| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: Do you suffer from various aches and pains resulting from prolonged computer use? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| Pomodoro Technique | Feb 13, 2013 |
I recommend following the Pomodoro Technique to break up working time - and also increase productivity.
It is an extremely simple concept: work for 25 minutes then take a 5-minute break. After four sessions take a longer break of 15 - 20 minutes (vary times according to taste).
It is called the Pomodoro technique because its developer, Francesco Cirillo, used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer, which in Italy is called a Pomodoro. The Pomodoro gives its name to the 25-minute... See more I recommend following the Pomodoro Technique to break up working time - and also increase productivity.
It is an extremely simple concept: work for 25 minutes then take a 5-minute break. After four sessions take a longer break of 15 - 20 minutes (vary times according to taste).
It is called the Pomodoro technique because its developer, Francesco Cirillo, used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer, which in Italy is called a Pomodoro. The Pomodoro gives its name to the 25-minute work period.
It works (for many people, at least) because once you are in a Pomodoro period, you do not allow yourself to become distracted. If need be, use the 5-minute break to check the emails that have come in, get a drink, return a phone call etc. Though anything that requires more than a few moments of time should be assigned another Pomodoro in your work plan.
There is a free pdf book with suggestions on how to use this approach for work planning and to improve estimating of task time. See:
http://www.pomodorotechnique.com/
There are also various smartphone apps, from straightforward timers to task list managers.
I'm a convert, anyway. I get more done and have more breaks from sitting at the computer. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Balasubramaniam L. 
India
Local time: 23:41
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
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SITE LOCALIZER | Stiff fingers, and recently knee pain | Feb 13, 2013 |
Extended time before the computer has given me stiff fingers in the right hand - particularly the index finger and the middle finger.
They get particularly stiff in the morning when I get up but loosen up later in the day. I suspect that the culprit is the mouse rather than the keyboard. I use the right hand for the mouse. Grabbing the mouse and dragging it around a small area has probably weakened my hand muscles or worn out some obscure tendon.
Recently (a few months)... See more Extended time before the computer has given me stiff fingers in the right hand - particularly the index finger and the middle finger.
They get particularly stiff in the morning when I get up but loosen up later in the day. I suspect that the culprit is the mouse rather than the keyboard. I use the right hand for the mouse. Grabbing the mouse and dragging it around a small area has probably weakened my hand muscles or worn out some obscure tendon.
Recently (a few months) I have also started getting pains in the right leg - hip and knee. But I am not sure that it is directly related to my sedentary life-style. But it is possible that lack of exercise has weakened my leg muscles. But the pain could have also been precipitated by my lifting a rather heavy bag at the railway station recently and walking with it for a considerable distance. Not used to such exercise, I might have pulled some muscle.
Also the leg pain ameliorates if I take a brisk walk in the morning. But I am very irregular with my morning exercise. Should be more regular I suppose. I have completed half a century, and must pay more attention to my health.
I hope that like quitting smoking (a habit which I fortunately don't have), starting to exercise at any stage of a sedentary lifestyle is helpful. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I agree with these too | Feb 13, 2013 |
Christine Andersen wrote:
I use the mouse with my right hand, but am left handed for more or less everything else - it distributes the effort more evenly (and the breaks!)
Ah - I do the opposite - am right handed but use the mouse with my left hand with the buttons switched - I did this mainly because of the way I wanted my desk laid out, but come to think of it, it really helps in other subtle ways!
Mike (de Oliveira) Brady wrote:
I recommend following the Pomodoro Technique to break up working time - and also increase productivity.
There is actually a great little "egg timer" application built with this in mind:
http://e.ggtimer.com/pomodoro
| | | | Laura Morwood
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:11
English to Dutch
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My miracle cure is Bikram yoga, a strenuous form of yoga which is done in 40 Celsius.
My shoulder, arm and wrist get sore quite often, but one visit to the hot studio sorts it out. Good posture and ergonomics are a must, but exercise is equally important. It sorts your head out at the same time, not a bad thing!
