# How do coders stay healthy? Carpal Tunnel, sedentary, etc. What are some common best practices?



## Space Lynx (Nov 7, 2019)

Just curious.

@R-T-B 
@W1zzard 

I know a lot of people here have a lot of experience in this line of work, have you ever been worried about carpel tunnel or other health issues, and if so what are some ways to combat them? I hover type, not traditional professional way so I don't think carpel tunnel is going to be an issue for me personally, I mostly am worried about colon cancer since it seems to be related to a sedentary lifestyle, my hobbies are all mostly sitting... and probably my work someday too.


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## Solaris17 (Nov 7, 2019)

I push myself to have other hobbies. I bike sometimes but I regularly do target archery.

Other than that, I spent $$$$ on good office chair and actually READING the calibration manual. feet flat arms level with desk etc to maintain a good posture. It took like 3 hours.

I also bought a small lamp with an edison bulb and run that when I work at night. Keeps the contrast not so sharp when I have my lights off and im working infront of my screen.

MY job is infront of the PC, so I spend ALOT of time infront of monitors. I have tried a few standing desks, and honestly dont hate it. I have one at the office, I'll get one at the home office eventually.


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## R-T-B (Nov 7, 2019)

My best advice re carpal tunnel etc is to not skimp on your input peripherals.  Buy a good keyboard and mouse you are comfortable with, price be damned.

Also, I am morbidly obese and fighting that every day, so health/diet is probably not the best thing to ask me, but I have had luck lately with South Beach and nearly 0 excercise.  Lol, yeah.  Colon cancer is gonna get me and I figure it's just fate at this point.


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## Space Lynx (Nov 7, 2019)

R-T-B said:


> My best advice re carpal tunnel etc is to not skimp on your input peripherals.  Buy a good keyboard and mouse you are comfortable with, price be damned.
> 
> Also, I am morbidly obese and fighting that every day, so health/diet is probably not the best thing to ask me, but I have had luck lately with South Beach and nearly 0 excercise.  Lol, yeah.  Colon cancer is gonna get me and I figure it's just fate at this point.



What is South Beach?



Solaris17 said:


> I push myself to have other hobbies. I bike sometimes but I regularly do target archery.
> 
> Other than that, I spent $$$$ on good office chair and actually READING the calibration manual. feet flat arms level with desk etc to maintain a good posture. It took like 3 hours.
> 
> ...




How about Gunnar Optiks or a similar branded computer glasses for long term blue light exposure safety?

Also, thanks for the tips on the chair, I actually have been wondering what is the proper way to sit.

What is brand of your chair?


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## Solaris17 (Nov 7, 2019)

lynx29 said:


> What is South Beach?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



If you actually want to know its a hermen miller aeron. As for gunnars, yes I own two pair. one for home, one for office.

and yes I thought it was total BS, but got them free from work.

Yes they do work, especially if your like me and freq do 10hr +.

It's not something you notice in like a day, but it REALLY helps my face feel better at the end of the night. Generally and maybe its just me, but my face is sore I guess? Because ill constrict my face unknowingly. Anyway this helps with that. Would I get the same kind of help from like a pair of sunglasses? maybe but then I couldnt fucking see at night. So these work. While I wouldnt reccomend buying the ultra expensive pairs, I would pick the lower ones up no problem.


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## R-T-B (Nov 7, 2019)

lynx29 said:


> What is South Beach?











						The Official South Beach Diet Weight Loss Plan
					

Ready to lose weight and get in the best shape of your life? Join the millions who have lost weight on the South Beach Diet plan!




					www.southbeachdiet.com
				




Yes, I look exactly like the women in this ad.

Seriously though, it's just cutting carbs really with a rulebook.  Cut the carbs and fat starts to fall off, is the idea.

It works for me essentially because low carb food is awful and I cease having a desire to eat.

If that sounds miserable, it's because it is.  Don't get fat kids.


