What is the Ergonomic Typing Posture?

id you know that there are various health hazards in an office that you might not be aware of? See, sometimes we focus too much on hygiene – you know, ensuring that the workspace is clean – and we forget one of the most important aspects in an office setting – posture and typing ergonomics. The truth is, if your job involves a lot of typing, then your typing posture should be of utmost importance. Otherwise, you will end up experiencing repetitive strain injury, which is a result of repetitive actions leading to tendons and muscle impairment or pain. Ergonomics tying posture helps to prevent this pain, and we will tell you more about that in this article. So keep reading.

he most appropriate typing posture is when your feet are flatly placed on the ground and with your back and neck straight. Your elbow should also be open – probably at an angle of about 90 and 110 degrees – which helps in the proper placement of your wrists in neutral or straight positions. In addition, when it comes to your head and eyes, they should be level with the top line of the screen.

Now, for you to maintain a proper typing posture, you should be using equipment and accessories that facilitates rather than inhibit the posture. We are talking of things like ergonomic keyboards, mouse, and adjustable computer stands. So, how does these accessories enhance a proper typing posture? Here is how;

Keyboards Placement

With normal keyboards, you can either keep them flat on your desk or tilt them negatively or positively, especially the ones with little support ‘legs’ to prop the keyboard up. However, over time, this keyboard will most likely keep your body extremely strained. But if you were to upgrade to an ergonomic keyboard, your work will be much easier. See, ergonomic keyboards are strategically designed to provide more comfort when typing, which then reduces repetitive strain injuries.

Wrist Placement

You will also need to get an ergonomic wrist rest that’s designed to keep your wrists in a neutral position at all times. This rests also prevents the wrists from bending backward, which, in turn, alleviates pressure on your shoulders.

Proper Monitor Placement

In the spirit of ergonomic typing posture, the way your monitor is placed should be in a way that doesn’t make your eyes and head strain too much. Ideally, it should be an angle where your eyes are level with the top of your screen. With that said, an adjustable computer stand will come in handy to ensure that your monitor sits at the correct eye level.

Mouse Placement

The positioning of the mouse also matters a lot! Ideally, it is required to be in a position that would keep your arm at a 90-degree angle. Also, the type of mouse being used is also important as some would lead to extreme strain on both your arm and wrist. An ergonomic mouse will certainly feel different and will make your typing way more comfortable.

hen your ergonomic typing posture is wrong, you will be putting yourself at great risk of the following issues:

Repetitive strain injury

When you work on a computer in a non-ergonomic typing position for long periods, it will most likely result in a repetitive strain injury. Some of the signs of these injuries include aches and pains, weakness or numbness in your arms, cold hands, and hand swelling.

Wrist strain

When typing, your wrist tendons move back and forth. So when you do it often and for long periods the tendons cause friction, which then becomes wrist micro-trauma. We call this tendonitis, and it normally results in weakness, throbbing, stiffness, and cramping of the wrist.

Neck and back pain

Aches and pains in the back and neck are quite common, especially for people who work on their computers all day long. Your keyboard placement is the major culprit as it causes misalignment of the upper body, thereby causing significant strain, pain, and discomfort on your upper back, neck, and shoulders.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

regular typing may also trigger swelling of the carpal tunnel in your wrists, which then put pressure on a nerve, resulting in:

• Numb hands
• Pins and needles on your hand and forearm
• Poor grip strength and a weak thumb
• Dull aches on the arms, hands, and fingers

This damage could take a very long time to heal, which further stresses the importance of taking precautions before it gets there.

ther than the crucial items that we discussed earlier, you also need to keep the following in mind:

You need to have an adjustable chair that will give you the freedom to ensure that you are in the perfect sitting position. Also, the chair needs to support your lower back perfectly to prevent any pain that may come from that area. An ergonomic chair would be the most ideal as it not only promotes better posture, but also supports you in all the correct areas.

When using a laptop, consider using an external keyboard and mouse. Even though the laptop's keyboard and touchpad might be convenient, they can be quite uncomfortable to use sometimes. So, get an ergonomic keyboard and mouse to use with your laptop, and your body will be able to maintain a more natural posture when working.

Take regular breaks – this is the most important thing to remember! Even with ergonomic devices and accessories, it is always recommended that you take at least a five-minute break after every 45 minutes of sitting. Use that time to stand and stretch! Doing this regularly will not only be good for your posture, but also your mental health. These five minutes are very crucial!

aving an ergonomic workspace is very crucial, as it promotes a healthy posture. After all, the last thing anyone wants is to have injuries and strains on their wrists, neck, and shoulders after a long day at work. So, you should take on that initiative and invest in your workspace, and be assured that you will be preventing a lot of health concerns.