I started using a computer regularly at the age of ten. Throughout middle school and high school, I used a computer to play computer games, instant message my friends, and complete homework assignments. I now know that I had poor posture, poor equipment, and poor habits. At that time, I had little knowledge of ergonomics and had had no formal training in computer use. My setup was pretty typical; it was nothing special. I had a standard mouse; a standard keyboard (I didn’t even have a natural keyboard); an uncomfortable, inexpensive task chair;  and a 17” CRT monitor. Although I did not experience any memorable pain during that time, that was about to change.

During my first Computer Science course at Harvey Mudd College, I  developed the beginnings of carpal tunnel syndrome. Because assistance was more accessible in the computer lab in the computer science department, I would do most of my programming work there. Unfortunately, the computer lab had an awful computing environment: it had terrible, unsteady chairs; table tops set at a poor height; antiquated mouses and keyboards; and did not allow food or drinks. I was also using Emacs as my text editor, which required quite a bit of Shift-Control key commands. Over the course of the semester, I found myself beset by wrist pain, numbness, cold fingers, and other symptoms of carpal tunnel. I became very concerned.

At that point, I sought the advice of some of the physical trainers at the college gym. One of the trainers told me to take breaks, ice my wrists, and wear wrist braces at night. Looking back, that advice was not terrible, but it was just the tip of the iceberg compared to the adjustments that I would eventually need to make. Fortunately, I decided to ask for help and spoke to some of my professors in the Computer Science Department. I found out that one professor had worked in the private sector for many years and had been dealing with computer-related injuries for ten years. His advice was to use wrist braces only at night if at all, because over the long term they would lead to the weakening of stabilizer muscles in your arm. He also recommended using a foot pedal, which is a device that can be configured to press any keys you want and/or to change text editors. The idea of using a foot pedal interested me, but it seemed a bit extreme at the time. Until the end of the semester, I minimized the amount of time that I spent on the computer; worked mostly from my dorm room, which had a better setup; and iced my wrists. The semester ended and the pain gradually went away, so I ignored the problem for the time being.

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