[jjw1414]

I'm glad to hear that your rsi was helped by using the iPad Pro as a (near) laptop replacement. I, too, suffer from some form of rsi in my left hand (i.e. not my mouse hand) and was wondering what other steps you took to "fix" your rsi. Was it mainly due to the reduced use of a keyboard with the iPad, or did you take other actions at the same time? Thanks for the great review of the pros and cons of your experience.

[ianai]

Switching to a tackball did the most good for my wrists and forearms. I also bought the curved kinesis keyboard. It takes a while to,get used to the kinesis key layout, but now that I have I type insanely fast on it.

[jjw1414]

Thanks very much. I'll look into the Kinesis keyboard. I have a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 connected to my MacBook Pro right now, but the design of the Kinesis looks interesting. My non-mouse hand (left) is the issue, but perhaps I will think of switching to a trackball as a preventative measure for my right hand. Fiftieth B'day coming up next month - don't get old! (actually, it's not that bad - yet).

[ianai]

Getting old is definitely the worst option except for not getting old, of course ;)

Just to be definitive, I suggested the kinesis Advantage2. It should help with your non-mouse hand. There are plenty of reviews of people who claim it saved their careers from RSI.

Good luck! I’ve not had any rsi pain since switching to the advantage plus a trackball. I hope it works similarly for you!

[112233]

second kinesis. after getting one for work, the wrists are not hurting anymore! also, now I touchtype on other keyboards as well, which I could not do before.

[graeme]

First off, I'll say that all cases are unique. For example, I tried trackballs, as the poster below did, and they made it worse. I also tried a kinesis, it didn't seem to help. But they help many! So, you'll have to think about what seems to be causing your issues and test things. But, here's what helped me:

* A sit stand desk. I do stand at it, but it helped the most because I could lower my desk. Most off the shelf desks were too high for me and it hurt my arms

* Raised the monitor to proper height with books. It's also asjustable, as proper monitor height differs when sitting and when standing

* Investigated which keyboard shortcuts strained my left hand and remapped them. This may be very relevant for you....

* Trigger point massage therapy. This was essential, and the most helpful. Also tried regular massage. It's helpful, but forceful trigger point massage is one of the most effective things I've found. Can be hard to find a good practitioner. The trigger point therapy workbook can also be good for some self therapy. Deep tissue massage is a good place to start looking if you can't find a trigger point person.

* popsocket on my phone. Helps reduce pinky strain. Good phone positioning too, and trying to raise it up for neck positioning.

* physio. I used a physio who's worked with sports teams and does MAT among other things

* I switched to a handshoe mouse. Mice had caused me rsi for years: switching back to one at an external monitor is what precipitated the recent bout. The handshoe is large and comfortable, and you move your shoulder and not your wrist - it basically forces you to. I now have no mouse rsi. Also, I stopped using the scroll wheel, even on the handshoe. Note: if you can't get one or can't afford one, focus on moving the mouse with your shoulder and not your wrist

* I remembered that seven years ago I had typed a million words (really) on a cheap logitech keyboard, the mk320. I saw one in a store, bought it, and instantly found it more comfortable than any fancy ergonomic or mechanical keyboard I had tried. Can't tell you why, but it works.

* a foam roller has been helpful for my back

* the armaid has been extremely helpful for working out forearm tension

So basically a mix of better tooling, more attention to workspace and posture, and a heck of a lot of physical therapy. Had to do a lot of massage at first, but am in maintenance now.

If anyone has small signs of rsi, don't ignore them: they can expand quite a bit, and quickly. I lost a few months work.

I'm glad it happened though. I had low grade rsi for years that I couldn't fix, using a laptop and trackpad. Now, I still can't use that well, but I can use an external monitor pain free.

[jjw1414]

All really great advice, particularly the point about not ignoring early signs. Hope I'm not too late. Thanks.

[graeme]

I don't think there's a too late in most cases....the recovery just takes longer. Like, took me 4-6 months to get back to pain free.

One final tip: in my experience, things that work show progress fairly quickly. Like, 1-2 attempts. They won't cure it that quick, but you'll usually notice some sort of positive sign.

I say this because there are all manner of treatments that don't really do anything or may not do anything for your particular case. People can end up doing 5-10 sessions of something to no avail and at considerable cost.