Isn’t everyone looking for the cure for shoulder/neck pain?

It’s an occupational hazard for pretty much everyone these days. At some point or another, we all find ourselves at a screen, on a keyboard, looking at a monitor, usually with questionable posture. For writers, it’s especially bad. For writers on deadline, it’s the worst.

I’ve had a lot of deadlines this year. That, followed by some overenthusiastic gardening, has culminated in a nasty, immobilizing pain in my shoulder. Can’t lift my left arm, can’t sleep on my left side, (can’t shut up about it, according to some) all of which makes working at my computer rather dicey. According to the physiotherapist, I’ve got tendon and nerve impingement due to the joint being locked down. Imagine, he said, a vacuum cleaner nozzle sucked up against a wall. Nothing moves until you break the seal. That’s my arm. The good news is, with some easy exercises to open up the joint and get it healing, it’s already feeling better. So that’s this week’s task. Next week, we will rebuild… better… stronger… faster…

But, in the meantime, I’m finally taking action to change up how I work. Over the years, I’ve looked at standing desks of all sorts but none of them seem quite right for my situation, because the bulk of my writing work is done on a laptop. Then today, in a moment of serendipity in Starbucks, my husband and I saw a guy working on this nifty device.

It’s called a Roost Laptop Stand – Adjustable and Portable Laptop Stand – PC and MacBook Stand, Made in USA. The Starbucks guy said it’s changed everything about the way he works, and as he explained, I could see it. Correct neck angle. Correct elbow angle. No spilling coffee on the laptop. :) I came home and ordered one immediately. (The keyboard and trackpad are sold separately so that’s next on my list.)

Has anyone used a system like this? I’d love to hear your experience.