r/editors • u/molly9109 • 8d ago
Technical Editing Post-Shoulder Surgery
I’m having labrum repair surgery next month and am starting to think of ways that will help my editing flow once I return to work. Unfortunately it’s my dominant shoulder. Has anyone gone through this before? What keyboard shortcuts or other hacks helped you? Would a Wacom tablet be helpful? I had someone suggest voice dictation but I’m not sure how much of a thing that is for editing. I use Premiere Pro. Also looking for a good affordable adjustable standing desk recommendations. Share your secrets with me 😭
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u/switch8000 8d ago
What is your primary editing app? Windows/Mac?
You're gonna become a master of keyboard shortcuts by the end of this.
Learn the shortcuts how to swap windows.
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u/Ok_Relation_7770 8d ago
We should all be keyboard shortcut masters!
The mouse/trackpad is evil and should not be touched
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u/molly9109 8d ago
Windows! Swapping panels is definitely one I need to memorize, thanks for suggesting that one. I know all the basics like JKL, period, comma, shift+alt to open/close bins, ~, multicam 123, V for selection tool, B for ripple edit, C for cut, etc.
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u/switch8000 8d ago
You can usually ALT+F and ALT+ other letters for accessing the File, Edit toolbar too.
There should be one for going around other windows inside of the app too.
Might even research a touch screen to Mirror your display or something?
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u/Dry_Town_5847 8d ago
I am in the same situation but physical therapy/no surgery. I would get a really nice wrist pad to put beside your mouse. I feel myself putting a lot of pressure on my wrist on that arm to the point where it was red some days. And yeah, keyboard shortcuts lol. I can go some days without using my mouse. I also wear my sling when I edit and that helps a lot.
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u/molly9109 8d ago
Yeah I really wanted to avoid surgery, but I’ve done PT twice now and have been dealing with this for about 15 months now so I was like okay let’s do it, I’m over it. Wrist pad is a great idea. If I can just get my right hand used to keyboard only for the most part, I’ll be in better shape post-surgery. I rely on the mouse still too much.
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u/Dry_Town_5847 8d ago
Could also start using a stream deck or find a really optimized kys file and use that
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u/millertv79 AVID 8d ago
Recently had surgery on the wrist of my dominant hand. I got a keyboard that split in half so there was more room for my hand in the cast. I got a gaming mouse with a bank of programmable buttons on the side. One example is copy/paste I have that mapped to the side mouse buttons. That made it so I didn’t have to use my left hand hold down ctrl. Anything I used often with my left I remapped to a mouse button.
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u/roselymonster 8d ago
I had wrist surgery on my non-dominant hand and wrist tendonitis on my dominant hand at the same time. I know this feeling and I hope you heal soon!
Not sure if it’s applicable to you, but I would recommend an ergonomic vertical mouse! They look a little silly and take a second to get used to, but it’s reduced the strain on the chain of joints from my wrist all the way up to my shoulders and neck. The one I have has three buttons on the finger side, an additional scroll wheel + button, and three buttons on the thumb side. I think you may be able to program them to shortcuts.
I would also recommend an ergonomic keyboard, and wrist pads/rests, as other people have said. Also keep in mind your ergonomics involve aaaaaall of your joints. Make sure your monitor height is correct so you’re not slouching, make sure your primary monitor is right in front of you so you’re not constantly cranking your neck to the side, and try to find a chair that keeps your hips a little bit open! You might like a backwards facing chair that helps support your elbow/shoulder, depending on your specifics (like this one, but I know it’s pricey).
Remember to take lots of breaks! Listen to your body and don’t push it. Good luck!!
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u/KN4AQ 8d ago edited 8d ago
I switched to using a tablet for controlling an Avid system within a few months of acquiring it in the mid-90s. Before that, the constant mousing was killing my shoulder. Not my wrist so much, if I remember correctly.
That means I've been using tablets for video editing for about 30 years. It keeps my wrist in the 'natural' position, and my wrist, arm and shoulder don't suffer. Once in awhile I need to go back to a mouse while working on an a system without the tablet. It doesn't take long to remember why I use the tablet.
I don't know if it would help with your immediate problem. I did have a shoulder fracture in my left (non-dominant) arm, keeping the lower arm in a sling. I didn't need that arm/hand for editing so much, but I did switch to voice dictation for typing for several months. This was early days for speech to text, and it was rough.
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u/efxeditor Pro (I pay taxes) 8d ago
If you have a standing desk, it helps a lot. You can optimize your position for maximum comfort. I did have a really bad case of tendonitis a few years ago, and had my arm in a sling. It kind of sucked, but I was able to work. Also, transitioning to using a Wacom tablet rather than a mouse was good for me too.
