[deno]

You can put everything in that list into 3 categories:

1. Fixing the problem: posture & monitor/keyboard height

2. Masking the problem: anything with the word ergonomic

3. Avoiding the problem: typing less/taking frequent (flow-interrupting) breaks

Of course most people with pain want quick solutions, so no. 2 is going to be over-represented. Fixing your posture actually takes work to stretch/compress different muscle groups over a period of time, otherwise you’re back to slouching after 10 minutes.

[melling]

There are some plenty of programmers who have dealt with problems for years:

http://ergoemacs.org/emacs/emacs_hand_pain_celebrity.html

I wouldn’t trivialize anything.

Happens to designers too.

This was on the front of HN a few years ago:

http://www.looknohands.me

[deno]

Acknowledging the fact that most people working with computers have horrible postures is not trivializing anything.

[melling]

Many people claim the Mind Body Approach solved their problem:

http://www.rsi.deas.harvard.edu/mb_what_is.html

Claiming the entire problem is posture might not be the answer. We should definitely be looking more deeply into the problem and solutions.

The creator of Tcl/Tk has been dealing with RSI for over 20 years, for example:

http://web.stanford.edu/~ouster/cgi-bin/wrist.php

[deno]

Obviously I can’t prove a negative, but:

> This made a substantial difference in my comfort level; it's amazing how tense you are under normal conditions and how much you can relax if you know how.

That’s exactly the biggest benefit I got from fixing my posture. Being able to relax. Also fixing my deviated septum, but posture alone can compromise your breathing to that degree as well.

> As soon as I would get up out of my chair and do other activities, the symptoms would go away again.

Bingo.

[hfdgiutdryg]

Fixing poor ergonomics isn't making a problem.