Typing Dvorak for RSI relief

I AM training on the Dvorak keyboard layout to see if it can relieve my budding RSI. The pain in my fingers seems to be subsiding, but it is too early to say whether it is from typing slowly or having less finger-travel (which is the stated benefit of using the Dvorak layout).

RSI in pinky finger

Trouble ahead, I’m afraid.

The pinky finger on my left hand has been aching for the past few days. It started during the intensive debugging sessions I had at the office lately, and now it shoots pain every single time it reaches for the left Shift key. In the picture above, you can see that the marking of the “A” key is almost gone. Also notice how far the finger has to travel to reach the Shift key.

I will see if it improves over the next few days with more frequent breaks and control over my typing speed — fingers on home keys; one finger off the home keys at a time; active finger returns to home key before next finger move; and so on — and if the pain gets worse, I will have to consider a specialist.