Hi, I’ve been meaning to make a travel-friendly ergonomic keyboard setup for a couple years ago after starting /r/ergomobilecomputers, so far just been on a raised tablet setup with a regular keyboard (a setup I’ve enjoyed, but will confess I’ve some slight pain from using a standard keyboard with it)
What kinds of recovery stories have you experienced yourself or heard from others in using a certain ergomechkeyboard?
Were there things outside of having a more ergonomic setup that helped (i.e. just better sleep, diet, hygiene, mood) too?
Basically curious to hear some stories of how these things have helped fellow jank-embracers!
I did try searching around the original sub for ‘pain’ and ‘rsi’ but feel like it may be worth asking again on here.
UPDATE: Thanks again for all the stories so far both here and on the related reddit thread! Made me revise a brainstorm keyboard idea that could facilitate redirecting pinky use on the left control key + right arrow keys to something that uses the thumb + index finger instead.
Not RSI but I had pain in my pinky before my crkbd. Switching to it and moving most used keys to the thumb keys made a pretty immediate difference. Some minor wrist pain from keeping them bent also disappeared since its a split keyboard. (I also use a vertical mouse so the wrist bend isn’t an issue there either.)
I’m not quite sure if I ever had “real” RSI, but I switched to a split ortholinear keyboard 4-5 years ago and I never have any pain/numbness/etc in my wrists anymore, despite programming all day.
I would say that a split keyboard is absolutely 100% mandatory for everyone who uses a computer. Your wrists are not meant to bend the way they do with a slab keyboard. Anytime I see someone post an expensive slab mech keyboard I cringe so hard - such a waste of money.
Ortholinear doesn’t seem like it has that much impact on RSI but I appreciate it still, and I would go for it if an ortholinear keyboard doesn’t cost too much extra.
I also use linear switches and replaced the springs on them to like 30g or something super light. I think it’s more comfortable to tap and type quickly with but I guess you have to be more confident with keystrokes or you’ll mistype stuff. I don’t know if I’ve seen anyone else do this in the name of RSI, and IDK if it actually helps that much.
Also as a semi-related tangent, I wouldn’t recommend switching from QWERTY to Dvorak/Workman/Colemak unless you’re a big nerd. I did it a long time ago and I think those layouts are objectively superior and more comfortable, but I don’t think they really do that much for RSI. I type the same speed as I did on QWERTY, it’s just a lot more “zen” now, and my fingers don’t move very much. QWERTY finger movements are so chaotic in comparison. The problem is it took me about 2-3 months of practice to get to ~40 WPM on a new layout, after which I switched full time and my WPM quickly grew back to around 140. I used to have issues with QWERTY muscle memory acting up every once in a while but it doesn’t happen anymore. I still type QWERTY on my phone - seems to be different muscle memory.
Thanks for sharing and nice to hear the argument that " a split keyboard is absolutely 100% mandatory"
Yeah, part of the reason I’m asking is because I was originally set on a rather subtle design (split monoblock with a bit of angle, not much space in-between). I had some slight pain on occasion but largely viewed many users on here doing more ‘preventative’ setups.
The recent pain has been making me ask myself again whether to do that approach or go for a more complicated sparatable split design. I’ve used fully split setups before but they weren’t travel-friendly.
I use a fully-separated split keyboard, but I imagine a keyboard that has a reasonable angle in the middle will still give most of the benefits. I used to travel with my split keyboard a lot and it wasn’t really an issue with a proper carrying case of some kind. If you are really concerned about RSI I would put that worry as first priority, before considering things like ease of portability etc. I’d rather be annoyed with a travel setup than need wrist surgery later.
There are two major benefits in ergonomics with fully-splits. They are that, 1, they acknowledge that one size does not fit all in that they offer a way to move them around and find the right angles and positions for you and your hands; and, 2, “the best posture is the best posture” - i.e. the ability to move and adjust your setup throughout the day/session is itself an ergonomic benefit, staying in one posture is one of the roots of RSI.
Another thing that full splits offer that you may find beneficial is tenting, especially (again) adjustable tenting. Monoblocks don’t tend to be tented and when they are they are stuck at a fixed angle, if that’s not the right angle for you then it’s a problem, and adjustability is king for the aforementioned reasons.
Now, there are many factors, split keyboards are not a panacea. Mouses/pointing devices play a role, as do chairs, desks and maybe most importantly habits! Take regular breaks, move around, etc. Again, the best posture is the next posture.
Also don’t listen to people on the Internet and consult a doctor/physiotherapist.
I had wrist pain for several years (on and off) before I bought an MS Ergonomic Natural keyboard. That and an evoluent vertical mouse eliminated my issues.
I have since moved to a UHK split keyboard and love it.
I started to get pain in my forearms when learning to touch type, after almost two decades of two finger, hen peck typing 😳
After using a Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard I noticed a massive improvement, within a short space of time, in that forearm pain was eliminated and negative tilt was just unquestionably comfortable. I complimented this gradually with retraining muscle memory for Colemak-DH (functional layout), and correcting my desk height and chair height for correct posture.
The Microsoft Ergonomic keyboard has been “quietly retired” in favour of split bodied, programmable, ergonomic mechanical keyboards that further increase ergonomics and continue to prevent pain in my forearms.
Suffice to say I’ll never go back to a “slab” keyboard nor positive tilting. It’s perplexing to me and an oversight by the peripheral industry that truly ergonomic design for Human Input Devices (term encompasses keyboards and pointing devices) hasn’t become mainstream or standardised, given the medical benefits and general sensibility 🤷♂️
Yes. Besides keyboards, adjusting my desk and chair and even monitor (VESA arm) has been amazing.
On the topic of HID, that also extends to Braille displays and keyboards which are, for some reason, consistently more ergonomic.
Check out the eight big blue keys on the Focus 14, for an example: a proto-columnar stagger.
Yeah, that’d be me. Switched to a Moonlander first to manage an RSI, went cold turkey to Colemak too. As someone else said, I wouldn’t recommend switching layouts. I like it, but I don’t necessarily think it’s worth it.
I think the split + tenting definitely helps. Actually, scratch that: I know, because whenever I switch back to my Apple keyboards the ulnar deviation pain is obvious. But I think the fact that the switch slowed me down SIGNIFICANTLY helped, too.
I’m deep in the rabbit hole now, though, on a Corne, as I found besides ulnar deviation, right pinkie overload was the next cause of pain. And wrist rest use (turns out you’re not supposed to use those for typing, just for resting, but no one tells you until it’s too late).
So yeah, lots of factors, you have to honestly assess yours and address them. It’s not a straight line, you kind of have to try and see what works for you.
I’m deep in the rabbit hole now, though, on a Corne, as I found besides ulnar deviation, right pinkie overload was the next cause of pain.
Also two of Corne’s thumb keys are far too much inward 😬, known to cause thumb issues.