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## Space Lynx (Nov 7, 2019)

Ah ok, I am doing intermittent fasting 16 hours nothing enters my body except water, the other 8 I eat as I please, seems to work for me. I went from 200 to 190 in last few months. I mean during the 8, you can't just shove 5000 calories down or anything, still have to be smart what you eat. I just had a triple steak burger and fries with a shake though.  /shrug


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## btarunr (Nov 7, 2019)

Invest in good ergonomics. Get a high quality mechanical keyboard with a cushioned palm rest. Get a cushioned chair that's static and doesn't swivel. Have it custom-made at a shop if you can't find one at your ikea. A swivel chair grinds your spinal and cervical discs over time. Bone growth takes place of worn-out discs, pinching nerves and causing excruciating pain (osteoarthritis). Keep your keyboard at the same level as your arm-rest. Don't wear headphones/headset unless you really need it (puts load on your neck). Make some lifestyle changes such as warm-up and running in the morning, and getting up from your desk every 40 minutes (go pee/smoke/coffee/stretch, etc).


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## R-T-B (Nov 7, 2019)

lynx29 said:


> Ah ok, I am doing intermittent fasting 16 hours nothing enters my body except water, the other 8 I eat as I please, seems to work for me. I went from 200 to 190 in last few months. I mean during the 8, you can't just shove 5000 calories down or anything, still have to be smart what you eat. I just had a triple steak burger and fries with a shake though.  /shrug



I have heard great things about the intermittent fasting thing if you can stick with it.  Issue with me is I either couldn't, or ate something so godawful in the "free 8" as to counteract all my hard work.

Bottom line is find what works for you and stick with it.  Oh, and don't get fat.  Yeah.  As if it were that easy...


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## PooPipeBoy (Nov 7, 2019)

Get up regularly (1-2hr intervals) and go for a walk, in a nutshell. I've done a few years in engineering and my skeleton screams at me if I don't.
The carpal tunnel is a separate issue because it requires special exercises to prevent the nerve compression, but it's easy to find instructions on Youtube. One of my relatives had carpal tunnel and needed surgery to fix it, which was a big ordeal. It takes months to restore feeling and doesn't fully solve the problem.


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## oobymach (Nov 7, 2019)

I use a wrist rest to prevent carpal tunnel and type in an upright semi-proper posture, but if I'm not typing I'm as close to prone as I can get to take pressure off my tailbone and lower back. I built a little shelf behind my computer desk for my feet to rest on, no idea how to keep in shape, I suggest trail mix and an occasional break as well as using a light besides your monitor so your eyes don't get fatigued.


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## Space Lynx (Nov 7, 2019)

My Doctor told me recently I need to align my neck/head/spine better when sitting. So I just need a proper chair that A) forces me do that or B) just makes it natural to sit that way whether I want to or not...

I suppose I should just take a trip to IKEA and see if any "fit" right.


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## Mindweaver (Nov 7, 2019)

+1 on the chair. Also, a good keyboard is fundamental when coding.


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## sneekypeet (Nov 7, 2019)

Solaris17 said:


> hermen miller aeron



Expensive as shit for a chair, but one of the best investments in computing I ever made. I think I am about out of my seven year warranty now, but the chair looks and feels like it did day one, outside of a touch of smoothing happening to the arm pads. I also love that they sell it in sizes, and cover things like a 350 pound rated strut! You know, for us not-so-slim users....lol


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## kurosagi01 (Nov 7, 2019)

Long term lifestyle to stick with:
-Good posture when sat on a chair and a decent chair will also help as well
-Regular breaks away from typing, mouse flying and sitting. Start going for quick 5-10min stroll around the office or something to try get the blood circulation going
-Learn to do some light stretches for your legs, arm + shoulders, neck and back
- Regularly move your neck about or you will have a stiff neck from constantly keeping it still from staring at screen
-Drink plenty of water
-I heard consuming bit more iron(1 a day capsule and food) helps with carpel tunnel
-Exercise 3-4 times a week to keep your body movement going
-Decent diet


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## Vario (Nov 7, 2019)

I spend a good amount of time at a computer.  To compensate, I do a lot of exercise: indoor rowing with a concept 2 and slides, indoor biking, fairly heavy free weights using some thick handled dumbbells (which helped greatly with nerve pain in hands) and kettlebells, and I take regular walks, which is good for the eyes to refocus as well.