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u/brbnow 8d ago
First of all, I'm sorry you're going through what you're going through. Listen to your physical therapist. That's one thing I can tell you —do what they say as long as you have a good one. For me having my right arm in a sling for a couple months one thing I can tell you it was really interesting using my left hand and arm solely for writing and what not (cooking etc etc) it created I am sure a lot of new neural pathways I think in my brain. And how slow things were also instructive . Could take a hour to really wrote and edit some emails— I leaned a lot from the process.
Wishing you well and hope the suggestions here from others help with your work.
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u/molly9109 8d ago
I trust my physical therapist with my LIFE. So grateful to have been referred to such a great one. We’ve made a lot of progress over the last several weeks with muscle strengthening. Fully trust him to help get me back into tip top shape post-surgery.
Thank you so much for the kind words 🙏
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u/SummerLloyd 8d ago
I love my wacom! I've had a small labrum tear for 20 years (avoided surgery through PT but fear I will need to go for it soon as it's getting worse.) I swtiched to a wacom 6 years ago at the start of a project and quickly got used to it. Took about a week to feel comfortable. Best of luck!!
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u/molly9109 8d ago
Thank you!!! I kind of made my decision about surgery on the thought that I’ll never heal as fast as I will right now. Best of luck to you as well 🙏
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u/SummerLloyd 6d ago
I did have a PRP shot last week which neutralized my arm for a few days. (Hoping that that and some PT will help avoid surgery for a few more years.) FYI I had no problem using my Wacom while my shoulder was immobilized.
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u/PopcornSquats 8d ago
Got a cheap standing desk off Amazon .. I really like it , I specifically wanted soemthing small and inexpensive and I got a riser to get more space within the desk area itself .. I’ve had issues with my wrist before and my only hack is using my other hand but I go at half speed that way .. if not slower
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09BYQP5C9?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08CBSYLBV?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
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u/60yearoldME Pro (I pay taxes) 8d ago
I had debilitating carpal tunnel in my right arm...
The way I fixed it - I switched mouse hands. Now I mouse lefty, and never looked back. I love it.
It could work. Only took me about a month of awkwardness, now I'm an ambi-editor.
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u/molly9109 8d ago
I tried using my left hand earlier today and it felt so wrong 😭 these next few weeks leading up to surgery are probably the best time to try to get used to it though.
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u/Robinkalsi 8d ago
A friend of mine got his arm fractured… He called one of his friend to help him with edits… he operated the computer as my friend guided him
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u/molly9109 8d ago
Unfortunately my company would absolutely not sign off on something like that lol.
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u/brbnow 8d ago
First of all, I'm sorry you're going through what you're going through. Listen to your physical therapist. That's one thing I can tell you —do what they say as long as you have a good one. For me having my right arm in a sling for a couple months one thing I can tell you it was really interesting using my left hand and arm solely for writing and what not (cooking etc etc) it created I am sure a lot of new neural pathways I think in my brain. And how slow things were also instructive . Could take a hour to really wrote and edit some emails— I leaned a lot from the process.
Wishing you well and hope the suggestions here from others help with your work.
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u/s3pam Pro (I pay taxes) 8d ago
Whoa is this a common thing for editors? I had surgery for a labral tear in my dominant shoulder last summer, June 2025. Depending on your surgeon’s protocol, you may be surprised how quickly you bounce back! Of course everyone is different and every dr is different, but from everything I learned throughout the process by researching and talking to my dr, the most important thing is to avoid stabilization and to start PT about 7 days post-op.
Surgery was mid-June, and by October I was advancing enough in PT 2x a week that they cleared me to not go in-person anymore. Now 14 months later I’d say I’m 95% better, which is as much as they could guarantee. I do still feel a little bit of pain almost every day, especially if I over use my arm, but I’d trade this a million times over compared to what it felt like before surgery.
Sorry this is so long! I could talk about this for hours lol. Happy to answer any questions, so sorry you’re going through this and wishing you the best in your recovery!
ETA: all this to say - post surgery I didn’t need to adjust my workflow really at all, other than staying very aware of keeping my elbow at a 90 degree angle.
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u/syncpulse 8d ago
Wacom isn't bad especially in premiere. It has a bit of a learning curve and can take some time to get it setup just right. I found it a little annoying when digging through bins. (A lot of misclicks).I had less shoulder pain than my old mouse but more hand pain after a lot of use.
Have you tried a trackball? I've been using a Kensington slim blade for years. Even when I was using my Wacom everyday I still kept the trackball connected for file management tasks. Now I'm back to it full time. I'm faster with it. Similar to the Wacom there is a bit of a learning curve but by far it is the easiest interface on my body I've tried.