Two Thumbs Up

blog-45.jpg

As a physical therapist I’ve often told patients that “if you spend all your workday sitting, then a chair isn’t a piece of furniture. It’s one your most important tools”. Emboldened, they might go back to their boss and demand a proper ergonomic chair. They often get it, and neck and shoulder pains and carpal tunnel problems diminish or disappear!

In the same way, I’d advise somebody who was on their feet all day for their work–and especially if they have foot or ankle problems–that they should spend whatever it takes to have the best footwear–even down to the kind of socks they purchase for work. Spend $20 on a pair of Spenco inserts, I tell them, even if your new Easy Walkers come with footbed liners. You won’t waste money making your workday safer, less painful and less tiring.

So here, I think of it not as rationalization but as taking my own best advice. Well, maybe a little rationalizing, too.

If one spends a good bit of his day using his hands at the computer and his work is done there, AND if he already has pre-existing hand joint problems, then spending a little more for the right tools is the best investment a fella can make. Right?

And so I spent a gob on a mouse–the Logitech MX Revolution. But by all accounts, over time, my thumbs and wrists will thank me. And, after using the two $25 “reward certficates” I got last week from Amazon, I will have a heckuva mouse for a good price. Should be here soon!

Reviews: —The GadgeteerThinkMac

Share this with your friends!
fred
fred

Fred First holds masters degrees in Vertebrate Zoology and physical therapy, and has been a biology teacher and physical therapist by profession. He moved to southwest Virginia in 1975 and to Floyd County in 1997. He maintains a daily photo-blog, broadcasts essays on the Roanoke NPR station, and contributes regular columns for the Floyd Press and Roanoke's Star Sentinel. His two non-fiction books, Slow Road Home and his recent What We Hold in Our Hands, celebrate the riches that we possess in our families and communities, our natural bounty, social capital and Appalachian cultures old and new. He has served on the Jacksonville Center Board of Directors and is newly active in the Sustain Floyd organization. He lives in northeastern Floyd County on the headwaters of the Roanoke River.

Articles: 3008

3 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. That’s a sweet mouse. I recently replaced my keyboard with the wavy shaped Logitech wireless keyboard and I love using it. I hated the Logitech mouse that came with it; it was too small in my hand. I’m really happy with my older Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer; it fits my hand well. That mouse you bought looks like it may work great for my hand though.

    Last year I sprung $1,300 for my Herman Miller Aeron chair. After roughly four weeks my right hip stopped aching entirely, and my back and neck don’t ache at all like they used to when I’ve been chained to the desk.