Imagine coming to work and not being able to type a story on your keyboard because of intense pain in your wrist, elbow or fingers. It’s a scary thought. I never thought it could happen to me. I’m only 33 years old. But I’ve been suffering from tendonitis for several months. More than a year ago I began having pain in my left wrist periodically. But it usually came and disappeared within the same day. Then suddenly it became more noticeable, and gradually it became a constant companion. I love to write, but I almost dreaded coming to work because I didn’t want to be in pain. Like everyone I use my hands continually throughout the day, so it’s been a slow recovery process.

An ergonomic specialist reviewed my workstation and gave me suggestions for furniture that would help me become more ergonomic. She also suggested various assistive technology such as dictation to help alleviate some of the pain and give my wrist the rest it needed to recover.

But the pain will be worth it if I can help another person. I’m thankful I have a platform like the Reynolds Journalism Institute where I can help other journalists. I’ll share more about my experience in another post.

—JN