I like it: Kinesis Advantage Ergonomic Keyboard
It's better than: Normal keyboards
Why the change?
I started having numbness and pain in my wrist, elbow and fingers about a year and a half ago. I've been to the doctor, tried better posture, an ergonomic mouse, stretching, a splint, HandEze gloves, dictation software, using the computer less, taking breaks, taking pain-killers, massage and going to a chiropractor. A few months ago, I decided to get a better keyboard. I shopped around a bit and found some fairly cheep ergonomic keyboards, but many of the reviews I read raved about the Kinesis. It looked strange, but I liked the idea of using my thumb more. This review was a big part of why I went for it. He also talks about switching to the Dvorak keyboard layout, which I considered. But he said it took longer and made less of a difference than just switching to a Kinesis with QWERTY. It did take me a few days to get back up to speed, but I love my keyboard now. If I try using a normal keyboard, it's slow and painful.

I still have to deal with some pain, but I'm learning my limits and I can get through a day at work now. I stopped wearing the gloves and cut my stretching way back. I think I was overdoing it and it was becoming counterproductive. I'm also using AntiRSI, a little Mac program that reminds me to take breaks. This problem sucks and I may always have to deal with it, but I feel like I've got it under control now. My keyboard has been a big part of that.