist. The main problem with the Goldtouch keyboard is that the key layout is kind of strange: most notably, the delete key isn't where it should be. For this reason I seriously considered getting this left handed keyboard or the Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 2000. However, I wanted the flexibility of the adjustable keyboard angle. I find that from week to week I like to change the keyboard angle slightly, for a bit of a change.
The mouse was also a difficult decision to make. At home we use the 3M Vertical mouse with great success. However, I find that sometimes I "cheat" with that, holding my hand horizontally over the mouse instead of using the proper joystick grip. With the Evoluent moust, it is impossible for me to cheat in that way. Now I just have to go to the office supply store and buy a chair.
Prevention of RSI and carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as long-term treatment, is crucial to anyone who works on a computer. The following links I found most useful for prevention information, and I recommend to anyone with a desk job to read the following links:
- Cornell University recommendations
- Very good informative site
- More links
Happy hands and wrists!