[QUOTE=Tamex]
And I actually do a lot of work on the desktop, so I’ve had to come to a compromise (if the desktop is too high, it hurts my shoulder. If the keyboard drawer is too low, it rubs against my thighs. If I put the keyboard on the desktop, I don’t have enough room to work when I’m not typing.)
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If you don’t have to do desktop work in the middle of your typing, a wireless keyboard might be a reasonable option next time you’re changing things up. Put it on the desktop when it’s time to top and move it off to the side somewhere when it’s time for paperwork.
[QUOTE=Nava]
That part of chairs where their lower back comes forward a bit is usually found exactly where my ass pops out; the part that’s supposed to be the lumbar rest is far from my back. Whenever an Ergonomic Officer or suchtitle berates me for not resting my back on the backrest, all I have to do is show what kind of hunchbacked posture I get from resting my whole back on the backrest and they shut up.
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I have the exact same problem. I was reading an article recently (sorry, no cite), that was saying that one of the problems is that chairs are largely designed by men, and hence* for *men. Since the boys have less of a booty, women are stuck with having to sit in a hunched position, as they can never get their back to rest completely on the backrest. I’d like to disbelieve it, but I’ve noticed this phenomenon for most of the women in my office, and a few of the men who have a bigger butt than average.
[QUOTE=Mama Tiger]
Don’t even get me started on scissors. As a left-hander, scissors have been the bane of my existence for most of my life.
[/quote]
Freakin’ curved so-called ergonomic handles on scissors that effectively change them from being useful to both right- and left-handers into something like a left-handed torture implement! I so hear you.
That’s one of the few things I find works well for me as a left-hander (ymmv obviously). I can use the mouse in my left and the keypad in my right… which can work very well for both work and gaming (once you remap various keys).
But I’ll through in a #%@% for feckin’ ergonomic mice, which, like the scissors, turn a perfectly usable either-hand device into something practically useless for a sizable minority of users.
[QUOTE=Erasmus Darwin]
If you don’t have to do desktop work in the middle of your typing, a wireless keyboard might be a reasonable option next time you’re changing things up. Put it on the desktop when it’s time to top and move it off to the side somewhere when it’s time for paperwork.
[/QUOTE]
That’s a great idea. Unfortunately, my company is rather cheap, but I may be able to get a hold of one (cheaper than worker’s comp, right?) Worth a shot. Thanks!
[QUOTE=Ichbin Dubist]
My mom bought some flatware with very large handle-ends that she thought would be easier for her (arthritis) and my dad (Parkinson’s) to handle. They are, but they are so heavy on that end that they flip off of plates and out of bowls when you are carrying them to and from the table. Seems like the designer might have checked this out.
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A lot of relatively expensive cooking utensils are designed like this. If you rest them in a pan to do something else, they flip out, splattering sauce all over everything. This does not amuse me, and I’m careful now to only buy utensils with non clunky handles. That “good grips” XOXO brand is particularly bad about this.
Not only does my right wrist and hand get extra-tired using the number pad all the time, I’m going to be having surgery on my right thumb in the near future and so won’t be able to use my right hand for that stuff. So finding one with the left-handed option means I can switch keyboards as necessary. And I switch mouse hands every couple years, so go figure. As a leftie, the world is a constant struggle to survive, isn’t it?
My husband is another one who suffers in so-called ergonomic seating. He’s longer through the torso, so has really struggled to find a chair that will fit him. Of course, one that’s comfy for me makes him miserable, and vice versa. And as for cars, that’s another nightmare. He also needs the car seat back straight up, which means that in about 75% of automobiles his head bumps the roof – but he has to keep the seat up because otherwise the back rest hits him wrong. So while I would kill for a moon roof, we have yet to find a vehicle where his head won’t be sticking out of the stupid thing.
The only “good grips” brand utensil that I’ve found usable is the can opener. That one doesn’t tip out of pans, so it’s functional and much easier on the hands. Obviously, the people who design most of the fat-handled kitchen implements don’t actually try to use them or they’d discover how poor the weight balance is. It’s really not rocket science; I guess they don’t care because to properly balance the thing might mean including $.000002 more materials, and so they cheap out.
[QUOTE=eleanorigby]
Yard and garden tools that seem to be made for men, but women also use them–some of the handles are just too wide for my grip.
