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Comment by fouric | Hacker News Reader

As someone who may slowly be working his way toward RSI, I'd like to try to mitigate it before I get to the point of the author.

To that end, I'd like to try to build a maximally ergonomic setup (for the back and neck in addition to the hands) that doesn't necessarily have to conform to the standard chair+desk setup (e.g. a custom setup where one lies on their back with their monitor suspended above their face and their hands lying to their sides with a split keyboard).

In order to do that, I need the principles of ergonomics for the hands/wrists/arms, neck, and back - something that's been very challenging to find on the internet, as most of my search results are either trivial knowledge, blogspam, or just regurgitate the standard advice about various joints being at right angles without revealing the principles that drive that advice.

Where can I find those principles?

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My understanding is that any position for too long becomes un-ergonomic, and really our bodies crave variability. I do my most productive coding on my couch in a weird slouching position, but I try not to do it for too long. I'll frequently switch back to my desk, and then try and take as many calls as possibly walking around the neighborhood. I can't focus on code at a standing desk or sitting on a yoga ball or whatever other people prescribe, but if you can throw that into your mix go for it, but sitting on a yoga ball all day is probably as deleterious as doing anything else all day.

There are definitely different ways to use your body with different effects, but I think the problem is over use of any specific form.

I appreciate your attempt to help, but what works for your body may not work for others - I'm looking for general ergonomic principles backed up by sound scientific evidence.

Have you started here? https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=anatomy+ergonomics

I can't provide you with the scientific basic for correct elbow angles and back erectitude, but I will echo the GP's meta-suggestion of 'variety'. I've heard you're supposed to change position every 20 minutes, and stay no more than 2 hours in any position. Walk around, swing your arms. This is the first-order bit. Most other techniques and tools seem to be band-aids to help you tolerate longer stretches of time in a single position. Which, do what you gotta do. But changing it up is the most important thing.

I've got too much experience of this although undoubtedly not the same as you have, everybody's body being different.

What specific type of RSI are you talking about – in the wrists, back problems, neck, something else? RSI isn't just one thing. Where do you think it's going to hit you hardest?

My advice would be speak to a physio, take a break for 5 minutes every half an hour or more often, and above all get a voice recognition system if you're worried about your wrists/fingers being damaged from typing. Also, don't spend a ton of your life in front of the computer.

i'd recommend experimenting a bit, what works best for you. eg. for me lying flat on my back watching a monitor above me works for maybe 20min, then my eyes get dry, very uncomfortable. also check out http://www.earth360.com/ergonomic.html

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