Once upon a time on a typewriter far, far away, I learned to type. Nowadays we call it keyboarding. It seems to me that Repetitive Stress Injuries are on the increase in the past few years. (Here I go!) When I learned to type, we were taught to keep the wrists up! (I learned that also on the piano!) I do not know how keyboarding is taught, but the only people I see that keep their wrists up and have good posture are not in the "younger" age group. Thus, the increase in RSI, in my opinion.

I'm looking for some opinions here. Why is it that there is so little "proper" posture (wrist & body) today? Look at offices and you see people sitting (slouching) at their desks and wrists resting on the desk, keyboarding away. And when one suggests that is not a good way to stay healthy, it is a suggestion that is ignored. Have you ever had any sypmtoms? Numbness, tingling, burning?

Correct Posture

I used to suffer from hand/wrist aches and pains, especially in the mouse hand and wrist. This was because of the points you raise Jar. In the end, I bought gel wrist supports for the mouse mat and keyboard. Since a computer keyboard is much lower than that of a proper typewriter, the pads support the wrists at about the correct angle. This helped alot and I rarely get any pains in that area now.

I tend to get lower back pain anyway, so I'm quite careful about sitting with a good posture while at the computer. The choice of chair has proved to be important. I have a high backed one, the sort that can tilt backwards on a spring. I put my feet on a tilted raised footrest. This means that I don't get back pain from sitting at the computer anymore. I have a TV placed to the left of me. What with this and the comfy sitting position, I have been known to occasionally doze of while sitting at the computer.

I can set this up because it's in my home. It must be difficult for those who just 'get what they are given' in the workplace.

I always have my keyboard right to the edge of my desk and have no problem other than 'mouse finger', probably medically known as trigger finger. I have a fair amount of arthritis in that finger, very knobbly. Oh, I also have a callouse on my mouse hand where it rubs on the desk, hard skin but not uncomfortable. My chair is fine, I use a cushion in the small of my back and never get backache from using the computer.

Yes, the chair really is important. I use a regular office chair that raises, lowers, and tilts. Many people do not realize the comfort that putting one's feet up brings. I always have something under my feet.

My neighbor's son, who is on the computer A LOT, sits in a chair that leans back, has the keyboard on his lap, feet up on the desk. I suppose this position helps keep his wrists up, but his back may be the worse for wear in coming years. When he does sit upright, the wrists are always on the desk -- why not, that's what his dad does!

RSI means repetitive strain injury. This can affect the neck, shoulders and upper limbs. The keyboard is the main hardware that causes this injury. Also, sufferers who suffered from this injury cannot even lift a kettle or pour a cup of tea. To prevent this injury, do these:
- Keyboards should be placed in a good position away from the monitor.
- The monitor should be tiltable.
- The keyboard should be standard meaning that it should have a matt surface and the symbols must be contrasted.
- A wrist rest should be used to support the wrists.
- Good keyboards to prevent this injury are ergonomic ones. Ergonomic keyboars are designed to prevent RSI as you can place the hands at a more natural angle than the standard keyboard.