Bruises aren't necessary

You expect a few bruises if you ride bulls in the rodeo. Digging ditches is apt to produce few twinges, and even washing dishes in a restaurant can leave one aching at the end of the day. But sedentary jobs like coding? They aren't supposed to be painful!

Yet they often are. An intense session of keyboarding can leave you hurting in all sorts of improbable places!

"So what?" you ask. "It's not as if it could cause permanent damage."

But guess what: It could!

Repetitive strain injury (RSI) and other musculoskeletal ailments can not only make you uncomfortable for many years; in their worst forms, they can require surgery to alleviate, and can even make it difficult to perform simple daily tasks. You know, things like getting dressed, brushing your teeth, or keying in that genius mod you just thought of.

Fortunately, while it's not too hard to wound yourself in pursuit of the perfect application, it's also not too hard to prevent injury, or at least mitigate incipient damage, with a little common sense and a few precautions.

Whether the issue is sore wrists from too much keyboarding, a stiff back from sitting in the same position for too many hours, or aching thumbs from excessive use of a BlackBerry, techniques exist to ease your pain.

The science of ergonomics is all about designing furniture and equipment that maximizes productivity by minimizing operator fatigue and discomfort.

The term ergonomics is sometimes used in a broader sense to describe ways you can minimize the possibility of injury by sensible use of your existing equipment.

The first thing you should do, as my old doctor used to say, is listen to your body. Fitness gurus may tell us, "No pain, no gain," but in the context of our work, that's lousy advice. "Pain means no gain" is closer to the truth. If a physical task hurts, chances are it's doing damage, or has the potential to do so.

For example, laptop users who hunch over their machines until they resemble the Hunchback of Notre Dame frequently have stiff shoulders and aching necks. Too much mousing can leave the wrist throbbing and the clicking finger in pain. A few hours of keying, and everything hurts.

We can spend big bucks on so-called ergonomic equipment, and that may help (and there are plenty of companies more than willing to help you part with your cash – do your research), but shelling out big bucks isn't the only solution.