Tendonitis

This January I noticed a little tingling in my left hand. In a couple of months it became clear that there was something wrong with the little finger of my left hand. I think that it is tendonitis. I have used a typewriter and computer heavily for over thirty years. Why did this happen now?

After thinking about it (a lot) I concluded that it was the fault of my new computer desk. The keyboard slides out on a tray at a lower level than the desktop. This sets up an ergonomically correct posture and viewing position. The problem is that the tray was not locking into position. Unconsciously, I was trying to steady the keyboard with my wrists while I typed. This put my hands in the wrong position for typing. For some reason, it affected my left little finger more than others—probably because my left little finger is being used so often on the shift key.

Last week, I discovered something. If I pull out the keyboard tray all the way and then pull it hard toward me it locks into position and stays there. Now I can begin to type from a correct position and eventually cure the tendonitis.

This probably seems pretty trivial and picky unless you have had a similar problem. Nevertheless, it is painful to type and I have been avoiding typing so that I do not make the problem worse. That's why you have not seen many blog entries recently.