RSI - will a Wacom tablet fix it?

[bax]

I have been developing pains in the tendons in the back of my hands over the

last few weeks. I am fairly sure that this is the onset of RSI........ After a week

long seasonal break from the computer they are back today after little typing/

mousework.

 

Will a graphics tablet help me prevent this situation worsening?

 

If so which size of the Intuos 3 ones to go for? I have a 20 inch Formac 2010

LCD monitor and do quite a few pen paths and dust removal at 100% zoom of

my scans. I would prefer the smaller A5 since it is cheaper and woudn't be

such a tight fit on the desk.

 

Seeking practical and impartial advice, not available from the Wacom

website!

 

Many thanks

 

Bax

[aaron_good]

Some people find that a tablet helps. I didn't.

<p>

The <a href="http://www.3m.com/us/office/myworkspace/mos_ergo.jhtml">3M Ergonomic mouse</a> is what I use at home. It has worked well for me for years and my mom started using one at work as well.<p>

 

At work I use the <a href="http://www.naturalpoint.com/smartnav/">NaturalPoint SmartNav</a> which allows me to move my head to move the cursor. With only a few days of use it is pretty easy to use for anyone.<p>

 

Also, a generic ergonomic keyboard works pretty well.

<p>

 

Check out that 3m ergonomic mouse first, it's only about $30 from CDW, and now comes in the optical variety (light on the bottom). It allows for a much more neutral wrist position.

[chiswick_john]

How many people have you heard getting RSI with a pen/pencil/paintbrush? A mouse ( whatever it's so called ergonomic design) is a totaly crude and unnatural way to draw and paint. Holding a pen/paintbrush is one of the most natural actions for a human to do as we have evolved our hands and fingers to use similar tools since our ancestors picked up a stick to scratch in the sand. A mouse is the product of the last 30 years and I hope it's demise will be not long away. Even the smallest A6 is worth it for most actions in PS - bigger ones are for more painterly effects.

[wogears]

I have a similar problem. I use the Gyration wireless gyro-mouse and a 6x8 Wacom Intuos ($110 on ebay). The combination works wonders, and the Wacom is a necessity for PS and LP.

 

Les

[Ed_Ingold]

As an engineer for 30 years (now retired), part of my responsibility was ergonomic design of control systems and operator stations. The same principles were applied by our health scientists to engineering work stations (which is mostly word processing and spreadsheets these days).

 

I have a Wacom tablet (6x8) and a Logitech optical track ball. The track ball operates with the palm of the hand (slightly cupped fingers, actually), not the thumb, and is much more ergonomic than a mouse or the tablet. A trackball does not consume real estate, because it doesn't move, and fits easily at keyboard level.

 

The trackball fits next to my keyboard, which is placed so my elbows are held at right angles. I do not use a wrist pad, which are notorious for restricting circulation. I operate the trackball from the shoulder, rather than by flexing my hand, as an artist is trained to do.

 

It is a serious mistake to operate a mouse (or graphics pad) on the desktop, which is too high for correct ergonomic positioning of the hand and arm.

 

I do not find the graphics tablet more comfortable to use than a trackball, in large part because it is on top of my desk rather than at keyboard level. A graphics pad is best operated "from the shoulder" like a brush or pencil, which is hard to do with the arm raised to that extent and reaching. "Writing" with the pen by flexing the fingers is extremely tiring and would lead to RSI in short order.

 

With proper positioning and techniques, a graphics tablet would probably as easy to use as a mouse. I would keep the mouse too, because it is easier to navigate through menues and across a page than with a pen (due to acceleration and independent motion and button actions).

 

Despite my best efforts, I find my right hand is increasingly stiff due to overuse, but not particularly painful. Years at the keyboard at work, and about the same time at home have taken their toll.

[edward_h]

An A6 Graphire 3 is just fine. That's what I use and it works great for dust removal and cleaning up skin and stuff.

 

The mouse is completely useless for stuff like that, not having pressure sensitivity and all...

[roger krueger]

I've used Kensington trackballs (the billiard-ball size, not the munchkin) for over 15 years.

It's a when-you-pry-my-cold-dead-fingers-from-it kind of relationship.

 

Before I tried one my wrist was a mess. I was so bad off that I even resorted to riding my

motorcycle cross-handed a couple of times because I couldn't maintain grip on the

throttle with my right hand.

 

My wrist still starts to scream if I'm forced to use a mouse for a day or two.

 

One of the things you have to watch is keeping your wrist straight--if it's bent while you

work you need to fix your ergonomics.

 

Real-life writing makes my hand hurt very quickly, so I've never tried the tablets.

[jreades]

<p>In my own experience there are two components to dealing with RSI (admittedly, I

never got it really badly but I was at the point where failure to do anything would have

serious consequences...):</p>

<ol>

<li>Avoid repetition -- this means nothing more than switching around the type of gear

that you use on your computer on a monthly basis. So I own both a trackball and a mouse

and use them on alternate months. My girlfriend switches between using the mouse right-

or left-handed. So the Wacom tablet should definitely help, but I wouldn't throw away the

mouse and would try to spend at least three weeks out of every nine or twelve using it as

the primary input device.

