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Lucia Cerchie
Lucia Cerchie

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A Quick Developer's Guide To Avoiding Repetitive Strain Injuries

RSI, or repetitive strain injury, is a real risk if you spend hours a week coding. They're caused by remaining in a fixed position, or making the same motion, for long periods. I wrote down some tips to help you (and me) avoid them.

  • Get a standing desk. You can go fancy and get a whole new desk, get a converter for your existing desk, or if you're like me and you don't have a desk, nail a shelf into a wall.

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  • Now that you're standing, you can also get one of those squishy kitchen mats for your feet.

  • I'm reading this heartwarming book called Sourdough by Robin Sloan. The main character is a programmer named Lois who uses a drawing tablet instead of a mouse to stay healthy. This looks like a great idea to me-- it would take me a lot of courage to learn how to navigate with it but I feel like the benefits could be huge.

  • Do exercises for avoiding carpal tunnel syndrome. Yoga with Adriene has a classic guide. (Doing yoga at the end of the day is great for your posture and avoiding RSIs in general.)

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  • Take breaks! The thing about repetitive strain injuries is that they're repetitive. Take a break and get active frequently to avoid hurting yourself by remaining in the same posture for too long.

What are your tips for maintaining postural health during the day?

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