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My main complaints are back pains (two discal hernias) and knee problems (osteoarthritis), but to be honest these are probably more related to age than prolonged computer use...
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 19:11
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| Remembering to sit properly is my problem | Feb 13, 2013 |
Teresa Borges wrote:
My main complaints are back pains (two discal hernias) and knee problems (osteoarthritis), but to be honest these are probably more related to age than prolonged computer use...
SNAP! And my sacroiliac back pain is actually due to having hit the road rather fast when indulging in a spot of motor-sport so that, as my dear doctor at the time said, serves me jolly well right!
I have a question to all of you who look after your posture: how do you keep tabs on what your body is doing? I've bought a good chair and a rocking footrest to exercise my ankles. So, I sit squarely and start rocking... Half an hour later, I find my legs are twined together off to one side and very stiff - how did that happen? How do you make sure you keep sitting properly AND concentrate on working?
| | | | Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 19:11
Sheila Wilson wrote:
How do you keep tabs on what your body is doing? I've bought a good chair and a rocking footrest to exercise my ankles. So, I sit squarely and start rocking... Half an hour later, I find my legs are twined together off to one side and very stiff - how did that happen? How do you make sure you keep sitting properly AND concentrate on working?
I also used to twist my one leg around the other in contorted fashion. It is definitely a question of training. simply, every time you notice your feet and legs are not in the correct position, move them to where they should be. It does feel strange at first, but eventually, you will get out of the habit. (It is better for your spine in the long run too.) I have a foot rest, but no rocker.
| | | | Lucy Hill
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:11
Chinese to English
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| Does this answer your question Anna? | Feb 13, 2013 |
anna purna wrote:
I'm interested in your fingerless gloves, Lucy!
How does this help exactly?
[Edited at 2013-02-13 10:01 GMT]
Presumably keeps tendons warm, and the elastication provides support in the same way that a tubigrip does which somehow means they don't hurt (but minus the trailing rags plus finger holes already in the right place - cutting holes in the tubigrips to make sure my hands were covered just ended up putting strain on my fingers in a different way). I'm not a doctor so can't give you the exact biological explanation, but maybe this clarifies it a bit further!
Don't want to advertise but the ideal pair is sold by an American clothing firm which promotes fair manufacturing as its tagline - have tried others but they are either too tight, or too thick and muggy. I don't type without them. Oh, and all rings removed when doing so. Voilà, quoi.
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Wrists and elbows if I work for too long or in bad postures ... used to keep me away from the guitar in peak workflow times, but these are sort of secondary now so I don't pay as much attention to good posture (or breaks and stretches) when at the computer as I probably should.
[Edited at 2013-02-13 21:59 GMT]
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...a little embarrassing...but it's what pro cyclists complain of...feels like bone on muscle, darn....ok, I'll say it, here goes...saddle sores!
ok let me shift first...there, that's better...what was I saying? oh yes, sores, darn this upholstery!
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 14:11
English to Spanish
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| The plague of repetitive injuries | Feb 14, 2013 |
I can relate to many of the ailments described in this thread. Over the 20 years that I've been working full-time, I have some insights to share:
1) Know your body
2) Exercise moderately. The older you get, the more moderate you should exercise
3) Listen to your body. If a movement causes pain (whether while typing or exercising), stop and think. It's incredible how often we forget to monitor our posture for bad habits.
4) Physical therapy, chiropractic and massage... See more I can relate to many of the ailments described in this thread. Over the 20 years that I've been working full-time, I have some insights to share:
1) Know your body
2) Exercise moderately. The older you get, the more moderate you should exercise
3) Listen to your body. If a movement causes pain (whether while typing or exercising), stop and think. It's incredible how often we forget to monitor our posture for bad habits.
4) Physical therapy, chiropractic and massage therapy all help, but it's how you exercise your neck, your hands, arms, legs, pelvis, etc. what counts. For example, you may have a tight neck and tight shoulders. So you go to get a massage and you feel great for a couple of days...then you resume your bad habits and keep abusing your body.
5) Do stretches regularly. If you don't know how to stretch, ask your physical therapist and/or chiropractor. Personal trainers at gyms are not really a good source of advice in this area; they want you to feel the burn and get paid to shout at you.
