Many computer users suffer from hand and wrist pain. In this series of posts, we first considered how to find quick relief from pain. Once you have treated the immediate pain, consider making some changes to keep it from returning. The two main culprits are your mouse and your keyboard. In this post, we will consider how you use your keyboard and small changes prevent pain in the future.

Using Your Keyboard

• Fix your hand and wrist posture. Let’s review basic keyboarding rules that were established to help protect your hands and wrists. When typing, your hands should hover over the keys while you are typing. Relax your hands by keeping your fingers loosely curved, as if you were holding a golf ball. Your arms, wrists and hands should form a straight line, and your wrists should always be level with your arms and hands, never flexed or bent.
• Optimize your keyboard placement. Move your keyboard so that it rests just below the height of your elbows, an inch or two above your lap. This will allow your forearms to remain parallel to your thighs while typing. Center space bar in front of you and slant the  keys away from your body at a slight, negative slope. An ergonomic keyboard tray makes these adjustments so fast and easy; and the keyboard can be uniquely placed for each user.
• Upgrade your keyboard. Ergonomic keyboards are specifically designed to encourage good hand and wrist posture. There are a variety of  styles and sizes of keyboards to fit different typing styles and hand sizes. A popular design is the split keyboard; it is curved to match shape of your hands and encourages a relaxed, natural posture for your wrists. The mini keyboard is designed to be very compact, bringing the keys are closer together to eliminate any straining or reaching for keys. Sample several styles and sizes to find the best fit for your needs.
• Use your wrist rest properly. Most people don’t know how to properly use their wrist rest. Never put weight directly on your wrist; this can agitate the sensitive, carpal tunnel area. You can support your arms and hands on the ball of your hand during any breaks from typing, but don’t use the wrist rests while you are pressing keys.

Take immediate action to relieve your hand and wrist pain, and make important changes to keep the pain from returning or worsening. Install an easy-to-use ergonomic keyboard tray to provide easy positioning for your keyboard and mouse. And try switching a good ergonomic keyboard fits your hand shape and helps you maintain good posture in your hands and wrists. Pain is your body’s way of telling you there is something that needs to change; find the right ergonomic products to quickly reduce the discomfort and fix the cause for the future.

Filed under: Category Uncategorized | Tags: carpal tunnel,ergonomic keyboard,ergonomic keyboards,keyboard tray,mini keyboard,pain,wrist pain,wrist rest by christy