Importance of Using Wrist Support while Typing

Typists may experience stiffness or tingling in their wrists after spending most of their days typing. It's the great boogeyman of computer workers everywhere - carpal tunnel syndrome. Even though wrist support while typing can help prevent wrist injuries, are they as effective as people claim?

A carpal tunnel syndrome symptom is the first sign that you need wrist support for typing and mouse. Is there a real cause for this condition? This is usually the result of long-term wrist injuries. After years of neglect, the tissues in your wrists slowly swell and press against the median nerve, causing a burning and tingling sensation. 

Typing is less likely to cause carpal tunnel syndrome if you use wrist support for typing on a laptop. Working at a desk can lead to wrist injuries because of years of pressure, strain, and reduced blood flow. Simply look where your wrists fall while your fingers are in a typing position.

Your desk is being pressed against them, right? When you use your mouse, the same thing happens. If you are like me, you might notice that the entire weight of your upper body is placed on your wrists. This isn't good! There’s a simple solution – using the best typing wrist support.

Importance

So why use wrist rests at all? Is it wrist support while typing? When doing most of their typing on their keyboard, people often end up raising their shoulders, tensing their hands, and raising their wrists while typing. Others end up putting up more weight on their wrists while typing or resting between numerous tasks, serving as a crutch that doesn't encourage the best posture for typing.  

Most people tend to raise their shoulders and tense their arms when typing on a computer keyboard between the wrist and the desk's hard surface or sharp edges. This doesn't seem to be the case at all. It's not complicated to know how to use a wrist rest. When used incorrectly, wrist rests can lead to an incorrect angle, putting pressure on the wrist's internal structures for proper posture at the desk.

The first thing to remember is that heavy and frequent contact may still cause wrist irritation and trigger carpal tunnel syndrome or tenosynovitis. Secondly, inappropriately sized and positioned wrist supports that could cause awkward hand positioning and even carpal syndrome, injuries to tendons, and even tenosynovitis. Here are some points on how to protect wrists when typing:

• To prevent heavy wrist contact on the surface of your carpal tunnel desk setup, you should set up your setup to distribute your weight.
• You should rest your elbows on the armrests of your desk or chair at a 90-110 degree angle, preventing your shoulders from being raised.
• Soft wrist rests that don’t have sharp edges make a good wrist rest. Your wrist must be able to get into a neutral (straight) position when your mouse matches the slope, height, and width of your keyboard.
• When typing with the wrists bent upward or downward, they are more stressed. Fewer or no wrist supports are required for keyboards with a flatter design, while those with a higher slope and greater height will require more.
• Rather than the wrists, your wrist rest should be in contact with the heels of your palms. A separate ergonomic wrist rest can also be used to use your mouse!

Buying Guide

Materials

You get gel or memory foam cushion ergonomic mouse pads. Gel pads feel cool to the touch. Also, some are sticky without a cover. People who prefer soft, squishy cushions may like squishy wrist supports filled with gel.

Memory foam is one of the best materials available for support. The foam conforms to the shape of your wrist as a result of the heat generated by your body. However, some people may not like how warm it feels.

Pad size

Check the dimensions of the mouse pad to ensure that it will fit your work area and that you have enough space to move the mouse. We think that a wide wrist rest is the best mouse wrist rest so that when you’re not paying attention, your wrist does not land too far off-center.

Compression

While the wrist rest should support your weight, it should also be soft enough to allow proper blood circulation. Even with a wrist rest, staying in a single position for long periods can result in blood compression. Maintain a straight alignment of your wrists and elbows by adjusting the height of your desk and chair. 

Mouse size

You should be able to hold your mouse comfortably. A vertical mouse, which can be used with a handshake position, might also be something you want to consider. With angled mice, the weight is placed on the side of your hand rather than on the inside of your wrist. The mouse should not be bigger than the mouse pad and should not drag the mouse pad around as you use it.

Height

The wrists need to maintain a neutral position when using the computer so that there is little bending of the wrists. Your wrist will be strained if your arm is positioned too low, increasing your chances of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. A too high wrist rest, on the other hand, causes fatigue to your fingers, hands, and wrist.

Choose a wrist rest that is approximately 1′′ - 1.2′′ deep to ensure proper alignment. When the wrist rests on the pad at a height higher than that, it's hard to maintain a neutral position, defeating the purpose. There shouldn't be any extremes of stiffness or softness either.

Easy clean

Accidents are bound to occur whenever you eat or drink while using the computer. Choose a mouse pad that is stain- and spill-resistant. It should also be washable to keep your workspace clean and free of dust.

Non-slip grips

You don't want your mouse pad sliding around if you're right in the middle of a game. Make sure that the mouse pad has a rubber base to remain firmly in place. Some mousepads adhere so well to the table that you must remove them to move them.