CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME?

I too have wrist probelms (long story), but I use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse when I type for a long time.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wo/0.RSLID?mco=5 8565831&nclm=3CFAB4F6

Alex

There are a few things you can do though most important centres around getting the right ergonmic design for your individual needs.

Firstly, make sure your desk/chair is at the right height. This is probably the leading cause for wrist problems. Working on a PowerBook (or any laptop for that matter) alone does make it difficult. So a few products that I can suggest to help this are…

1) Griffic iCurve. This will plae your PowerBook's screen at the right, or at least a far better, height when you are sitting at a desk.

2) A full sized keyboard. Obviously the Apple wired or wireless keyboards are designed for our keysets but any comfortable keyboard, even the split ergonimic style, for your needs is better.

3) A wired or wireless mouse.

PowerBooks are a compromise between portability, style and comfort so the best ergonomic placements aren't available for many people. If you do use your computer a lot at a desk I would suggest adding some products that can make it as comfortable as possible.

I used the above products to help with shoulder problems and it made a world of difference.

Keep in mind that the right solution for you might require some trial and error, because the right solution for you might not be the right solution for someone else's body. People respond differently to alternative keyboards, mice, trackballs, tablets, etc. I bought a regular keyboard to plug into my PowerBook, and I didn't like the feel and could not type as fast. It could be that my hands are used to laptop key spacing now after using them for so long, or it could be that I should have bought a different keyboard.

There's a lot of material on the web about repetitive stress injuries and ways to avoid them. You should read about technique and posture before you read about equipment. For example, there are ways to hold your wrist that bend the carpal tunnel so that you irritate the nerves in there, and other ways to hold your palm that keep the tunnel straight so that you don't irritate the nerves. Coincidentally, the "proper" way to hold your palm over the keyboard is the way my old piano teacher taught me before computers were common...I guess they knew something back then! The point is that if you change your equipment but you use it wrong, you may see no improvement; and if you don't buy any equipment but you modify your habits in just the right way, you could have your solution for free.

Wrist supports may do more damage than good as they require the wrist and arm to stay in a fixed position whilst the hand moves. You are better off encouraging your whole arm to move. A wider, more ergonomic keyboard will help, as will setting your chair and desk height to a comfortable level. (Fit the chair to you and then desk to the chair, not the other way round.) Ikea have some good adjustable desks, one of which you can tilt. Take frequent breaks if typing a great deal.

The Maltron keyboard (www.maltron.com) is a serious keyboard for overcoming RSI problems, but very expensive.

Another trick I found helped was abandoning the mouse. Horrible little things, almost guarenteed to get your hand and wrist moving in ways they're not suited to. A cheap Wacom tablet and pen is easier to use, more natural to hold and you can prop the tablet in front of you and use the pen in the sort of poition you'd normally write.

Hope all this helps. All the best with resolving the problem. If it gets serious, seek professional help.

PB Ti 550 Mac OS X (10.2.x)