On the topic of stretches: maybe none of us can go to a gym regularly or afford one anyways. But proper stretching of all major muscles, neck muscles, etc. can be done at home, comfortably and at no cost. It took me years to develop my daily stretching routine, but take it from me. I have mild degenerative disc disease in two vertebrae and I would feel miserable 24/7 without my stretches.
Live healthy
And one more thing: proper ergonomics pay off. As for me, I don't sit on a taskchair, but on a theraball (or Swiss ball). That way, I keep my pelvis elevated in relation to my knees (due to my degenerative disc disease condition on a lumbar disc), my feet planted on the floor and my legs don't get stiff.
[Edited at 2013-02-14 04:19 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 14:11
English to Spanish
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| Good things from yoga | Feb 14, 2013 |
Laura Morwood wrote:
My miracle cure is Bikram yoga, a strenuous form of yoga which is done in 40 Celsius.
My shoulder, arm and wrist get sore quite often, but one visit to the hot studio sorts it out. Good posture and ergonomics are a must, but exercise is equally important. It sorts your head out at the same time, not a bad thing!
I agree that yoga can do wonders, but two caveats come to mind:
a) Don't attempt to do yoga on your own. Seek a responsible, trained yoga instructor.
b) Even if you know some yoga or have a trained yoga instructor, don't force your body into strenuous postures. The body needs warmup, stretching and preparation. And good breathing techniques.
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Sitiens (X)
Sweden
Local time: 20:11
English to Swedish
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I tend to get back pains quite frequently from sitting in a not-so-optimal pose in a cheap and old chair.
I recently bought a Håg Capisco 8107, which looks like a chair from the future, to counteract my poor posture. It lets my legs hang downward slightly, thus tipping my pelvis forward so I get a natural arch to my back. I'm also getting a sitting/standing desk when finances permit. I started linedancing once a week and will start taking longer walks again, when the weather permit... See more I tend to get back pains quite frequently from sitting in a not-so-optimal pose in a cheap and old chair.
I recently bought a Håg Capisco 8107, which looks like a chair from the future, to counteract my poor posture. It lets my legs hang downward slightly, thus tipping my pelvis forward so I get a natural arch to my back. I'm also getting a sitting/standing desk when finances permit. I started linedancing once a week and will start taking longer walks again, when the weather permits. Right now my town looks like a quaint ski resort... snow everywhere! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Stiff muscles | Feb 15, 2013 |
I don't exercise enough, though I do walk a mile a day with my dogs.
So far, my hands and wrists have been OK. Knock on wood! I studied piano as a child, and that taught me to keep my wrists raised. I do it automatically. It may also help that I started touch-typing at a very young age, at the same time I was playing piano.
| | | | Elena Woontner (X)
United States
Local time: 11:11
English to Italian
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| Back, arm and tennis elbow. | Apr 18, 2014 |
Tennis elbow is caused by the use of the mouse. I also had to have a tendon cut because it had given me trigger finger on my right thumb. Back issues are self-explanatory. I had damage to two vertebrae.
Herniated discs and varicose veins are a concern.
Check your eyesight at least once every 6 months. Change prescription glasses as soon as they don't work anymore. Avoid working with contacts on. Use lots of natural teardrops.
Keep stretching, relaxing, and walkin... See more Tennis elbow is caused by the use of the mouse. I also had to have a tendon cut because it had given me trigger finger on my right thumb. Back issues are self-explanatory. I had damage to two vertebrae.
Herniated discs and varicose veins are a concern.
Check your eyesight at least once every 6 months. Change prescription glasses as soon as they don't work anymore. Avoid working with contacts on. Use lots of natural teardrops.
Keep stretching, relaxing, and walking (NO strenuous exercise), use a prodigious gel like SOMBRA also helps a lot.
When the pain is there, don't go ahead and ignore it. You might be late on an assignment, but you might protect yourself from permanent injuries.
This much I can tell you after my 3 decades in the business.
Happy Easter! ▲ Collapse
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