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by Jazmin Hupp, Tekserve Staff
If you spend more than a few hours using a computer, you may have felt discomfort in your wrists. As you've probably heard, repetitve movement like typing can lead to health problems and repetitive stress injuries such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I've spent the last several years trying to find ways to type for up to 12 hours a day without damaging my wrists. Here are my top 8 solutions for keeping your computer use productive and wrists healthy. Standard disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, so you should check with yours.
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Typing Injury Prevention Products I Use At My MegaDesk Pictured: Apple Displays, Podium CoolPad (Under MacBook Pro), & Targus Chill Mat (Under MacBook Air), Logitech Performance MX Cordless Mouse, Dragon Dictate with the Callisto Bluetooth headset, Plantronics Headset, IMAK wrist rests and SmartGlove. |
1. Voice dictation software - About $200
Voice dictation allows you to speak what you would type, giving your wrists a break. The most popoular option for Mac users is Dragon Dictate. To use it, you have to wear a headset and work in a quiet area. It takes a while to get used to speaking what you would type, because you have to dictate the punctuation as well. You'll also need to teach it any special vocabulary, like company names.
Once you get used to it, you can complete documents faster than if you had typed them. Voice dictation software is far from perfect at understanding every word you say, but it gives my wrists a break without slowing down my work. Personally, I use MacSpeech Dictate with the Callisto Bluetooth headset, which is the only wireless headset available for it.
2. Ergonomic mouse - About $50
The traditional mouse just isn't ergonomic. There are a lot of mice that have been reshaped to better fit the human hand, (we carry a wide variety of alternative mice) and trying a different shape can reduce some stress on your wrist. Even so, you can move your mouse up to 3000 feet per day!* To reduce your wrist movement, switching to a trackball can make a huge difference in your wrist's health. Although it can seem daunting to try a trackball, I made the switch and loved it ever since. I use the Logitech TrackMan wheel mouse, but there are a lot of great options. I find controlling the mouse with my thumb using a track ball is eaiser on my wrist than a traditional mouse.
3. Keyboard and mouse wrist rests - About $20
Keyboard and mouse wrist rests make it easier to maintain straighter wrists as you type. They come in multiple colors and materials ranging from small beads to gel. I typically replace mine every 1-2 years.
4. Exercise and stretches - Free
Talk to your doctor about exercises and stretches you can use to strengthen and protect your wrists. Personally, yoga has helped the most with my Carpal Tunnel.
5. Wrist splints and gloves - About $20 each
I have Smart Gloves for typing which encourage me to keep my wrists straight and are reversible to use with either hand. If you wake up with some wrist pain it's likely that you were sleeping on your wrists. If my wrists are bothering me, I'll wear an IMAK Pil-O-Splint, which keeps my wrists straight throughout the night.
6. Laptop stand - About $30
If you use your laptop at a desk, a laptop stand can help raise the screen to a more natural eye level, as well as, angle the keyboard in a more ergonomic way. Plus the stand keeps my laptop out of drinks that may spill on my desk, which has saved me two trips for repairs so far.
7. Break reminders - Free to $4
Using a timer, iCal reminders, or some inexpensive software, remind yourself to take breaks from typing every 15 minutes. You can also take that moment to focus your eyes on something in the distance so you don't damage your long-range vision like I did. (Turns out our eyes weren't meant to stare at a screen at a fixed distance for hours at a time.) Breaktify is a great app for reminding yourself to take these breaks, and includes instructions for easy, low-impact stretches and excersises to keep you healthy!
8. Reuse your text - About $10
Do you find yourself writing similar responses to e-mails over and over again? You can use software like Text Expander to quickly type common phrases instead of starting from scratch every time. I put the responses I use often into additional e-mail signatures. If you use Mail and iCloud, all your signature responses are synced across your Macs. I also sometimes use clipboard managers that allow you to keep snippets of text readily available.
*A programmer measured his own mouse usage over a period of many months and posted these results; you can measure your own usage with this free program.
| 22 products foundSort by: $ → $$$ | $$$ → $ | A → Z | Availability | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Download TextExpander from the Mac App Store for $34.99 | $34.99 | AvailableDigital Download |
 | Download Breaktify from the Mac App Store for $3.99 | $3.99 | AvailableDigital Download |
 | Belkin Mouse Pad with Gel Wrist Rest - Black | $10.00 | Order NowShips in 2-3 business days |
 | DynaFlex Pro Sports Gyro Exerciser | $12.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Fellowes Laptop & Wireless Keyboard Wrist Rest - Graphite | $15.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Rain Design mRest Wrist Rest with Mouse Pad - Silver | $19.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Logitech USB & PS2 Marble Trackball Mouse - Silver | $29.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Kensington USB Orbit Optical Trackball Mouse | $34.95 | Out of StockCall for Availability |
 | Plantronics DSP-400 USB Foldable Headset | $49.00 | Out of StockCall for Availability |
 | Rain Design mStand Laptop Stand | $49.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Rain Design 15W iLap for 15" MacBook Pro and PowerBook | $59.00 | Order NowShips in 2-3 business days |
 | Kensington Orbit Trackball Mouse with Scroll Ring | $59.95 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Apple Magic Trackpad | $69.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Apple Magic Mouse | $69.00 | Out of StockCall for Availability |
 | Logitech Performance MX Cordless RF Mouse | $99.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Kensington USB & PS2 Expert Mouse Optical Trackball | $129.95 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Kensington Slimblade Trackball | $129.95 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Nuance Dragon Dictate 2 Speech Recognition Software Without Headset | $179.95 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Nuance Dragon Dictate 2 Speech Recognition Software | $199.95 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | MacSpeech Dictate Legal | $595.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Apple 27" Thunderbolt Display | $999.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Apple LED Cinema 27" Display | $999.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
| 22 products foundSort by: $ → $$$ | $$$ → $ | A → Z | Availability | |||