Standing room only…
Over the last few weeks, I have had issues with my upper spine, the cervical spine – C4 , C5 and C6, very close to my neck. This has been exacerbated by use of the laptop as I transcribe large chunks of Tobias from paper to the computer, editing the first draft in the process…
I travel to and from the city weekly and so the laptop is my chosen type of computer but probably not the best if one has physical problems.
I’m not sure how I got the arthritic degeneration thing but suspect it’s actually caused by my posture and that I have been heading toward it for many years. My head has been bent at the neck with a lifetime of hours of embroidery and then when I became a serious writer the hours spent with head bent were much longer.
So my companions of late have been heat packs, painkillers and a tube of Voltaren.
I finally took myself to my sports medicine specialist a couple of months ago. He bunged some needles into my trapezius and that was wonderful and he’s done it twice since (18 injections!) and now I’m having physio (ouch!),
but the crux of the matter is the work station.
I needed to change my manner of working and I remembered a wonderful Youtube clip from Michael Jecks in which he revealed his STANDING work station… I was impressed.
So yesterday, I bought a wifi keyboard and my husband rigged a space for me.
(If you look hard at the image, you’ll see a square mark under my cardi. That’s just one more heat pack!)
It means my back is to the view out the windows (which many writers might like but I don’t) and I am surrounded by glossy books on gardening, famous folk, embroidery, cooking, the Royal Family – in short, anything but the the twelfth century which is very distracting.
If I need to check facts, I have to move into the spare bedroom where my research books are shelved. In itself I guess that’s a good thing because I break my posture, can stretch and move about.
All of this is, like Tobias, a Work in Progress. It’ll be interesting to see if it assists the problem in anyway. I’ll let you know…
Hope it helps Prue, its so frustrating when you can’t do things you took for granted. 🙁 would it help you if you put you’re usual working desk on blocks and raised the hight, so that you’re neck isn’t bending so much, or will it be just the same posture ( just thinking aloud really) Take care my friendxx
Not sure if this will work, Libby. Have to say I am enjoying standing. Although learning to use a wifi keyboard away from the screen is a hoot. I’m working in 20 minute grabs so that my back and legs ease into this new mode. Have to say I have had 3 days with a much better neck! Wish me luck!
All best of luck with that, Prue. If you can lift the keyboard, it may help. I think you should have forearms horizontal ideally. Hope it helps with the back.
Thank you, Michael – I was impressed with your workspace. You are in fact the only writer I have heard of who uses the standing method although I’m sure there must be others. I will rejig to re-position the arms. At the moment this is all temporary to see if it alleviates my issues. I think it will work – it feels better already. In which case the whole thing will be made permanent with a document holder (I write on pen and paper for first draft). I like the idea that I become fitter whilst I write. I’m not a sedentary person by nature and so sitting for long periods irked me!
Hi Prue:
I just found your work and I’m excited to read both series. I have chronic pain, and I had to adjust my life around it, too. I live by Voltaran gel, but I also use Lidocaine Patches as well. Heat doesn’t always help (I don’t know why), so you might want to get a prescription for them and see if they help.
For writing, have you ever considered dictating into the computer? It isn’t perfect, but there are some very good programs out there. Dictating should allow allow you to sit comfortably, or even lie down, and “write” on your bad days — while being able to do your editing on your good days. Just a thought.
I wish you well. pain, particularly in the neck, will really wreck your day. Best of luck.
robin
Hallo there Robin and thanks for commenting! Lovely to have you here.
I have to say that my physio is working wonders (I will never be healed as I have degeneration of the spine – i.e.: old age!). My new computer station is wonderful and I haven’t had to stop any of the physical things I love doing like gardening, tennis, kayaking, walking with dog for miles and miles etc. It’s only been the computer and embroidery that are affected because my head had been bent at the neck. In addition, in the last week, I haven’t had to take any pain relief and I only used Voltaren and a heat pack yesterday for the first time in 7 days owing to a full day at the keyboard.
Dictation wouldn’t work for me as when one gets to editing, one fiddles around and plays with words – it can almost be as much a visual thing as a technical thing. I can’t imagine doing it vocally. I figure as long as these new methods work (work station and exercises), then I shall plug on.
They say life wasn’t meant to be easy! 😉