Re: [NTLK] [OT] Speech Recognition & wrist stress

From: James Fraser <wheresthatistanbul-newtontalk_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Thu May 21 2009 - 12:41:49 EDT

Hello,

Ryan mentioned something I found of particular interest:

>Yes it helps, because my wrists are not as hyperextended when inputting >with a stylus, and it is this hyperextension at the wrist that has caused >my tendinitis, despite my hands and posture being correct.

Does the very act of typing require that the wrist be more or less hyperextended in order to reach the keys? I've never really thought about that before.

I ask because, based on the above, I'm left with the impression that one can indeed "follow all the rules" regarding seating, posture, hand/wrist positioning and *still* end up damaging one's hands. That is, typing for extended periods is going to put an inordinate strain on your hands no matter what preventative measures a user takes. How long it takes for the damage to catch up to the end user in question is dependent on their particular physiology.

>In addition, our wrists/hands do not move that much when we type, which >further exacerbates the problem by straining the smaller muscle groups in >those areas.

So what is the difference between "straining" a muscle group and building it up?

I guess that, based on my limited understanding of physiology, I keep thinking that typing for hours on end should "build up" muscles rather than strain them. Of course, maybe the problem lies in that bodybuilders take a day off between workouts to give their muscles a chance to rebuild. A typist typing away furiously for eight hours or more, for five days straight, week after week, may not, perhaps, be giving their body the opportunity to rest that it needs?

Best,

James Fraser

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Received on Thu May 21 12:41:57 2009

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