Placing your keyboard at an angle to the edge of
the desk encourages a bad posture. Either the wrists are bent
sideways (ulnar deviation) or the spine is twisted. Rearrange
your equipment so you can sit head-on to your keyboard and monitor.
The tendons and nerves that control the fingers run through
the wrists. If the wrists are not in a flat, neutral position
the tendons can rub as they go to and fro in the wrist. Damage
can occur with a combination of poor wrist posture and one
or more of: excess force, repetition of similar movements,
lack of recovery breaks, or stress.
Check your seat height - your elbows should be
no higher than keyboard height.
Don't deploy rear keyboard feet unless your elbows
are below desk height.
Thoroughly revise your whole working posture, making
sure that your hands are in line with your forearms.
At regular intervals shake your hands and rotate
them clockwise a few times and then anti-clockwise
(this relieves tension in the fingers, hands, wrists
and forearms).
Use a light keying action. Most people hit the keys 3
or 4 times harder that they need to.
Take regular breaks
to rest your wrists and hands.
Have a space in front of your keyboard
to rest your hands when you are not keying. If you are a
touch typist who is more comfortable with the keyboard next
to the desk edges keep this position but rest your hands
in your lap when not typing.