I have had two spinal cord neurosurgeries (not the spine but the spinal cord) in recent years, but have always been athletic and active so I am bouncing back as best as one can from that type of thing.  I keep my bodyweight light by eating healthy.
- I avoid using the computer in an unlit room, always have the room lights on.
- I have a lowered desk that I made from an Ikea Gerton table top and some cut down steel folding legs, so my arms are not elevated to type, the desk surface with keyboard and mouse are same level as my armrests.
- Despite the low desk, my monitors are greatly elevated, I put them on pieces of wood, so my neck doesn't need to crane or tilt to look at them, upper/middle of screens are basically eye level.
- The chair I use is something that people would probably think is uncomfortable but its one of the few chairs I can sit in.  Its an Ikea Roberget, its a steel chair, and I replaced the base (which holds the castors) and the castors with a solid aluminum 5 spoke star and the rollerblade style castors.  The chair forces me to sit upright, it isn't possible to sit any other way in it.  Its uncomfortable to sit any way but perfectly upright.  If I start to slump I take a break and go for a walk.
The two things that I dislike about this chair is the arms are thin metal tubes which can cause some nerve discomfort in my forearm if I am not careful, and it can get rather cold.


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## Deleted member 67555 (Nov 7, 2019)

I used to have a driving job which obviously required a lot of sitting and I kid you not we had a safety video called "The dangers of sitting on a turd".
At first you laugh... Then you see the danger it creates...
Long story short.. Get up and go poop if you have to go. Just let go.


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## JovHinner123 (Nov 9, 2019)

If a standing table is possible, then one can opt for that. Read about sitting for extended hours (so, sedentary) to be as damaging as smoking. Enough sleep and putting what you eat on a journal can help too.


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## EarthDog (Nov 9, 2019)

Easy....

Stretching your hands and wrists... making sure you get up and move hourly. I also look away from the monitor every 30 mins or so and look at things far away for a few mins to help with eyestrain.

The basics..


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## sepheronx (Nov 9, 2019)

R-T-B said:


> The Official South Beach Diet Weight Loss Plan
> 
> 
> Ready to lose weight and get in the best shape of your life? Join the millions who have lost weight on the South Beach Diet plan!
> ...



so you are hot then?

Awesome.  I gotta start a diet program.

I used to be in awesome physical shape due to my many many years of playing Hockey.  Now I got fat.  Eating habbit of a hockey player but no workout is just a terrible combination.  Sitting in front of a PC all day because of work and after work stuff, well even worst.


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## R-T-B (Nov 12, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> so you are hot then?



To frogs, or people?


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## the54thvoid (Nov 12, 2019)

EarthDog said:


> Easy....
> 
> Stretching your hands and wrists... making sure you get up and move hourly. I also look away from the monitor every 30 mins or so and look at things far away for a few mins to help with eyestrain.
> 
> The basics..



I'm a fitness manager. This is about as sensible as you can be. A few others have mentioned the above (walking around and avoiding eye-strain). Standing desks aren't much better--they've been researched quite a bit. It's all about movement and getting blood flowing. For spine health, I'd recommend spending a while without a backrest and using your abdominal and lower back muscles to sit straight. Monitor at eye-level and wrists in line with the desk surface. Unfortunately, our bodies aren't suited to sitting down for long periods. It's why we have a pelvis the shape it is.


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## JovHinner123 (Nov 24, 2019)

^ Interesting, didn't know about the standing desks. I'll keep circulation in mind when I have to sit for long periods of time.


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## FreedomEclipse (Nov 24, 2019)

R-T-B said:


> Also, I am morbidly obese and fighting that every day,



Memes






But on a more serious note. I had quite a big friend too. He started off on 30min walks around the park and ended losing a tonne of weight. Now he's taken up K1 boxing to help him lose more of the lbs. Keep it up


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## Boatvan (Nov 24, 2019)

I am morbidly obese and have carpal tunnel. I haven't done anything to fix it because I just don't care. Not bragging, just the effects of being depressed and having medical issues that sap my energy. I am the personification of being miserable and wallowing in it.


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## remixedcat (Nov 27, 2019)

Dark mode all the things, have good music like non vocal mid tempo trance or DnB or listen to youtube channels like chillhop. Ergo keyboads and mice gave me wrist issues I had to use a brace for months.Switched to standard stuff and don't get it. Also Red walls in my office keep me warm and alert.


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## Yukikaze (Nov 27, 2019)

My way of keeping semi-fit: Sit/stand desk (mostly in stand mode), ride my bicycle to work 3 times a week instead of driving all the time (about 20 miles offroad biking per day to get to work and back), don't eat trash. Make sure to adjust desk height to match your positioning (my sit/stand desk is electric and has millimeter level adjustment. If I sit I tend to slouch later in the day more than I do so in the morning, so I adjust desk height to make sure my hands are positioned well over the keyboard.

