Focus

By Tamara Lee

Computers could be ruining me.

Over the past two years, my computer usage has tripled. There are some days I’m at it for 16 hours, then right back at it 8 hours later. I freelance edit, then I work on my writing projects, then I research, then I surf the Internet and answer emails or post to writer-related boards or blogs.

The last six months or so have been most alarming: my hands’ ability to grasp even simple items is wholly unpredictable. I had let myself assume it was tendonitis. But it’s actually more like a very acute strain, with the strong possibility that permanent damage has been done.

And crammed into my purse are two pages full of intense instructions from my physiotherapist (an exacting woman who runs one of the premier hand physio-clinics in Western Canada) covering all the ergonomic changes I must make to my workstations (yes, I have two), and the exercises I must perform at 30-minute intervals throughout my writing day.

“For how long?” I asked.

“How long do you intend on being a writer?”

She was then even more blunt, as I sat stunned into disbelief. “If you don’t take care of your hands you will need to be put into splints.”

Suddenly, the pain surging from my shoulders, through my forearms and wrists, the pain that has all but numbed my fingers from knuckles to tips, has been put into perspective.

All those films and tales of musicians and artists of all sorts fighting through pain for the love of their craft no longer seem romantic. The truth of it is rather troubling.

Take care of your hands, people. Like a singer babies her vocal chords, do not take your most precious tools for granted. Pamper them, and your back (for that is where much hand pain begins). I urge you to research hand exercises and proper ergonomics. Make an appointment with a physiotherapist who specializes in hand therapy, to make sure you're maintaining good hand health. Seriously, a few more months of my current behaviour, and I likely wouldn't be typing this at all.

So from now on, my computer usage must be limited to the absolute minimum. Laptops perched on my knee in bed, set on the coffee table, or at the kitchen table…no more. These and all the other ways I have become accustomed to working must be changed. (Many of you know how difficult it is to change one’s writing routine.) A huge investment in ergonomic upgrades also will be necessary.

Essentially, my whole existence as a writer/editor must be given a re-work.

And oh, how editing ourselves can be the damnedest thing.



(Image: Auguste Rodin's "Les Mains")