My friend has neck and hand pain from using computer at work all day.

[Dari]

What can she do?

 

[mooglemania85]

stop masturbating?

 

[spidey07]

See her doctor? Tell HR/manager?

They take that crap seriously. All she has to do is say she's experiencing pain and they'll be all over it.

 

[Skeeedunt]

Yeah, talk to HR. A lot of places will have people give you a full ergonomic overhaul and put all your shit at the right height, get you a good chair, etc.

In general, make sure her monitor is at the correct height, switch mouse hands throughout the day, and take frequent breaks to move around (making a lap around the office to pester coworkers is the preferred method).

 

[FoBoT]

carpal tunnel syndrome

have to get a different job not using computers

 

[amdskip]

check this out

I have one on the way, hope it helps me out.

 

[Jeff7]

This.

My mom was having wrist trouble with a conventional mouse, and from using her PC for just a few seconds, I could see how uncomfortable a regular mouse would be. This Evoluent thing was great. It's a bit more difficult to control than a standard mouse, but it doesn't take long to get used to, and is much more comfortable and natural.
I've got a chair with armrests, so my elbow is away from my body, putting my wrist at the proper angle for use with a normal mouse, thus no need for the Evoluent.

Neck - check the monitor level versus her chair.

What kind of monitor does she have? If it's a CRT, set the refresh rate to at least 75Hz, or preferably as high as the monitor will support. 60Hz can cause eyestrain, which might manifest itself as some kind of headache. I find flickering from CRTs set to <75Hz (or some old fluorescent tubes) to cause symptoms similar to motion sickness.

 

[Dari]

She uses a laptop.

 

[Jeff7]

Ooh, laptop. Yeah, bad angles. I can't stand using one for very long. Everything's all wrong for extended use. Put the keyboard down where it can be reached, and the screen is in the wrong place. Put the screen in the right place, and the keyboard is inaccessible.

Best bet:
Get that Evoluent mouse (expensive, but really really comfortable and natural to grip) and some external keyboard. Then the laptop can be placed on something to elevate it to a natural height.


(Advice is based on experience, I'm not an expert, though I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.)

 

[lyssword]

That, and if your wrists don't get enough bloodflow you'll be in pain too, just like when you try to lift heavy weights without warming up She should try wearing long sleeves if her hands are indeed cold.

 

[d33pt]

worker's comp!

 

[skace]

get a docking station for her laptop.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Get a dvorak keyboard.

 

[nakedfrog]

She's doing it wrong, basically.