For the past few years, I’ve been writing nonstop every day. Once I get home from work, my wrists and forearms start to hurt and get tired. No matter how often I massage or stretch, the pain doesn’t go away. Is there anything I can do to make this less likely to happen? Is a mechanical keyboard going to help me with my work? In the past, I’ve heard that ergonomic keyboards are meant for this.
Ah, that’s right. Most people might think of ergonomic keyboards when they think of keyboards that are curved and have a gap in the middle where the buttons are separated. Because mechanical keyboards are durable and can be customized, we can combine them with ergonomics to make your experience even better.
Most likely, if you spend most of your time working on computer, an ergonomic keyboard will help you avoid strain and injury. We’re going to look at ergonomics, different types of ergonomic mechanical keyboards, and how you might combine them to keep yourself from getting hurt.
What does ergonomics mean, and how does it help us?
A quick search of the word ergonomic says that it is “related to or tailored for efficiency and convenience in the workplace.”
This is notably important if you work at a desk or use your mouse all day.
Let’s start with some simple ergonomics. There are a lot of things you can do to make your desk and chair set up better before you buy an ergonomic mechanical keyboard or mouse.
If you want to move your desk around, you’ll have to add things or cut off parts of your table legs. Most desks are in a fixed position, so you can’t move them without doing this.
So, the desk couldn’t move. What else moves? It’s your chair! In order to make sure that your forearm makes a 90-degree angle when you rest it on the desk, raise or lower your chair until it is at the height you need.
Set up an ergonomic desk for your home or office.
Look at your feet. If they’re on the ground, that’s not a problem. Does the cliff look like your feet are hanging over the edge of it? Is that the case? Then you should add a footrest now. Knees should be bent at 90 degrees, which is the best way to do it
I use books and reams of paper to prop my feet up when I work. The old textbooks I used when I was in school are the best for me to use.
Hip angle: 90 degrees is also the best angle for your hips to be in. It doesn’t mean that just as these are the best angles that you can stay in all the time. Take a rest, take a stand, go to the shower room, get water, and go for a run. The most important thing is to move your muscles so they don’t stay in this position and become tight all the time.
From what I’ve learned and done as a healthcare professional, this is the best way to keep the muscles around a joint from getting too long or too short.
Take a look at your elbow. You have the biceps on one side as well as the triceps on another. If we make this easier, we can put them together. When your arm is straight, the biceps are fully stretched, and your triceps are at their smallest point, so your arm is in a straight line.
It would happen if you have been stuck for a long time. In this particular instance, it would be the triceps This is not a good way to live your living. Imagine trying to live your whole daily lives with your arms straight out.
Make sure your biceps are fully flexed, and bring both hands to your shoulder. You shorten your biceps in this area, and your triceps get longer. Do you know what to do? Not at all.
So, we try to find a balance by recommending that the distance of the biceps and triceps are “equal” in the sense that they aren’t too long or short on either side.
Muscles move when they are still for a long time. Every so often, allow your body a rest. Take a few steps then sit down. It doesn’t have to be very long.
Moving on, let’s adjust the screen. You want the screen to be about arm’s length away so you can see everything on the screen. This way, you can check everything on the computer monitor.
The screen should be at eye level. Most screens and tables come with a height that is too low for the screen. You can do the same thing with your feet. You can put reams of paper or old books under your computer screen until it’s at your eye level.
When you look at something, your eyes have muscle groups that act and relax depending on how far away it is from your body.
Take a break, too. People should follow the 20-20-20 rule. You may have heard this before.
Take a look at something at least 20 feet away once every 20 minutes. This one will give the eye muscles a break, which will make them less tired. Contracting muscles from around eyes makes it easier to look at things close up.
The muscles to the right and left of the eyepiece are the ones that are working hard to get the lens to focus.
In the next part, we’ll talk about the keyboard and the mouse. Make sure you really don’t think about using your laptop’s keyboard or touchpad! RSI is a recipe (repetitive strain injuries). Isn’t that why you’re here?
It makes sense that where your fingertips land on your table is where your keyboard should be. Place your mouse right next to that.
You would like to have your wrists to be in a neutral position, not stretched out like in the picture below.
When you type or move the mouse, your forearms are bent, and your palms are turned down. This is not a good place to remain positive. Take a break and stretch your forearms by trying to stretch your wrists into flexion and extension against the wall or desk where you work. Do this every time you take a break from work.
There you go. You should now know what’s going on, and how to set up your desk so that it stays in the right place. You also know that you’ll have to take breaks often. I must listen to what I tell myself. I’m coming back soon.
How is mechanical keyboard different from a normal keyboard?
Before we talk about the features of ergonomic keyboards, let’s talk about how they work.
You can move your arms in a V-shaped way instead of A or H-shaped ways. This makes your chest as well as shoulders open instead of closed, which makes it easier for your shoulders to move outside of your body. Our shoulders become more rounded as we stay in rotation for a long time. This is because the muscles in our back get longer and the muscles in our front shoulder and chest get tighter.
This means that you are raised in the midpoint. This can let your wrists and forearms rest. It also brings your forearms in a less flexible flat position, which moves them closer to a neutral forearm position, which is what you want.
It has a negative tilt, which means it is lower at the rear of the keyboard. This means the side that is looking away from you is lower. This reduces the angular position of wrist extension and helps keep the wrist in a neutral position.
Despite the fact that this might not seem like a big deal, it changes how you use your mouse. The bigger the keyboard, the farther the mouse is from you when you reach for it. In order to reach forward, you will have to reach forward. This will make your shoulder blades move forward out of their neutral position.