I tried ergonomic peripherals (vertical mouse, split keyboard) and ended up with severe muscle pain and inflammation, so I just use a regular keyboard and mouse - I suspect that after two plus decades of using regular peripherals my body is used to them and any change is unlikely to make things better.


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## Vayra86 (Nov 27, 2019)

Everything in moderation. Don't code all day, play some games instead

Wait



lynx29 said:


> Ah ok, I am doing intermittent fasting 16 hours nothing enters my body except water, the other 8 I eat as I please, seems to work for me. I went from 200 to 190 in last few months. I mean during the 8, you can't just shove 5000 calories down or anything, still have to be smart what you eat. I just had a triple steak burger and fries with a shake though.  /shrug



You literally described why diets like that never work. Yo-yo-ing with your food intake is a fast ticket to all sorts of issues long term and makes staying at weight progressively harder. I'd stop immediately.

Its about a lifestyle change and sticking to it when it comes to food and physique. That and some luck with metabolism. There is no shortcut or magic bullet, that is why those 'methods' sell so well. People want it easy, when deep down everybody knows it doesn't work like that.

About sitting. Many studies have shown that its all about changes in seating position and movements. Not so much the specifics of what you do and for how long. Any muscle can and should be trained from time to time, or it degrades, and that in turn leads to injury. That, and listening to your body gets you pretty far. I spend at least 8-10 hrs per day behind a screen... and while its a learning process, the benefits of doing all those little things is noticeable. If I sit frozen in place, I feel like I've skipped a few nights' sleep after a work day.

Those ergonomical peripherals for example, are useless until you've actually developed an injury, because then greater comfort is found using a different type of movement. Regular stretching and changing seating/standing positions can prevent that from happening without extra tools.


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## Zyll Goliat (Nov 27, 2019)

Regarding a Carpal Tunnel issues I also have a bit pain in my right hand with this simple trick you can release pain and maybe even fix it with time










I personally now prefer to use my home-made elastic  band........


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## NickG1 (Nov 27, 2019)

Id like to say the game changer for me was having multiple screens at different distances, they give my eyes a chance to constantly change focus, also build some exercise into your other regular activities..i do press ups and squats when i make a coffee, push yourself a bit..puff and do it several time a day..monitor your bp and pulse u will see it works wonders


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## Nater (Nov 27, 2019)

I'm 5 years into an engineering job where getting new hardware is pulling teeth.  Already got a bone spur in my neck.  

My boss has used a 720p TV as his main monitor for almost ten years now.  So yeah.  Life is pain. *shrug*

The wife has been informed I'm not going much longer.  Might do the stay at home dad thing.


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## Space Lynx (Dec 10, 2019)

Nater said:


> I'm 5 years into an engineering job where getting new hardware is pulling teeth.  Already got a bone spur in my neck.
> 
> My boss has used a 720p TV as his main monitor for almost ten years now.  So yeah.  Life is pain. *shrug*
> 
> The wife has been informed I'm not going much longer.  Might do the stay at home dad thing.



Stay at home Dad would be ideal imo if the wife is ok with it and makes enough money. More power to women who want to work I say, I'd love to be stay at home Dad if I had a partner who made enough money. I have fun doing arts/crafts, plus there is always down time where the kid enjoys a show or something too, so I could game during that time. 



Boatvan said:


> I am morbidly obese and have carpal tunnel. I haven't done anything to fix it because I just don't care. Not bragging, just the effects of being depressed and having medical issues that sap my energy. I am the personification of being miserable and wallowing in it.



We are allocated x amount of time in this life. I highly recommend you try to wake up. Watch Cosmos by Carl Sagan, grab a one person tent, a cheap motorcycle, get your license for it, just head out west exploring, they get like 80 mpg. Re-locate. Doing something to wake up man. I was in similar situation, said f it, got some student loans and went to grad school in a different country. Yeah I am in debt for next ten years, but it woke me up.  /shrug lol

Humans were not mean to sit all day, or stare at a screen all day. I have a strong belief that we were nomadic in a lot of ways, even if it was very regional type of nomadic behavior... still nomadic. 

Cosmos by Carl Sagan, Planet Earth series on blu ray... Earth and the Cosmos are amazing man, just try to think and meditate on it all and realize you only have a short while on this planet. That's what helped me anyway, therapists also can help I suppose if you want to try that.


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