<li>Get input devices with good ergonomics -- unfortunately, this usually means paying

quite a bit more, but the ergonomics of a good mouse or keyboard should not be

underestimated in their impact on RSI. The only Microsoft thing I've ever really liked using

is their optical trackball... very comfy and accurate. A good optical mouse also makes life

substantially easier.

</ol>

 

<p>You also shouldn't forget the keyboard! I cannot sing the praises of the Kinesis

keyboards enough. If you spend enough time typing then these keyboards are worth their

weight in gold. There are two models in particular that are worth looking at:</p>

 

<ol>

<li><a href="http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/max-spec.htm">Kinesis Maxim</a> -- this

is basically an MS Natural keyboard on crack. Not only does the keyboard 'split' in half, but

it also changes its orientation vertically to provide a more natural positioning for the

hands. These keyboards are about $149 but I have to admit that I've never used one of

these because I went for...

<li><a href="http://www.kinesis-ergo.com/contoured.htm">Kinesis Contoured</a> --

this is about as far from your standard QWERTY (also comes as DVORAK and in Mac or PC

versions) as you can get and still use your basic typing skills. They've actually remapped

some of the keys completely (Space, Enter, Backspace, Delete) so that the load on your

hand is distributed much more evenly... you use your thumbs a lot more on this keyboard

and that's a good thing because it lightens the load on your pinkey fingers allowing your

hand to remain in a more balanced position. It's definitely worth the $200-250 that it sells

for.

</ol>

 

<p>The couple of friends that I've persuaded to

switch also swear by this keyboard, although it will take about a week of work to get used

to the way that the keys mentioned above have changed. These keyboards are also

programmable, so you can actually set up complex macros in the keyboard itself and it's

also compatible with a foot switch (for those of you with *really* bad RSI) that can be

assigned to a useful keycode such as the Shift key. The only way that I can describe using

these keyboards is that it makes using a traditional keyboard feel like using a really bad,

tiny laptop keyboard. Also, I haven't found it difficult to switch between this keyboard and

traditional keyboards.*</p>

 

<p>If the RSI symptoms are just coming from using the mouse for detailed PS

adjustments then the keyboard might be overkill, but if you spend hours a day doing all

sorts of work on the computer (sending email, surfing the web, programming even) then I

would seriously look at the Kinesis keyboards as well. The Contoured are worth every

penny if your symptoms are getting worse. I no longer have any wrist pain at all after a full

day of programming and it's due almost entirely to this keyboard.</p>

 

<p>HTH</p>

 

<p>* Note: you'll need to be a touch-typist (or willing to learn to become one) to use the

Contoured keyboard -- the bottom row of the keyboard is angled away from you (so that

you can reach every key on the board without having to move your wrists from the wrests)

and that makes it almost impossible to see what's under your hand.</p>

[steven_dusk1]

Baxter, you have many good responses - but nobody has suggested that whatever it is you are doing - STOP DOING IT! You mentioned removing dust in scans. Why not upgrade your scanner instead to one with dust removal and/or get a can of compressed air and/or a clean work area and/or an anti-static brush etc...or give up your film and get a digital camera. Wouldn't you rather pay $20,000 for a 22Mpixel digital back than suffer a life of limited movement?

[dickhilker]

My workspace is a slightly tilted drafting table that holds the large monitor, phone/fax and Intuos 9 X 12 tablet. I've found that the tilt helps a lot in reducing fatigue from long sessions of detailed work. The Intuos tablet mouse seems well-designed and works especially well on the tablet's large surface.

[sean de merchant httpw]

Personally, the best solution I have found is using a telescoping keyboad holder that mounts on the underside of your desk with an attached mouse pad. Using this I have been able to angle my keyboard and mousepad downwards (i.e., the closer edge is higher than the far edge and the same for the mousepad) and this allows one to keeps ones wrists straight. For me, I have found the important factor is to keep the stress off my wrists. And when using other people's keyboards I always lower the back edge by closing the carpal tunnel abusers (I mean rear keyboard raising supports). But so much of this is about ergonomics and tuning your workstation (monitor, keyboard, mouse, chair, ...) to your body. Do some research and reduce the stress on your body, then buy tools as needed to reduce that stress. But if you just buy stuff rather than directly addressing the root cause you are just pi$$ing into the wind.

 

That said, I do know one person who is very pleased with using a tablet to reduce such stresses.

 

your mileage may vary,

 

Sean

[eric merrill]

I'm really happy with my Logitech TrackMan. It's a combination between a trackball and a mouse: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2kxmx">http://tinyurl.com/2kxmx</a>

 

<p>

Using a regular mouse makes my wrist hurt after a while. Using this doesn't.