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Oh, yeah, I forgot about modern garden tools. People are getting bigger, and the freaking handles are getting shorter. I was using a weedeater the other day and had to bend over to reach the weeds with it. My back was killing me after 1/2 hour. The same’s true with those things they call “long-handled” shovels that are useless for digging a decent hold when you’re over six feet tall.
My husband is another one who suffers in so-called ergonomic seating. He’s longer through the torso, so has really struggled to find a chair that will fit him. Of course, one that’s comfy for me makes him miserable, and vice versa. And as for cars, that’s another nightmare. He also needs the car seat back straight up, which means that in about 75% of automobiles his head bumps the roof – but he has to keep the seat up because otherwise the back rest hits him wrong. So while I would kill for a moon roof, we have yet to find a vehicle where his head won’t be sticking out of the stupid thing.
[/QUOTE]
Being a tall, slab-sided, boxy thing, my Suzuki Aerio has sh#tloads of headroom. Suzuki doesn’t make the Aerio any more, but I suspect its successor, the SX4, has the same virtue.
[QUOTE=Mama Tiger]
And who designed keyboards so that the cursor controls and number pad are always on the right side? Even when everything else is comfortable for me, I would still like to have at least the option of using my left hand for those things. It’s a right-handed conspiracy, I tell you! If someone would design a left-handed ergonomic keyboard, I would be their friend for life. Not to mention buy a lifetime’s supply before they go out of business.l
[/QUOTE]
It looks like you found a lefty keyboard, but FYI there are lots of gaming keyboards available which put the number pad on a separate chunk of plastic so you can put it on the left, on the right, tape it to your head, or whatever…
[QUOTE=Mama Tiger]
And as for cars, that’s another nightmare. He also needs the car seat back straight up, which means that in about 75% of automobiles his head bumps the roof – but he has to keep the seat up because otherwise the back rest hits him wrong. So while I would kill for a moon roof, we have yet to find a vehicle where his head won’t be sticking out of the stupid thing.
[/QUOTE]
That really torques me off. My wife wants a sunroof/moonroof, too, but they knock at least an inch off the headroom. I’m finding that even a lot of full-sized trucks don’t have enough headroom for me to sit up straight with a hat on anymore.
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright]
It looks like you found a lefty keyboard, but FYI there are lots of gaming keyboards available which put the number pad on a separate chunk of plastic so you can put it on the left, on the right, tape it to your head, or whatever…
[/QUOTE]
Yes, but gaming keyboards aren’t ergonomic. I actually like the ones with the bump in the middle; in fact, I found one that the two sides of the keyboard are separate that you can tilt up to nearly vertical. Which I was all ready to run out and buy until I noticed that it starts at $180. Oops.
I hate ergonomic computer mice. You know, the big ones that are supposed to contour to your hands? First of all, I “hover” over my mouse, just gripping it with my fingertips (for some reason, prologued palm contact with a mouse makes me feel oogy) so I don’t want one that bulges in all the wrong places. Second, many of these things seem like they’re made for people with hands the size of small hams. Just give me a standard-size mouse with two buttons and a scroll wheel and I’m happy. (The upside of this is that I’m perfectly satisfied with $10.00 house-brand mice from Best Buy).
I also hate those stupid wrist pads. Same reason as the ergo mice–I learned to type on a manual typewriter back in the 70s, so I hover over the keyboard too, and don’t lay my wrists down. I think this is why I never had any problem with carpal tunnel even though I type a lot. Wrist pads make me feel oogy too. I can’t explain it–it’s a vague queasy feeling. The spouse loves his wrist pad, so any time I use his computer, I have to move it aside and then remember to put it back or he gets mad at me.
I haven’t the faintest idea how anyone can use those ergo keyboards. I tried once and it was a nightmare. Couldn’t find anything. Give me a $15.00 USB keyboard (to go with my $10.00 mouse) and that’s all I need. I’d rather spend the money on a monitor.
As much as I hate ergonomic computer mice as a matter of course (I’m one of those guys that has hands so big that most “extra large” gloves are too small for me), I’d love to see a company offer them in sizes. I’d buy several of the really big ones just to be able to comfortably reach the side buttons and scroll wheel while moving the mouse!
