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Is there such a thing as "Lightroom Elbow?"

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TexasPilot

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Sep 26, 2015
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Location
San Antonio, Texas
Lightroom Experience
Intermediate
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I am putting this under the "workflow" forum given that it does include workflow.

Prior to my retirement a couple of years ago, I had really never done much photo editing. Now, I find myself at the PC and Lightroom several (sometimes many) hours per day. I am noticing more and more frequent elbow and upper arm and shoulder pain.

I'm not looking for any type of medical diagnosis - just wondering if this is a photo-editing side effect and if there are an "techniques" I should know about, use of a tablet vs a mouse, etc?

Thanks.

Ed
San Antonio, TX
 
Yes, there is something called 'repetative strain injury'. Also known as 'mouse arm'.
 
If you are operating the mouse and keyboard at a standard table height instead of at a comfortable keyboard height, you will see this type of RSI. Get a keyboard tray for your keyboard and mouse and mount it under the desktop. My desktop is a standard 30" from the floor. My keyboard tray is 26" from the floor. This 4" makes all the difference in the world in RSI pain and no RSI pain.
 
If you are operating the mouse and keyboard at a standard table height instead of at a comfortable keyboard height, you will see this type of RSI. Get a keyboard tray for your keyboard and mouse and mount it under the desktop. My desktop is a standard 30" from the floor. My keyboard tray is 26" from the floor. This 4" makes all the difference in the world in RSI pain and no RSI pain.

Thank you Cletus. I have a desk unit that we got from Ikea. Just so happens my wife is in Houston and she will go by the Ikea store tomorrow to look for that tray. I'm fairly sure they make exactly that.

Ed
 
Thank you Cletus. I have a desk unit that we got from Ikea. Just so happens my wife is in Houston and she will go by the Ikea store tomorrow to look for that tray. I'm fairly sure they make exactly that.

Ed
I had RSI - Carpal tunnel issues about 20 years ago. I had my mouse on my desktop surface because there was no room in the keyboard tray. Getting everything at a lower height resolved my RSI issue.
Isn't this forum great? Free medical advice, LR advice all in one place.
 
Also changing from using a mouse to a tablet/pen method, has made a huge difference for me. But I also switched hands, so that I use the mouse with my left now, this has helped with RSI issues!
 
I tried the Wacom Intuos for several months, but never got comfortable with it. One day I purchased a Gaming Mouse (G500 by Logitech) and found it to be a true revelation. I could not believe how precise the mouse action was. it also has a bunch of buttons that I can configure. I have not used the Intuos Wacom since.

I have one life mantra ..... with things you use every day ..... buy the best you can afford. It is amazing that millions of people are spending their lives every day using really poor mice and not realizing what a positive impact a decent mouse can have.
 
When I ran Windows, I had a Wacom "Pen & Touch" that was about 4 inches. (Remember it needs to fit alongside your keyboard in the tray for both). Of course, this model is no longer made but I'm sure there are better ones about this size available now too.
When I moved to a Mac, I tried both a Magic mouse and a touchpad. Finally settled on the touchpad. Recently I added a second touchpad and found the motion continuous and more suited for my dual monitor setup.
 
Another thing that I have found very helpful in reducing strain when using a mouse is a mouse pad that has an integrated wrist support. Along with a lower work surface this raises your wrist to keep it straight and reduces the irritation of the tendons.

-louie
 
I have recently changed from a regular mouse to a trackball mouse. The difference is that the mouse never moves, so you can position it in the most comfortable place, and eliminate arm movement. I also have a Wacom, for the other hand.

Dave
 
Also changing from using a mouse to a tablet/pen method, has made a huge difference for me. But I also switched hands, so that I use the mouse with my left now, this has helped with RSI issues!

An "ergonomic" mouse might also help. Some of them are really weird. This is the one I bought. Handshoe Mouse. I found best results with all the weights removed.

Phil
 
You might also like to take a look at the blog post series I have running at the moment. Splitting the "work" between two hands made the biggest difference to me when I was editing 30k+ photos a month. Splitting between two hands also means you're forced to sit a bit straighter, which helps.
 
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