[neilv]

Long-time programmer here who is a typing machine, without discomfort, thanks in part to heeding Internet warnings about RSI circa 1990, and to finding what works for me.

One of the things that matters for me when seated at a desk (I also do standing desk) is that I like to be able to have my feet flat on the floor when seated, and then for the keyboard height to be lower than most desks.

If you're similar, and you're considering those powered height-adjustable desks, note the minimum height in the specs of a desk (and that the actual minimum height might be an inch or two higher, due to the top thickness and/or leveling). Importantly, the "3-stage" ones on Amazon go lower than the "2-stage" ones.

You can also occasionally find rare low fixed-height desks. I also once realized that the legs of a university lab's white laminate desks were interchangeable with the legs of matching shorter white laminate side tables. (I quietly swapped a set, under the cover of night.)

On chairs, I don't like armrests in any case, and also, note that, if you have a lower desktop or keyboard shelf, armrests on chairs might bump into it.

If you want to remove arms from a chair that has them, check how well that works before you spend a lot of money. Aerons with arms look like they can come off pretty cleanly. I've had good luck with some more conventional commercial-grade office task chairs. I've also seen office chairs that leave unsafe heavy-duty welded steel frame protrusions out the sides, with corners that could rip into someone's leg someday. Steelcase Leap V2 arms can come off, but not cleanly, so it looks kinda dumb for how much money you spent.

[jillesvangurp]

+1 on arm rests. I hate those. They box you in and lift your elbows uncomfortably high thus cutting off nerves in shoulders and arms. The word arm rest implies that these somehow are about resting your "tired" arms. I've never experienced any form of arm fatigue while using a chair. Just not a thing. Complete anti feature. I don't need them. They come off if I have the choice. I won't buy chairs that have them.

Some of my other tricks include walking a lot (during my commute for example) and generally getting up regularly. I have some mini life hacks like getting a glass of water and not using things like water bottles or tea pots that "allow" you to stay at your desk longer. Anything that forces you to get up is a good thing. A simple stroll to the kitchen is a good thing. Standing desks are great too.

Also, because I figured out that a lot of my issues are shoulder related I do some simple exercises to loosen those once in a while. That's also why walking helps. Swimming is also great. If you sit still for extended periods of time, shoulders tend to cramp up and the nerves to your wrists and hands go through there. Where you feel pain and where the problems are are not necessarily the same thing.

[edvinbesic]

I can echo this myself, however what made the biggest difference for me was having my elbows resting on something taking the weight off of my shoulders. Whether standing or sitting if I have to keep my elbows “up in the air” it becomes very uncomfortable very fast, otherwise I have no problem doing 12-14 hours sessions.