Remote Work Ergonomics: Typing Troubles — How to Avoid Wrist Pain
You might be someone who is working from home right now and were quite busy typing 10 different emails for your clients before the day ends.
You might be a student who needs to type a very long reaction paper and send your assignments to your teachers as a requirement.
You might be a freelancer who is typing daily to create content for your own business.
Whatever it is, typing on our gadgets have become part of our lives. It’s rare these days to not see someone working on their laptops. Almost all of us right now use laptops either for work, play or school.
As gadget users increase, a high number of people experiencing wrist and finger issues due to typing are being reported. The symptoms of pain varies from joint stiffness and muscle aches to nerve -like sensations radiating down from their wrist to their fingers.
Don’t get me wrong, typing in itself is not bad. But if you have any underlying problem with your joints or postural alignment, all those repetitive strokes can tip the scale towards pain.
Tips:
- Have the right equipment.
Wrist can hurt for a number of reasons. Let’s look at how we can optimize your keyboard first.
Keyboard. Working on a laptop that is sitting on a flat surface put’s your wrist to a more flexed position creating stress on the joint and compression on the structures underneath your wrist when you type. Having a laptop / keyboard stand that will tilt your keyboard (to about 15°) helps solve this issue.
For your mouse, it is ideal to use a mouse pad with a wrist cushion to alleviate compression on the wrist. It would also help to use either a flat mouse or a vertical mouse depending on the condition. We generally want to put our wrist into a more neutral posture/position. Vertical mouse would be very good for those suffering from nerve — like issues like carpal tunnel syndrome, while a flatter mouse would be good for those experiencing stress and strain on their wrist joint.
2. Check your setup.
You want your keyboard to be set up at least 15 degrees elevated to avoid stress on the wrist when you type. You want your shoulders relaxed and your elbows directly parallel on the floor when typing.
3. Wrist Exercises
Nerve Glides — this exercise is very good for those who are experiencing pins and needles sensation on wrist and fingers.
Joint Mobilisations — if you’re feeling pain and discomfort on the inner side of your wrist, this exercise is perfect to do to instantly alleviate the pain.
“Pain is a defense mechanism. It’s telling you there’s something wrong, If it’s painful and not going away, it would be best to get it checked out.”
For a much more detailed analysis of our condition, you may send me your questions directly on Instagram and I will provide you with solutions on what you can do to manage your problems.
Cheers!
